QUINN, MARIE

Homebase: Seattle, WA
Stats:
Misc Notes: Marie Louise Quinn was born in Seattle, WA in 1929. She attended area Catholic schools and took piano lessons, eventually writing and composing music. She sang and performed in various clubs and rooms including Vito’s Lounge, the Sorrento Hotel, and the Scarlett Tree. She married Seattle musician James “Jim” Redmond, who played drums with Bumps Blackwell along with Quincy Jones and Ray Charles. Marie and Jim had one daughter, Carmen, but later divorced. At one point she went to California to try for a recording career. She was offered $300 for one of her songs, but for it to be recorded by someone else (reportedly Ricky Nelson) with no credit to her, so she refused. She composed “Never Love a Gamblin’ Man” and “Rich With Travelin’ Time” which she recorded in 1966 with the Spindrift Singers on the Crossroads label. She eventually married Wally Derickson and had a daughter Melissa. Her last marriage was to Gene Snell. She recorded her original songs “You Stepped on My Shadow (But You Didn’t See Me)” and “Happy Birthday Baby Jesus” with her nephew Dan Bell on guitar, on Topaz Records (published by Lamplighter/BMI). She also recorded her original songs “Gino” and “I Want to Care For You” on Heartbeat Records. She also wrote short stories, a radio play script, and a novel, which were not yet published when she died in 2024.