Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mean Mary will perform at Ca d’Zan House Concerts in Cambridge on Saturday, September 5. Presented by Crossroads Cultural Connections, the all-ages concert will begin at 7 p.m., following an optional community potluck dinner at 6 p.m.

Born Mary James in Geneva, Alabama, Mean Mary has lived an extraordinary life in music. She learned to read music before she could read words, wrote her first song before kindergarten, recorded her first album at age six, and began performing professionally as a child. By then, she was already playing guitar, banjo, and fiddle. Her early years were anything but ordinary. As a child, Mary spent time living with her family in the wilderness of northern Minnesota, where they stayed in a homemade plastic tent while building a log cabin by hand. Those experiences, along with years spent traveling, performing, and exploring traditional American music, helped shape the vivid storytelling that remains central to her work.

Her performances draw on a lifetime of experience, blending folk, Americana, bluegrass, roots music, compelling storytelling, and remarkable instrumental ability into an intimate live show.

Guests are invited to arrive at 6 p.m. for the optional potluck dinner and may bring a dish to share. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. Attendees should bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. A donation of $20 to $30 is suggested, and music lovers of all ages are welcome.