about daring and stahl
Mason Daring is a critically acclaimed film and TV composer and Jeanie Stahl a premier vocalist. In the 70's the Boston Globe dubbed them the "darlings of the folk scene." They recorded two albums together and garnered national attention with Mason's original song, Marblehead Morning.
Mason went on to become an award winning composer for over 70 motion pictures and mini-series. His credits include the scores for sixteen of John Sayles' movies, including The Secret of Roan Inish, Eight Men Out, Matewan and Lone Star. His TV scores include the long-playing themes for PBS's Nova and Frontline. His major film credits include, among others, From Earth to the Moon, The Opposite of Sex, Music of the Heart and Where the Heart Is.
Jeanie continued performing as a featured vocalist including starring in eight music videos for TV's Masterpiece Theatre as well as recordings for films for John Sayles and the cult hit, The Opposite of Sex. She recorded several solo albums on the Daring Records label.
Their album, 40, celebrates 40-years of musical collaboration. The CD reflects their interest in a broad range of musical styles. The beautiful production reflects their deep experience in writing, arranging, vocal harmonies and, along with a stellar group of musicians, delivering a thoroughly enjoyable album.
Daring and Stahl were also part of the Passim All Stars, which included Bill Staines, Bill Novick and Guy Van Duser and Stuart Schulman.
You can also visit Mason Daring and Jeanie Stahl on Facebook and YouTube. To learn more about Mason and his film and TV work visit his website.
News & Updates
In 2023, Mason and Jeanie celebrated 50 years of playing and performing together. In November they recorded and filmed a roster of songs with some of their favorite musicians including Duke Levine, Kenny White, Richard Gates, Tim Jackson, Billy Novick, Gus Sebring, and Suzanne Boucher. Bill Aydelott, with help from Fred Burnham, filmed the recordings. Some of these recordings can now be viewed on YouTube on the Mason Daring and Jeanie Stahl channel.
The recordings have now been included in a documentary film about the duo entitled Marblehead Morning. The film is expected to be shown at film festivals in 2026 and to be released publicly in 2027. Footage also includes recordings from concerts, interviews with musicians and long-time collaborators including filmmaker and writer John Sayles, Frontline founder and ex-officio Executive Producer, David Fanning, and writer and lyricist Harriet Reisen. The film was directed by Tim Jackson, renowned Boston area drummer, film critic and director of the documentary, When Things Go Wrong about the musician Robin Lane.
Mason and Jeanie’s album, 40, celebrated 40 years of their musical collaboration. The album reflects their interest in a broad range of styles, from contemporary folk, original songs and country, to classics from the 30's and 40's. The stellar cast of musicians includes guitar virtuosos Duke Levine and Kevin Barry, Billy Novick, Bill Staines, Richard Gates on bass and Dave Mattacks on drums.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Mike Regenstreif: Editor, writer and broadcaster
From Mike Regaenstreif's Folks Roots/Folk Branches blog at frfb.blogspot.com/2015_05_01_archive.html
...Mason and Jeanie still sound great together...There's a timelessness to the songs on the album and originals like Mason's "Too Much" and Jeanie's "The Ring" stand tall next to the classics...Forty is a delightful listen from start to finish...
Steve Morse: Boston Globe staff music critic for 28 years and teacher at Berklee College of Music
Talk about a long hiatus! Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl were folk luminaries back in the '70s, opening ears with their classic song "Marblehead Morning." They then took a long break -- Mason to compose music for films, Jeanie to perform for PBS and start a museum-planning business — but 35 years later they have reunited and recaptured their youth with a sterling new album. It is a beautiful work of art, featuring five original songs rich in wisdom, experience and graceful harmony vocals, along with festive covers from Bob Wills' "San Antonio Rose" to Roger Miller's "King of the Road." There remains a magic to their collaboration and they're augmented by an A-team of Boston all-stars...it's great to see Mason and Jeanie making such sweet music together once again.
Other albums by Mason or Jeanie also available at CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon and more.
LISTEN
Listen to songs from other recordings by Daring & Stahl
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JEANIE STAHL
CONCERTS
Mason and Jeanie only play a few selected
performances a year.
MARBLEHEAD FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Wednesday July 1, 2026
Marblehead, MA