This song is a mix of contemporary country and 1970s pop earnestness. Normally, this would be a deadly combination, but I found this listenable half a century ago and still think it's pretty good. (I have to call them as I see them.)
B. W. Stevenson (1949-1988) was from Dallas. "My Maria" reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was #3 nationally in Canada. Stevenson released three other songs that made it to the lower reaches of the charts, including the original version of "Shambala", which Three Dog Night took to #3 on the Hot 100 in 1973.
Stevenson went on to release an album of Christian music in 1980, titled Lifeline. Sadly, his life line was not that long - he died at the age of 38 following heart valve surgery after developing a staph infection.
Created August 20, 2026.