Mary Gauthier performs on Mountain Stage.

The New Orleans native returns for her third appearance with uplifting songs that reflect the struggles she has overcome including addition and homelessness.

Between Daylight & Dark is the latest record by widely acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier, who makes her third appearance on Mountain Stage in a set originally recorded in December 2007.

Originally from New Orleans and currently a Nashville resident, Gauthier has battled back from hard knocks and bad habits to emerge as one of the most poignant and powerful songwriters of her generation. Bouncing between rehab centers and homeless shelters throughout her teens, she eventually found a home in the restaurant business of New Orleans. She later started a restaurant in Boston called the Dixie Kitchen after attending culinary school. She didn't write her first song until she was 35.

She begins with "Last of the Hobo Kings," an ode to Steam Train Maury Graham, a relentless rambler who died in November 2006. Gauthier follows that with two contemplative prayers for those who have lost their way, coming from someone who was once in their shoes.

This Mountain Stage performance originally aired on September 14, 2012.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Filed in:

• Concerts
• Music