Known as “Diamond Teeth Mary,” McClain was a blues and gospel singer from Huntington. At 13, she ran away from home, joined a circus, and began singing in shows across the country.

In the 1940s, she got her nickname after having diamonds set in her teeth. Over the years, she performed with legends such as Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and her half-sister Bessie Smith and at Carnegie Hall and the White House.

She later moved to Florida, became a gospel singer, and finally made her first record at age 91. She performed until her death at 97. Her ashes were scattered on the train tracks in Huntington—where her journey had first begun.