She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, graduating with a degree in jazz and Afro-American Music.
She sang in clubs, did film and television work in Hollywood, and recorded her first album, Easy to Love (1992).
Three years later, she moved to New York City, returned to singing in clubs, and recorded her second album, Show Me.
[2] McGarry looks beyond the jazz world for material, singing cover versions of Peter Gabriel, Björk, and Joni Mitchell on Mercy Streets (Palmetto, 2005),[2] the Irish song "The Heather on the Hill" on The Target (Palmetto, 2007),[3] and "American Tune" by Paul Simon on Genevieve & Ferdinand (Sunnyside, 2014), which she recorded with her husband, guitarist Keith Ganz.
[4] She has worked with Kurt Elling, Fred Hersch, John Hollenbeck, and Maria Schneider.