![]() ![]() I live in Mexico, which is a place where more than 100,000 people are reported missing. It's called "One by One," and it's haunting because she disappears in real life. One track from the new album is a song about how maybe, inevitably, we all end up alone. So this new album, with 32 tracks, is a major bump in what is known about Connie Converse and what has been commercially available until now. It was assembled for the purpose of introducing her to a listening audience for the first time. The previous Converse album, which is called How Sad, How Lovely, released in 2009, is a compilation of 1950s-era Converse songs and recordings, some of which were recorded by her, but most of which were recorded by somebody else. She recorded it herself, she sequenced it herself, and it represents her vision. And what's exciting about this album is that it's the album Connie Converse wanted to be made. It's the second album of her work that's been released. And the combination of those two feelings gave me goosebumps and started me down the rabbit hole that led to the book that I released a few months ago. It was called "Talking Like You." When I heard it, I had the feeling that I had heard the song all my life and also that I had never heard it before. I first heard a Connie Converse song at a holiday party in 2010. She wrote letters to family and friends saying that she was going to start a new life somewhere and not to come looking for her, and she has never been heard from again. And then she disappeared completely in 1974. After deciding that music maybe wasn't the avenue that was going to be open for her, she left and for the next decade worked as a social justice champion, working in conflict resolution, working against police brutality. Then in 1961, convinced that the music industry was not going to be able to do anything with her after all, she left New York and moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., to start a new life.Īt some point she disappears. Although she had a fanbase among people that heard her in living rooms and in salon settings, she was never able to break through commercially because record company executives didn't feel like there was any way to market her music. After being there for a few years, Converse began delving into making music at a time when the music she made really had no context. She grew up in New Hampshire, went to college at Mount Holyoke, dropped out, and moved to New York City to pursue being a writer. Howard Fishman: She was a trailblazing pioneering music maker in the 1950s, whose music has only recently been discovered and given the recognition it deserves. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.Įyder Peralta: For those of us who don't know her, who is Connie Converse? Fishman joined NPR's Eyder Peralta to talk about the enigmatic singer and composer. It's a recording Converse made herself, at home in 1956. ![]() And now a new album containing 32 songs will be released Aug. ![]() One of them, author and musician Howard Fishman, published a comprehensive biography of Converse in May titled To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse. Ever since, those fans have been working to share her music and story with the world. Then one day in 1974, Converse and her music disappeared.ĭecades later, in 2009, a few early recordings were released for the first time and suddenly Connie Converse had an audience. ![]() So she left the music scene to start a new life. But when she made music in New York City in the early to mid-1950s, no one paid much attention. The singer-songwriter Connie Converse has been described by fans as a precursor to Bob Dylan. Listen Connie Converse, photographed in New York City in June, 1958. ![]()
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