The mysterious true story of Connie Conver
se&mdash\;a mid-century New York City songwriter\, singer\, and composer w
hose haunting music never found broad recognition&mdash\;and one writer&rs
quo\;s quest to understand her life
When musician and \;New Yorke
r \;contributor Howard Fishman first heard Connie Converse&rsquo\;s vo
ice on a recording\, he was convinced she could not be real. Her recording
s were too good not to know\, and too out of place for the 1950s to make s
ense&mdash\;a singer who seemed to bridge the gap between traditional Amer
icana (country\, blues\, folk\, jazz\, and gospel)\, the Great American So
ngbook\, and the singer-songwriter movement that exploded a decade later w
ith Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. And then there was the bizarre legend abo
ut Connie Converse that had become the prevailing narrative of her life: t
hat in 1974\, at the age of fifty\, she simply drove off one day and was n
ever heard from again. Could this have been true? Who was Connie Converse\
, really?
\;
Howard Fishman is an author\,
musician\, composer\, theatre-maker\, and culture writer\, based in Brook
lyn\, New York. He is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker\, and his w
riting has also been published by The New York Times\, The Washington Post
\, Rolling Stone\, The Telegraph\, Vanity Fair\, ArtForum\, The Village Vo
ice\, and The San Fransico Chronicle. His book debut\, TO ANYONE WHO E
VER ASKS: THE LIFE\, MUSIC\, AND MYSTERY OF CONNIE CONVERSE\, is out
now from Dutton (Penguin Random House).
Books will be available fo
r sale and signing following the event.
\;