History Music / ConnieConverse

Elizabeth Eaton Converse more known as '''Connie Converse''' (1924-?) was a US SingerSongwriter, possibly the first of the genre.
Gifted from a young age writing and drawing for her brothers, Converse was great at school she ended up with an College Scholarship but later dropped out to start her Music Career in New York.

She changed her name to Connie, she would work at a printer house, then every night she would play her own music for friends and their guests. One new friend Gene Deitch saw her potential and managed to get her a slot on a Morning TV Show in 1954 however still nobody signed her up[[note]] it was believed that part of her failure was due to her shyness, she only played her music at friend's homes never at Open Mike Nights which might have helped her more [[/note]].

In 1961 Converse gave up just as Music/BobDylan took over the genre, she moved to Michigan where her brother lived she gave up song writing and became the Journal of Conflict Resolution's managing editor.

However in 1973 after the journal was sold off to Yale, Converse fell into a depression, having possibly suffered from burnout, while her friends and family tried to help she was hurt deeper by being told she needed a hysterectomy.

In 1974 after her 50th Birthday, Converse packed up her things in her Volkswagon Beetle and drove away telling in letters she wanted a fresh start. [[note]]she left a cheque for her brother to her Health Insurance and instructions for it's payment to a certain point.[[/note]]
What happened to her is unknown [[note]]her brother said that a friend saw a ''Elizabeth Converse'' appeared in a phonebook but couldn't remember the state, then the family tried to get a Private Investigator to find her but warned them the slim chances she would be found and that it was her right to leave and so the family agreed to her request.
Her brother suspects Connie might have killed herself driving the car and herself in water but her disappearance remains unknown.[[/note]]. If Connie is still alive she would be over 90.

Then in 2004 her old friend Gene Deitch was on Radio Show where he played an Recording that he had of Connie, two listeners Dan Dzula and David Herman, were entranced by Connie's music, they went searching for more music of the unknown lady and received Deitch's recordings and some her brother had, all done on tape in Deitch's Kitchen.

With the songs collected, they restored them and made an Album, which was a hit with Critics seeing Connie as the forerunner for the Singer/Songwriter and was very much ahead of her time.

Connie's Music has inspired people with Howard Fishman writing a play ''A Star Has Burnt My Eye'', he would also produce the Album ''Connie's Piano Music'', also her music was used in the modern dance piece "Empty Pockets" by John Heginbotham, tributes by Nat Johnson, Jean Rohe and Diane Cluck and even a cover album.

* AllForNothing: In ''The Man in the Sky'' a young lady tired of the same men that court her decides that the only honest man is a star, she does everything to grab his attention, but nothing works and she dies remorse of her dream man.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Part of the reason why Connie's music was ahead of its time might be because the unrequited love in her songs is gay, in ''One By One'' the character and their loved one go for walks at night making sure not to be close enough to be seen as a couple but wanted to be.
** Connie's sexuality is up for debate, she kept her personal life close and never seemed to say if she was gay or not both her brother and Deitch believe she could have been a Lesbian.
* BarBrawl: The cowherd in ''The Clover Saloon'' lost their credit after throwing their glass at someone for saying something they didn't like and then the Cowherd killed the man and is waited to be hanged.
* BlessedWithSuck: Connie's skill at being good at everything might have been her undoing, at graduation she swept most of the academic awards as well as being valedictorian, by the end her parents were embarrassed rather than impressed. In her later years she attempted to do too many things at the same time including writing both a play and novel and creating an artistic space in Michigan all to nothing

--> Up that tree there's sort of a squirrel thing.
Also Dzula and Herman created ''Squirrel Thing Productions'' to publish Connie's music.

* GoodbyeCruelWorld: Connie farewell letter to her brother has hints of this:
--->Connie: Let me go,
--->Let me be if I can,
--->Let me not be,
--->If I Can't.
* HiddenDepths: Many of Connie's songs have plenty of this, there's plenty of sadness in her music and love loss is a theme in many of her songs.
* HilariousOuttakes: In the end of one of the songs Connie starts laughing as her guitar goes out of tune.

* ShoutOut: In the song ''Playboy of the Western World'' there are plenty of references.
* TakeThat: ''Rowing Women'' is one to Connie's Conservative upbringing.
* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: Many of her songs are her on Guitar and are rather easy to learn from those many Website/YouTube recordings.
* UnrequitedLoveLastsForever: ''One by One'' is this as well as ''The Man in the Sky''.

Let me be if I can,
Let me not be,
If I Can't

However in 1973 after the journal was sold off to Yale, Converse fell into a depression, while her friends and family tried to help she was hurt deeper by being told she needed a hysterectomy.

Her brother suspects Connie might have killed herself driving the car and herself in water but her disappearance remains unknown.[[/note]].If Connie is still alive she would be over 90.

Her brother suspects Connie might have killed herself driving the car and herself in water but her disappearance remains unknown.[[/note]].

* MurderBallard: Despite the joyful sound of ''The Clover Saloon'' it's still about a man facing the hangman's noose.

* BarBrawl: The character in ''The Clover Saloon'' lost their credit after throwing their glass at someone for saying something they didn't like.

* BarBrawl: The character in ''The Clover Saloon'' lost their credit after throwing their glass at someone for saying something they didn't like

* BarBrawl: The character in ''The Clover Saloon'' lost their credit after throwing their glass at

Gifted from a young age writing and drawing for her brothers, Converse was great at school she ended up with an Collge Scholarship but later dropped out to start her Music Career in New York.

* UnrequitedLoveLastsForever: ''One by One'' is this as well as ''The Man in the Sky.

She changed her name to Connie, she would work at a printer house, then every night she would play her own music for friends and their guests. One new friend Gene Deitch saw her potential and managed to get her a slot on a Morning TV Show in 1954 however still nobody signed her up[[note]] it was believed that part of her failure was due to her shyness, she only played her music in flats never at Open Mike Nights which might have helped her more [[/note]].

* FaceOnTheCover: The Cover Art for the Album How Sad, How Lovely has Connie's face looking pensive between two mountains.

* AllForNothing: In ''The Man in the Sky'' a young lady tired of the men that court her decides that the only honest man is a star, she does everything to grab his attention, but nothing works and she dies remorse of her dreams flase.

* SelfBackingVoicalist: Connie used overdubbing in some of her music as heard in a version of ''Down This Road''

* SelfBackVoicalist: Connie used overdubbing in some of her music as heard in a version of ''Down This Road''

* {{Adorkable}}: In the end of one of the songs Connie starts laughing as her guitar goes out of tune.

* ThreeCordsAndTheTruth: Many of her songs are her on Guitar and are rather easy to learn from those many Website/YouTube recordings.
* UnrequitedLoveLastsForever:

* Sad Lady (2020)

Then in 2004 her old friend Gene Deitch was on Radio Show where he played an Recording that he had of Connie, two listeners Dan Dzula and David Herman, were entranced by Connie's music, they went searching for more music of the unknown lady and received Deitch's recordings and some her brother had all done on tape in Deitch's Kitchen.

With the songs collected, they restored them and made an Album, which was a hit with Critics seeing Connie as the forerunner for the Singer/Songwriter and was very much ahead of her time.

Elizabeth Eaton Converse more known as '''Connie Converse''' (1924-?) was a US SingerSongwriter, possibly the first of the genre. Her life was that of the failed musician whose music became a success years after her time. After years of failing to get her name in the door, she left disheartened and then disappeared for good. However her greatest supporters kept a series of recordings that would become her legacy in the present time.

!!Biography

She was an Gifted Child in a strict religious family writing and drawing for her brothers, Converse was great at school she ended up with an Scholarship at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, but 2 years later she dropped out to start her Music Career in New York.

She changed her name to Connie which everybody somehow used to call her anyway, Connie would work at a printer house, then every night she would play her own music for friends and their guests. One friend Gene Deitch saw her potential and managed to get her a slot on a Morning TV Show in 1954 however still nobody signed her up[[note]] it was believed that part of her failure was due to her shyness, she only played her music in flats never at Open Mike Nights which might have helped her more [[/note]]. In 1961 Converse gave up just as Music/BobDylan took over the genre, she moved to Michigan where her brother worked as a Political Scienter she worked for the Journal of Conflict Resolution first as a secretary, then a writer and the managing editor.

Then in 1973 the Journal was sold off which Converse was upset by and suffering from Burnout and Depression her friends tried to help with a paid trip to Europe, however it failed, as did a trip with her Mother to Alaska to restore her old self, especially after being told she would need a hysterectomy which made her depression worst.

!!Disappearance

In 1974 after her 50th Birthday, Converse packed up her things in her Volkswagon Beetle and drove after never to be seen again, she wrote letters to family and friends telling them to leave her make a fresh start, however she left a cheque for her brother to her Health Insurance and instructions for it's payment to a certain point.
What happened to Connie has never been proven, her brother said that a friend saw a ''Elizabeth Converse'' appeared in a phonebook but couldn't remember the state, then the family tried to get a Private Investigator to find her but warned them the slim chances she would be found and that it was her right to leave and so the family agreed to her request.
Her brother suspects Connie might have killed herself driving the car and herself in water but her disappearance remains unknown.

!!Fame At Last

In 2004 her old friend Gene Deitch was on Radio Show where he played an Recording that he had of Connie, two listeners Dan Dzula and David Herman, were entranced by Connie's music, they went searching for more music of the unknown lady and received Deitch's recordings and some her brother had all done on tape in Deitch's Kitchen.
With the songs they restored them and made an Album, which was a hit with Critics seeing Connie as the forerunner for the Singer/Songwriter and was very much ahead of her time.

Elizabeth Eaton Converse more known as '''Connie Converse''' (born in 1924) was a US SingerSongwriter, possibly the first of the genre. Her life was that of the failed musician whose music became a success years after her time. After years of failing to get her

She changed her name to Connie which everybody somehow used to call her anyway, Connie would work at a printer house, then every night she would play her own music for friends and their guests. One friend Gene Deitch saw her potential and managed to get her a slot on a Morning TV Show in 1954 however still nobody signed her up[[/note]] it was believed that part of her failure was due to her shyness, she only played her music in flats never at Open Mike Nights which might have helped her more [[note]]. In 1961 Converse gave up just as Music/BobDylan took over the genre, she moved to Michigan where her brother worked as a Political Scienter she worked for the Journal of Conflict Resolution first as a secretary, then a writer and the managing editor.

In 2004 her old friend Gene Deitch was on Radio Show where he played an Recording that he had of Connie, two listeners Dan Dzula and David Herman, were entranced by Connie's music, they went searching for more music of the unknown lady and received Deitch's recordings and some her brother had.

[[caption-width-right:290:Connie]
Elizabeth Eaton Converse more known as '''Connie Converse''' (born in 1924) was a US SingerSongwriter, possibly the first of the genre. Her life was that of the failed musician whose music became a success years after.

She changed her name to Connie which everybody somehow used to call her anyway, Connie would work at a printer house, then every night she would play her own music for friends and their guests. One friend Gene Deitch saw her potential and managed to get her a slot on a Morning TV Show in 1954 however still nobody signed her up. After nearly 10 years of failed attempts, her music had only delighted the ears of her friends and family, Converse gave up just as Music/BobDylan took over the genre to mainstream success, she moved to Michigan where her brother worked as a Political Scienter she worked for the Journal of Conflict Resolution first as a secretary, then a writer and the managing editor.

In 2004 her old friend Gene Deitch was on Radio Show where he played an Recording that he had of Connie

In 1974 after her 50th Birthday, Converse vanished just before a trip to a lake, in

Elizabeth Eaton Converse more known as Connie Converse (born in 1924) was a US SingerSongwriter, possibly the first of the genre.
She was an Gifted Child in a strict religious family writing and drawing for her brothers, Converse was great at school she ended up with an Scholarship at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, but 2 years later she dropped out to start her Music Career in New York. She changed her name to Connie which everybody somehow used to call her anyway, Connie would work at a printer house, then every night she would play her own music for friends and their guests. One friend Gene Deitch saw her potential and managed to get her a slot on a Morning TV Show however still nobody signed her up.