Been listening to these songs for quite a while now - amazing songwriting. A mysterious, tragic tale, too.
On Spotify there is an album called “Connie’s Piano Songs” that purport to be through-composed (as in, pen to paper notated music) art songs. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to find more info about them and there don’t seem to be any scores are available. I’d be interested if anyone has any more information about them or has the scores. Part of me wonders if they are actually songs about Connnie Converse and not composed by her…
Fishman discusses this in his recently released book (which is highly recommended, although it left me a bit depressed.)
Basically, he got the music from her brother, and organized some singers and recorded it. There are no known recordings of Converse herself performing them.
tldr; Connie Converse wrote the music/lyrics, but “Connie’s Piano Songs” are performed by other artists.
I hope the above isn't considered a rude question, but treated as a real question. Who owns these recordings, and how did they get ownership? If I had to guess, I'd say the copyright started with whoever had the belongings (and tapes) she left behind, likely a family member, and they probably went into partnership with whoever shopped the tapes (and story) around to record companies.
One of my favorite CDs; I wish people still wrote music like that.
I'm guessing the rights to the recordings belong to her brother Phil and/or the two people who produced the album.
From the Bandcamp page:
words and music by Connie Converse
recorded by Connie Converse & Gene Deitch
restored and produced by Daniel Dzula & David Herman
From the article:
> It wasn’t until 2004, when an N.Y.U. graduate student heard a 1954 bootleg recording of Ms. Converse on WNYC, that her music started to get any of the attention and respect that had evaded her some 50 years before.
> The student, Dan Dzula, and his friend, David Herman, were spellbound by what they heard. They dug up more archival recordings, and assembled the 2009 album, “How Sad, How Lovely,” a compilation of songs that sound as though they could have been written today. It has been streamed over 16 million times on Spotify.
I found an interview with these two, who set up a record label that published the album.
That's interesting. Since her fate is known, it's possible these people are not the true rights holders of the music, but I guess if no one is complaining... Thanks for the info!
Phil Ochs isn't buried, but he's really not as well-known as he ought to be; the story about Dylan "throwing him out of his limo" for being too political for Bob's taste says a lot about Dylan.
See also Tia Blake for a younger lady who popped up, did a fantastic album, then more less disappeared after a couple one off appearances. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tia_Blake
