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Connie
Dover
 Vocalist
Connie Dover is an accomplished interpreter of the traditional music
of Great Britain and Ireland. Her soaring, crystal clear voice and
inspired arrangements display a depth and breadth of range that
have earned her a rightful place among the world's finest Celtic
singers.
Connie's three
best-selling albums: Somebody(1991),
The
Wishing Well (1994), and If
Ever I Return (1997)) firmly established her reputation as a
world-class vocalist, garnering rave reviews the world over. Produced
by Silly Wizard alumnus Phil Cunningham, they feature instrumentation
by some of Scotland and Ireland's finest musicians. She has twice
been a finalist for the AFIM Indie Award (Celtic Category), and
other awards and accolades for her recordings include a being named
a "Top Ten Celtic Release" from Tower Records' Pulse! Magazine,
a "Winning Favourite Folk Release" in The Scotsman, Scotland's National
Newspaper, a nomination for Scotland's Living Tradition Award "Album
of the Year", and a Creative Achiemenvent Award from Time Warner's
Hollywood On-Line news and information magazine.
Connie began
her Celtic music career as a lead singing for the Kansas City-based
Irish band, Scartaglen. Currently perfomring in a duo with fellow
Scartaglen member Roger Landes, she has toured extensively throughout
the USA and Canada, appearing on radio, television, in concert and
at nearly every major folk festival in North America. Notable among
her solo broadcast performances have been interviews with Scott
Simon for NPR's Weekend Edition and with Fiona Ritchie, host of
the popular Thistle & Shamrock radio program (voted favorite interview
by Ritchie's legions of loyal listeners). Connie has also been a
guest on the widely syndicated radio shows A Prairie Home Companion,
Mountain Stage and E-Town.
In addition
to her solo recordings, Connie has contributed songs to seven recordings
on the Narada Record label, and has been a guest on numerous collections
of folk and Celtic music. In 1991 she founded the Taylor Park Music
record lable to release her own albums, which are now distributed
in the US, Canada, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, South America,
Australia, New Zealand and Israel. .Her voice can also be heard
in film and television soundtracks, and she was a music consultant
for the Ang Lee Civil War epic film, Ride with the Devil.
Born in Arkansas
and raised in Missouri, Connie Dover is of English, Cherokee, Mexican
and Scots/Irish descent. She discovered the wealth of the Celtic
music tradition as a teenager, and began a search which continues
to this day, devoting her life to the research, collection, preservation
and recording of traditional songs and ballads. Her history degree,
earned from William Jewell College, and her undergraduate work at
Oxford University have further enriched her unique perspective of
the historical context of folk music,and her insightful interpretations
bring ancient ballads to life.
When Connie
is not touring or recording, she spends time working on Wyoming
cattle ranches, where she is a trail cook during ranch cattle drives
(and where she can often be herd singing old-time songs around a
roaring campfire to the accompaniment of hoarse cowboys and lowing
cattle). The theme which runs through her work is the exploration
of the common ground between British Isles and American folk music,
and she offers the modern listener a musical experience that transcends
both centuries and cultural boundaries, and affirms our connection
with the past. A singer and composer of the first order, her diverse
background and interests are reflected in the depth and richness
of her approach to traditional music.
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Last updated
on August 19, 2001
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