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The mysterious story of Connie Converse, the singer-songwriter who vanished

The artist quit music in the early '60s, then later disappeared so completely even her family didn't know where she'd gone. Now, an album of her songs — as she wanted them heard — is coming out.
Connie Converse, photographed in New York City in June, 1958.

The singer-songwriter Connie Converse has been described by fans as a precursor to Bob Dylan. But when she made music in New York City in the early to mid-1950s, no one paid much attention. So she left the music scene to start a new life. Then one day in 1974, Converse and her music disappeared.

Decades later, in 2009, a few early recordings were released for the first time and suddenly Connie Converse had an audience. Ever since, those fans have been working to share her music and story with the world. One of them, author and musician Howard Fishman, published a. And now a new album containing 32 songs will be released Aug. 11. It's a recording Converse made herself, at home in 1956. She called it . Fishman joined NPR's Eyder Peralta to talk about the enigmatic singer and composer. Hear the complete radio story above.

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