If Ever I Return by Connie Dover

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- Rick Anderson, Critics' Choice

About Connie Dover

Acclaimed by the Boston Globe as "the finest folk ballad singer America has produced since Joan Baez," 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 began her Celtic music career as a lead singer for the Kansas City-based Irish band, Scartaglen. She has toured extensively, performing on radio, television, in concert and at nearly every major folk festival in North America. Notable among her broadcast performances have been guest appearances on NPR's Weekend Edition, A Prairie Home Companion, Thistle and Shamrock, Mountain Stage and E-Town.

Connie's four best-selling albums: Somebody, The Wishing Well, If Ever I Return and The Border of Heaven, have firmly established her reputation as a world-class vocalist, garnering rave reviews. Produced by Silly Wizard alumnus Phil Cunningham, her CDs feature instrumentation by some of Scotland, Ireland and America's finest traditional musicians.

In addition to her own recordings, Connie has contributed songs to compilations on the Narada, Sony, Virgin and Rounder record labels. She has been a guest on many collections of folk and world music, and her voice can be heard on numerous film and television soundtracks.

Connie has twice been a finalist for the AFIM Indie Award, and other accolades for her recordings and performances include being named a Top Ten Folk Release by Tower Records Pulse! Magazine, a Winning Favourite Folk Release by The Scotsman, Scotland's National Newspaper, a Boston Globe Top Ten Folk Release, a nomination for Scotland's Living Tradition Award Album of the Year, and a Creative Achievement Award from Time Warner's Hollywood On-Line. Connie was also a finalist for two Native American Music Awards and two New Age Voice Music Awards for Best Vocalist and Best Celtic Release.

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 undergraduate work at Oxford University has 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, where she is a trail cook during ranch cattle drives (and where she can often be heard 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 cultural boundaries and affirms our connection with the past. A warm and engaging performer, and a singer and composer of the highest order, Connie Dover's diverse background and interests are reflected in the depth and richness of her approach to traditional music.

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