Will Anybody Know That I Was Here: The Songs of Beulah Rowley

by Mary Lee Kortes

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Double vinyl LP, available through record stores and online at www.maryleekortes.com.

The last individual-artist album produced by Hal Willner, The Songs of Beulah Rowley is a concept album about a Depression-era singer/songwriter who rose to regional fame in the Midwest. Tragically, she died in a house fire while only in her twenties, but her compositions and diaries, stored in a wrought-iron piano bench, survived the blaze.

The project came to Hal's attention in 2009. He said to me then: "I've never seen anything like this." Imagine how that felt, Hal Willner, who'd seen an awful lot, had never seen anything like my story and songs! It took us till 2016 to get it made. He always said to me, "Mary Lee, it doesn't matter when it comes out. It's a timeless album." I hope you agree, once you can get your hands on it!!!

Here's how it all got started:

I was on the road in the UK, thinking about my next record, wanting it to be different somehow, to incorporate other kinds of writing. What would that mean, I wondered, drifting off to sleep in my favorite London hotel suite (that would be my friend Lizzie's sofa bed). I woke up to find someone named "Beulah Rowley" in my head -- a regionally famous 1930s midwestern singer/songwriter. I wrote a song by her on the spot, finished my tour, came home and wrote her biography. And then a bunch more songs, by her of course.

And remember: Just because I made the whole thing up doesn't mean it isn't true."

Mary Lee Kortes

credits

released April 22, 2023

Mary Lee Kortes: vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
Andy York: Acoustic and electric guitar, background vocals
Rod Hoh: Acoustic and electric guitar, background vocals
Ann Klein: Acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, banjo, background vocals, Joe Chiofalo: accordion
Jeremy Chatzky: Electric and upright bass
Konrad Meissner: Drums and percussion
Shawn Pelton: Percussion

Produced by Hal Willner
Recorded and Mixed by John Kilgore at John Kilgore
Masterd by Alan Silverman at Aerial Sound

Album design: StephenSpera.com

Portrait photo of Mary Lee: Barry Sutton

Special Guests:
Eric Ambel: electric guitar
Eli Brueggemannn: synth strings
Rob Burger: piano
Charlie Burnham: electric violin
Jon Graboff: Pedal steel
Joe Jackson: piano and background vocals
Lenny Piicket, clarinet, saxophone, euphonium
Doug Wieselman: bass clarinet, alto saxophone

Find more of Mary Lee's music at www.maryleescorvette.com

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Mary Lee Kortes New York, New York

"Songs so meticulously crafted they sound completely natural". Jon Pareles, The New York Times
“Mary Lee Kortes's voice—the high mountain sunshine of Dolly Parton with a sweet-iron undercoat of Chrissie Hynde." David Fricke, Rolling Stone
"Mary Lee in concert... a feast for lovers of great songwriting that thrives in live performance for its wit, insight and glowing humanity." Billboard ... more

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