Beth Rowley

by Jason Birchmeier
British singer/songwriter Beth Rowley spent years refining her craft on the live circuit before eventually making her full-length album debut, Little Dreamer, in 2008. Born to British parents in 1981 in Lima, Peru, she grew up in Bristol, England. Influenced by soul, blues, country, and gospel, she began performing as a teenager and later studied at Brighton's Institute of Modern Music. After signing a recording contract with Blue Thumb Records, she made her debut in 2007 with the four-track Violets EP, which features two covers (Led Zeppelin's "Nobody's Fault But Mine," Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released") plus two originals co-written with saxophonist Ben Castle. The EP helped generate a buzz in the months leading up to the release of her full-length album debut, Little Dreamer (2008), which features the singles "Oh My Life" (chosen as Record of the Week on BBC Radio 2) and "So Sublime."