Beth Rowley

Beth Rowley blends vintage rhythm and blues with gospel roots, layering those elements over modern pop and jazz textures to create her distinctive vocal approach. Born in Lima, Peru, during October 1981 to British missionary parents, she relocated with the family at age two and grew up in Bristol, England. Her earliest musical touchstones ranged from Mahalia Jackson and Emmylou Harris to Neil Young, Roy Orbison, and Woody Guthrie, the last of whom reached her through her guitar-playing father. After attending St. Mary Redcliffe and Temple schools, Rowley was spotted during a London open-mike night; at sixteen she launched the funk-soul-acid jazz ensemble the Apogee. Following secondary school she pursued informal studies at Weston-Super-Mare College and completed a formal year at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. A meeting with vocalist Carleen Anderson prompted her to refine a personal style, yet her first paid work came as a backing singer for Enrique Iglesias and Ronan Keating. On the underground circuit she began collaborating in 2000 with saxophonist Ben Castle, a member of Jamie Cullum’s band, while composing original songs that drew equally from country, bluegrass, and soul traditions. Her EP Violets preceded the full-length Blue Thumb release Little Dreamer, which featured co-written material with Castle alongside covers of songs by Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson. Duke Special supplied additional support, and Blur producer Steve Power shaped the sessions with assistance from Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby. Upon issue the album entered the U.K. Top Ten, earning Rowley a nomination for Best Female Vocalist at the 2009 Brit Awards. That year she also appeared onscreen in Lone Scherfig’s film An Education and contributed to the soundtrack for The Edge of Love. In 2010 she left Universal to pursue an independent route, touring extensively across the U.K. and performing with Jools Holland & his R&B Band. The Wretched Body EP arrived in 2013; after returning from London to Bristol she stepped back from regular activity yet continued occasional live appearances. Following an eight-year semi-hiatus she reentered the studio, resulting in the mid-2018 album Gota Fría (Cold Drop) on the independent Stoopnik label, introduced by the single “Forest Fire.”