Art is never giving up on your dream

Courtney Yasmineh is a singer and songwriter here in the Twin Cities. She’s written and recorded eight albums of original songs that fall into the categories of folk or rock or Americana. Courtney has taken her Minneapolis based backing band all over the U.S., and to Europe on 14 self-booked tours.
She performed her first original song on guitar when she was 10 years old at a big Lutheran church in Chicago where she sang in the choir, and she says she always knew that singing for people was all she ever wanted to do.
In 1978, when she was 17, her life changed dramatically when she fled the chaos of her parents’ failing marriage in Chicago and ran away to the north woods of Minnesota to live alone in her grandfather’s deserted cabin.
Courtney published a novel that chronicles her challenging and adventurous coming-of-age story through Gibson House Press from Chicago, Ill. “A Girl called Sidney” can be purchased at:
https://gibsonhousepress.com/portfolio/a-girl-called-sidney/
Many twists and turns in her life took her away for periods of time from her dream, and although she counts being a mother to her three children as her greatest joy, she still had her dream of being a recording and touring singer/songwriter.
In her 40s, with her children off to college and beyond, she began her musical career again in earnest, and now in her 60s she continues to make more of a name for herself with each release of new original music.
“Red Roses And Cowgirl Dreams” made several international lists of best folk albums of 2021.
She’s got a new album in the works for 2022 and her newest single, “My Newfound Freedom,” was just recently debuted in the Twin Cities on The Current radio station by the well respected host Bill DeVille on his United States of Americana program.
She’s got plans for a new album release this summer and for tours in the US and Europe in the coming months.
In her own words, “Fortune favors the brave, and I’m just grateful to be able to keep moving forward doing what I love!”
In recent years Courtney’s been living near Minnehaha Creek. She even wrote a song about it that’s up for a 2022 international songwriter award. She loves to ride her bicycle along the creek and make a trip around our beautiful Lake Harriet on nice days.
She started playing her songs on the sidewalk out in front of the Everett & Charlie Art Gallery a couple years ago, and quickly became a favorite among gallery patrons and neighborhood regulars. The Harriet Brasserie being so close to the E&C Art Gallery has made it easy for musicians to find an audience on warm evenings, and Courtney is one of several musicians who are part of the colorful local scene.
During the colder months, Courtney played in the gallery from time to time. The Everett & Charlie gallery enjoyed helping with the online portion of her program, and we have had viewers tune in on her Facebook music page during her live performances in the gallery from all over the world, and from just down the block.
Courtney will be performing Feb. 17 from 5-7 p.m. in the Everett & Charlie Gallery with a live stream from her Courtney Yasmineh Facebook music page, as well.
More at: www.courtneyyasmineh.com

Suzie Marty is an artist and curator at Everett & Charlie art gallery in Linden Hills. She is also an avid supporter of buying local, and a sales representative for the Southwest Connector. Contact her at ads@swconnector.com.