Madame Beverly Harrell
At a crossroads in rural Western Nevada near the mining town of Goldfield sat a lone cluster of trailers. Throughout the 1960’s through 1990’s its red porch light caught the eyes of drivers who passed down Highway 95’s quiet two lanes and beckoned pilots who touched down on the dirt landing strip a short distance behind the solitary structures. A wooden sign along beside the road simply said “Cottontail Ranch Brothel – Always Open”.
Madame Beverly Harrell ran the brothel. The fiery and flamboyant hustler possessed an uncanny memory and had moved her business out to Nevada after learning the trade as a flower girl in New York City’s jazz clubs who would accept tips in exchange for introducing well off men to the dancers and performers backstage, then setting up famous clients with her list of courtesans inside a string of classy and tastefully furnished apartments that she rented in the powerful Hollywood scene. After tiring of her stints in court rooms being tried by attorneys who she knew as past clients, she packed up and moved to Nevada, establishing the Cottontail.
Released in 1976, Coming My Way is an analog artifact from a unique era past. Originally available in the brothel gift shop and mailorder catalog, along with adult book shops in Las Vegas 150 miles to the south, the record contains stories told by Madame Harrell, as well as recordings made inside the brothel during her weekly classes educating her working girls on providing a classy and memorable experience to all who walked through her doors.
Available again for the first time in over 45 years, Ghost State Records presents Coming My Way, remastered and pressed onto 180 gram parlor smoke colored vinyl, and for the first time including liner notes on the story of Madame Beverly Harrell and history of the Cottontail Ranch, including exclusive notes by Nevada explorer “Wonderhussy” Sarah Jane Woodall.
A portion of sales proceeds are donated to various Nevada historical preservation organizations.
