Deborah Allen
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the country music singer. For the actress and choreographer, see Debbie AllenDebbie AllenDeborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
.
Deborah Allen (born Deborah Lynn Thurmond on September 30 in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
) is an American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer. Since 1976, Allen has issued 12 albums and charted 14 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, most notably the 1983 crossover hit "Baby I Lied" which reached #4 on the country charts and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Allen has also written No. 1 singles for herself, Janie Fricke
Janie Fricke
Janie Fricke is an American country music singer, best remembered for a series of country music hits in the early to mid 1980s....
and John Conlee
John Conlee
John Conlee is an American country music singer. Between 1978 and 2004, Conlee charted a total of thirty-two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and recorded eleven studio albums...
, Top 5 hits for Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
, Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
and Top 10 hits for The Whites
The Whites
The Whites is an American country music vocal group consisting of lead singer Sharon White, her sister Cheryl , and their father Buck...
and others.
Early Life & Rise to Fame
Allen was born Deborah Lynn Thurmond in Memphis, Tennessee and was strongly influenced by Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and the current music which was being played in Memphis on WHBQ
WHBQ
WHBQ may refer to:*WHBQ , a radio station licensed to Memphis, Tennessee, United States*WHBQ-FM, a radio station licensed to Germantown, Tennessee, United States...
and WDIA
WDIA
WDIA is an AM radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States of America. Its radio frequency is 1070 kHz. In 1962 it became the first U.S. radio station programmed by African-Americans, though its ownership was white.-History:...
, as well as country greats such as Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
, Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
, Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. At 18, Allen moved to Nashville to begin pursuing her career in music. She worked a short stint as a waitress at the local Music Row
Music Row
Music Row is an area just to the southwest of Downtown Nashville, Tennessee that is home to hundreds of businesses related to the country music, gospel music, and Contemporary Christian music industries...
IHOP restaurant. While there one day, Deborah met Roy Orbison and songwriter Joe Melson
Joe Melson
Joe Melson , is an American singer and a BMI Award–winning songwriter.Melson was born in Bonham, the seat of Fannin County in northeast Texas. He was reared on a farm until he was sixteen. He attended high school in Gore, Oklahoma, and in Chicago before he returned to Texas to study at the two-year...
. Two weeks later, Orbison and Melson, who admired her spunk, decided to hire Allen as to sing background on a couple of Orbison tracks.
Allen also auditioned for and landed a job at the Opryland USA
Opryland USA
Opryland USA was an amusement park located in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. It operated seasonally from 1972 until 1997...
theme park. She was soon chosen by Opryland as a featured soloist and dancer for a state department exchange tour of Russia starring Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
.
Upon her return from Russia, Deborah gravitated to the Nashville offices of Waylon Jennings, the Tompall & the Glaser Brothers
Tompall & the Glaser Brothers
Tompall & The Glaser Brothers was an American country music group composed of three brothers: Chuck, Jim, and Tompall Glaser, all of whom also had success in the 1970s as solo artists. Between 1960 and 1975, the trio recorded ten studio albums, and charted nine singles on the Billboard Hot Country...
and John Hartford
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
where her close friend, Marie Barrett, worked as a secretary. There she met her soon-to-be songwriting mentor, poet, playwright, artist and songwriter Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
. After watching her perform during a happy hour show at the Spence Manor on Nashville's famed Music Row, Shel advised Deborah to pursue songwriting as an extension of her creativity and career path.
Allen also began to pursue a singing career in her own right when she was chosen to be a regular on Jim Stafford
Jim Stafford
James Wayne "Jim" Stafford is an American comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter, prominent in the 1970s. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica....
's ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
summer replacement series. She went on to serve as an opening act for many of Stafford's personal appearances. Jim and producer Phil Gernhard brought Deborah back to Nashville to record a CB radio novelty record called "Do You Copy." It was recorded live and was released as a single on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. Although she appreciated the opportunity to record with Stafford and Gernhard, Deborah was disheartened that after waiting patiently for two years to record her first record, it was a novelty tune. She decided to move back to Nashville to follow her true musical direction.
In 1979, while singing at a private party, Deborah was discovered by producer Bud Logan, who invited her to sing on five unfinished duet tracks by the late country legend Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
. Three of these songs were "Don't Let Me Cross Over," "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" and "Take Me In Your Arms and Hold Me." All three duets were released as singles, and made the Top 10 on the country charts for Reeves' longtime label, RCA Records. Deborah was billed as "The Mystery Singer" on the first release, an innovative promotion by label head, Joe Galante.
Career peak: 1980s
In 1980, Allen signed with Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Her debut album for the label was 1980's Trouble in Paradise
Trouble in Paradise (Deborah Allen album)
Trouble In Paradise is a 1980 album by Deborah Allen and released by Capitol Records. This was Allen's first studio album.-Track listings:All songs by Deborah Allen and Rafe Von Hoy.# Nobody's Fool# If I Had Known Then# Don't Stop Lovin' Me...
. The album produced her initial solo hits "Nobody's Fool" and "You Make Me Wonder Why," the latter became Allen's highest charting single from the album, peaking at #20. Subsequent chart singles included "You Look Like the One I Love" (a song she had co-written) and "After Tonight," co-written by Troy Seals
Troy Seals
Troy Seals is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.He is a member of the prominent Seals family of musicians that includes, Jim Seals and Dan Seals and Brady Seals...
. At the same time, Deborah had written a song called "Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby" with Bruce Channel
Bruce Channel
Bruce Channel is an American singer, known for his 1962 million selling number one hit, "Hey! Baby".-Career:...
and Keiran Kane. Although she pleaded with her record label, Capitol, to let her record it and release it as a single, they refused. With the encouragement of music publisher Don Gant
Don Gant
Donald W. Gant was an American singer, songwriter and record producer.With Tupper Saussy, in the late 1960s he formed "The Neon Philharmonic." Singing vocals, with Saussy on the keyboards, they recorded five singles and two albums for Warner Bros. Records between 1969 and 1971...
, Janie Fricke's producer, Jim Ed Norman, heard "Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby" and recorded it with Fricke. The single became Deborah's first No. 1 single on the Billboard charts as a songwriter, affirming Allen's belief that songwriting was the way to create a successful future for herself.
In 1983, Deborah moved to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, where she achieved her greatest success, releasing the album Cheat the Night
Cheat the Night
Cheat The Night is an EP by country and pop musician Deborah Allen. It peaked at #67 on the Billboard Charts. It features her two best-known hits of the 80s, Baby I Lied and I've Been Wrong Before, along with her final top 10 Hit I Hurt For You.-Track listing:#"Baby I Lied" – 4:06#"Cheat the...
. The first single from the album became Allen's signature song, "Baby I Lied," which peaked at #4 on the Billboard country chart and crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, reaching #26 in January 1984. The song also climbed into the Top 10 of the Adult Contemporary charts. Allen followed the crossover hit with the country single "I've Been Wrong Before
I've Been Wrong Before
"I've Been Wrong Before" is a single by American country music artist Deborah Allen. Released in December 1983, it was the second single from her album Cheat the Night. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in April 1984 and #1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in...
," which went to #1 on the Cashbox
Cashbox
Cashbox can mean:*A box for keeping cash in; a safe or cash register*CashBox is a SaaS Marketing, Billing, Ecommerce and marketing automation / CRM solution used by digital leaders -- like Atari, Blizzard, Bloomberg, Cisco, Cryptic, Intuit, Magmic , Mind Candy , Outspark, Peanut Labs, Symantec and...
country chart in the spring of 1984. Later that year, "I Hurt For You," also from Allen's breakthrough album, became a Top 10 country hit. In 1984, she recorded "Let Me Be the First," the first album to be digitally recorded in -- and released from -- Nashville. In 1984, Allen made the charts once again with "Heartache and a Half" (written by Allen with Rafe VanHoy and legendary Muscle Shoals songwriter Eddie Struzick).
In 1987, encouraged by her label, RCA, to explore and expand her musical horizons, Allen released a single penned by Prince (musician)
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
, under the alias Joey Coco, called "Telepathy." An album of the same name was also released. In 1987, Allen released her last single for RCA, "You're the Kind of Trouble."
Comeback & Life Today
Without the constraints of a major label, Deborah was free to be indepndently creative, nurturing her success as a songwriter. After the #1 co-written hit, "Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby" and the Tanya Tucker hit "Can I See You Tonight," Allen scored another #1 for Janie Frickie called, "Let's Stop Talking About It," as well as the #1 John Conlee release, "I'm Only In It For The Love," which she co-wrote with Kix BrooksKix Brooks
Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III , is an American country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn.-Early life:...
and VanHoy.
During this time, Allen began to explore the songwriting influences in her deep Southern roots, recording the album Delta Dreamland which she co-produced and financed on her own. She received rave reviews from the Nashville music industry for its raw honest emotion and earthy production.
Soon, the ever tenacious Allen was able to make a deal with Giant Records to release the album under their label in 1993. That same year, she had single release from the album with the song "Rock Me (In the Cradle of Love)". Although "Rock Me" charted at #30 on the Billboard charts, the record seemed to reach a much larger audience and status by virtue of the hit video that accompanied its release. The video of "Rock Me" was filmed on Deborah's own 16mm Ariflex SR film camera and edited on her own Sony editing machine. Again Deborah's tenacity and do it yourself attitude paid off when she received The Music City Summit Award for her co-producing and co-directing skills. Deborah's hands on approach to her music and career was her salvation in a business that can be so easily fickled and swayed by the ever-changing flavor of the month.
Allen also had one other charting single from the "Delta Dreamland" album with, "If You're Not Gonna Love Me". This landmark album served to show Allen as a new person, with more depth as a writer, as well as a more sensual image and a bluesy new style.
Allen's 1994 album, All That I Am, which was co-produced by Deborah and label head, James Stroud, was also well received with her single release"Break These Chains". Since the release of her two Giant Records albums, Allen has remained a popular songwriter and one of the most revered vocalist in Nashville.
In addition to Allen's personal albums, Deborah contributed to the soundtrack of the 1993 film "The Thing Called Love". She sings a rollicking version of the closing song "Blame It On Your Heart" (also covered by Patty Loveless) and the memorable Don Schlitz ballad "Ready and Waiting".
Once again, it was time to regroup and start anew, which Deborah did with her new co-publishing deal and record deal with Curb music publishing and Curb Records. Through her connection with LeAnn Rimes who was intent on meeting Deborah when she came to Nashville at age 13 to pursue a record deal of her own, Allen wound up with five songs recorded by the young talented Rimes. Two songs on the multi-platinum "Blue" album and Three songs on Rimes' "Sittin' On Top Of The World" album.
Shortly after Deborah's success with Rimes, her song, "We Can Get There" would up on four million selling Coyote Ugly Soundtrack sung by Mary Griffin.
Allen continues to perform all over the world and is extremely active today in her songwriting and producing. Her new album was released through Delta Rock Records and GMV Nashville on August 16, 2011. The album is titled "Hear Me Now". The first single from "Hear Me Now" is "Anything Other Than Love," co-written by Gary Burr. The album also contains Allen's song "Amazing Graceland," a moving tribute to Elvis Presley. Both songs are currently available as pre-release tracks on iTunes and other digital outlets.
Allen's publishing companies, Delta Queen Music and Delta Rose Music is currently co-published with partner, Delta Rock Music. She is represented by Raymond Hicks of Rolling Thunder Management.