Thank you for being with us, Deborah! I’d love to start with hearing a bit about your musical background- how did you get started, how have things continued?

I started piano lessons around age 6. My first piano teacher gave lessons in our home to my older brothers. I was too young to take lessons then, or so the teacher thought. But I begged brother “Timmie” to teach me whatever he learned that week. Once when Mrs. Fisher came inside the house, she said, “Oh, that’s so sweet. Timmie is practicing his piano before his lesson.” But it was me instead, so she relented and gave me piano lessons. Meanwhile, my Dad noticed that friends of mine that took from another teacher were playing more musically, so he switched me to Mrs. Edith Buckhalter. She auditioned me at the tender age of 7, and at first refused to take me, because my fingers weren’t curved and I already had many bad habits. Fortunately, she relented, and so began my proper musical education.

Mrs. Buckhalter had one commandment: “Only the classics shalt thou play.” I enjoyed everything I was given….theory, scales, chord progressions, early Hanon studies, then Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. But Dad would sneak home ragtime and movie themes that HE wanted to hear, so actually, I had a rather eclectic education in that sense! My CD “Dizzy Fingers” is dedicated to my dad, because it has such fun music that he always liked to hear me play, like “12th Street Rag” and “In the Mood,” which I use in my Show Concerts.

In addition to composing, you’re also a classically trained pianist- can you tell us about how piano has been a part of your life, and your composing?  Do you perform live often?

When I was taking piano lessons as a youngster, I had no clue that I would become a professional musician and then eventually, a composer and recording artist. I failed miserably at composing as a youngster.  Thankfully, I had a definite grounding in the classics, attending symphonies at a young age, and because of also playing violin, I was in youth symphonies. But simple little things, like your dad offering to do your turn at washing dishes in exchange for playing George Shearing and Peter Nero transcriptions helped broaden my tastes. Then, of course, you find out somewhere in your early teens about those novel creatures called “boys.” They weren’t impressed with my Chopin waltzes, but DID enjoy my ragtime, Carol King, and other rock band music. Ya gotta please your audience!

In thinking about college training and such, I realized that I didn’t want to teach band or choir (my cats run away when I sing in the shower). I wasn’t good enough to be a touring concert pianist. Quite frankly, I didn’t want to practice several hours a day and do the dreaded MEMORIZATION of concertos and such! While in college, though, I taught myself to play bluegrass style fiddle, 5-string banjo, guitar and mandolin.   While my college degree wasn’t in music, it’s part of my life and I have been an adjunct lecturer at University of Michigan-Flint and also at Phoenix Community College.

As for getting into composing… while listening to a George Winston CD in the 1980’s, I thought “Why, even I could do THAT!” and I started composing piano ballads, eventually collecting enough to make a recording or two.

One of my earliest recordings was a demo album with Nashville session players in the Everly Brothers recording. My boyfriend from years ago was a guitar aficionado, and one of his idols was “Little” Jimmy Dempsey, who was a Nashville sessions player, and was the guitarist in film scores such as “Coal Miner’s Daughter” & “Harper Valley P.T.A.” When Jimmy heard some of my music (a jazz trio recording), he called on the phone and said, in his wonderful Kentucky accent, “Darlin’, if you ever want to make a country record, I’ll produce it for you.” Well, that was an offer I couldn’t refuse! So off I went to record 10 classic country hits in the Everly Brothers studio, complete with a Nashville backing band. I got some connections to radio stations in America and in 14 European countries, and this was in the days when there were individually owned stations, and no internet or satellite radio existed.

Another album, “Soundscapes”, was produced more recently in Claremont using talented area musicians.

As far as performing,  just last week I had two concerts with a classical violinist, but mostly I perform my solo piano “Keyboard & Komedy” Show. If budget allows, I can have from 3 – 10 musicians backing me on stage. Lots of corporate gigs, of course.   I’ve also been a church organist for decades as well as teaching piano privately.

I’ve also spent years backing other artists and groups, such as Gabe Kaplan, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, The Coasters, Frankie Laine, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Jerry Vale, Frankie Avalon, Johnny Lee, The Moody Blues, Bernadette Peters, The Diamonds, The Chevettes, The Irish Tenors and more.

When the National Touring Broadway companies come through Phoenix, I often was in the pit as pianist and then on synthesizers (a whole other beast when it comes to these tours).  Shows included: Grease, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, A Chorus Line, Oliver, Sound of Music, Peter Pan, Nutcracker, Miss Saigon, The King and I, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Producers, Mama Mia, Hairspray, The Full Monty, The Phantom of the Opera.

Your compositions have appeared in TV shows such as “Desperate Housewives”, “Madam Secretary”, and “The Big Bang Theory”.  Did you write these pieces specifically for the shows, or were they written prior and placed?  What was the process like?

My music was placed strictly as “source” music, and wasn’t specifically commissioned. I was very fortunate to work with someone who had fantastic contacts with CBS and ABC, and that wonderful relationship blossomed over a few decades until her retirement recently.

You never know who’s going to be inspired by your music. My piece used on the ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” (“Billy Boy,” from my “Sweetest Sounds” CD) was written for, guess what, a guy named Bill from Chicago. To me, it’ll always be a love song, but for TV, it can have many other uses. My “Butterflies” tune (on my “Butterflies” CD) was written with nature in mind, lilting and uplifting the thought. The Weather Channel ended up using it for their spring time weather forecast one day. What fun! “Big Bang Theory”, “Madam Secretary” and “B Positive” all used piano pieces that were written as love songs. To me, this proves that the emotions behind a piece DO count for a lot and make your pieces and songs unique and emotionally accessible. Artificial Intelligence can’t make THAT happen!

It’s been fun to see the “old” Cd’s get new life by having pieces be on airline entertainment lists, along with Spotify and YouTube, of course.

You’ve also been rather prolific releasing records, such as “Makalu” and “Soundscapes”. When you write music for a record, do you start with a central idea in mind, or do you write pieces and see what the through line becomes?

Most pieces start with an emotion behind them. During COVID, I composed the album “Makalu” and its central piece for me is “Overcoming It All”….a musical prayer for the world underscoring our spiritual strengths and CAN DO attitude in dealing with a world wide challenge. For the “Soundscapes” album, I simply wanted to showcase my talents as composer and arranger, so I utilized violin, cello, sax, percussion, etc. on several pieces, although the entire album is piano-centric. But sometimes I just “noodle” and a riff happens and away I go. It’s fun to start in oddball keys and see what comes off of the fingers…..

As a composer not based in LA, what does the AWFC mean to you- and how is community important to you in your work?

I discovered AWFC right when I needed it the most, feeling somewhat isolated. It’s been a Godsend, although I’m not as active as I could be.  During COVID, being able to Zoom into sessions and see / hear other people in my line of work was thrilling and heartening.  I know that I could reach out to anyone at AWFC and they would take the time to talk with me and give that helping hand. One AWFC Board person in particular has served as a mentor, always giving freely of her time and advice.

Do you have anything exciting on the horizon?  Or anything you’re excited about in life or work?

I hope to get back to creating even more sheet music for students along with inspirational vocal solos for churches and such. One vocal solo was performed in Boston for a 5,000 seat congregation. I flew in to hear that performance!

I’m currently collaborating with a fellow NARAS colleague on some recordings, which should lead to new avenues. He is intent on getting TV and film placements, so I look forward to the next several years with him.

With my husband recently passing, the whole world is now seen in a different light, and nothing is going to hold me back from creating and sharing that Soul gift of music with the whole world!

Interview by Connor Cook

Check out Deborah’s Directory Page here!