Home » Member Page

Deborah Davis

Jazz Vocalist at Deborah Davis Music Design, LLC

About Me

Deborah aka DeBo, is a native of Dallas Texas, a graduate of University of North Texas music school and Cedar Valley College Recording Engineering School. Now living in the New York City for two decades, the move has lead to countless great musical associations and opportunities including being elected as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador (Latin American tour), gigs with Clark Terry, Lionel Hampton, invitations to Jam with Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Lou Donaldson, a performance for former President Bill Clinton and much more. She began singing in Church as soon as she could speak, and has lead her own bands since the age of 16, after doing her first gigs with her high school choir director, Robert Sanders, who was also a jazz pianist. During those early years on the jazz scene, Deborah was invited to jam with Red Garland who was also a Dallas native. Since moving to New York she's greatful to have been able to work with and employ in her bands the best in the business including pianist Cyrus Chestnut, Bruce Barth, Benny Green, bassist Christian McBride, Curtis Lundy, Essiet Essiet, and drummers Lewis Nash, Greg Hutchinson, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, and to many others to include.

Deborah has performed many top venues in New York City, as well as internation festivals, workshops and clubs in Europe and Asia. Highlights include New York City's Windows of the World, The Rainbow Room, Tavern on The Green, Birdland, Sweet Basil, The Jazz Standard, “sold out” performances at the Blue Note and more.

Deborah's versatile multi level personality keeps her ballanced and well rounded as she enjoys writing poetry, lyrics, journaling, painting, gardening, making jewlery, traveling, hiking, working out, creating vegetarian feast, commedy, and watching movies. Her favorite show of all time is Cirque Du Soleil which she has seen in 3 different countries. She's also proud to have finished a 26.2 mile marathon in Dublin Ireland while raising funds for Leukemia & Lymphoma. She now performs annual Jazz Benefit Conerts at Blue Note, NYC for that cause. Deborah was also invited to Athens Greece, by the U.S.Embassy, Stavros Nirchos Foundation and other Philanthropic organizations to headline a jazz benifit concert for hurricane Katrina victims with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. Deborah's favorite places to travel have been Iceland, Kenya, Johannesburg, Japan, & Greece.

Visit Deborah's website for more information , voice clips, photo's, poems, and CD information.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because....... it speaks to me in a way that other forms of music don't quite seem to communicate, despite the fact that I listen to many other genre's as well. I was first exposed to jazz .........when my high school choir director, Robert Sanders started adding me to his weekend gigs and teaching me standards to sing. Once he took me to a Red Garland gig. Red is from my home town of Dallas. When I met Red Garland I was still in my teens. Not growing up in a musical family with no records or stereo, I had no idea who he was. My teacher had told him that I could sing and being a home boy he called me up to the stage to sit in . Later I learned exactly who he was, and I was quite humbled that he was so nurturing to me in my youth. The best show I ever attended was......... an Al Jarreau concert in Dallas. Man, we thought he would NEVER leave the stage because the audience was so on that night. We wouldn't let him leave. He soaked in every ounce of our appreciation and kept on singing. I literally thought his band was gonna start walking. But they were into the energy of the room too. It was a magical moment of artist and audience connection. I know that feeling because fortunately, I've been there. Years later, I met him in front of my building in NYC, on the UWS. I reminded him of that concert in Dallas. He remembered and was really glad that I brought it up. I'll never forget Al Jarreau's SMILE or his style. The first jazz record I ever had was......... a gift from a trumpet player and friend, Freddie Jones, who was in college with me @ UNT. He gave me his own copy of Betty Carter's SOCIAL CALL. Still my favorite Betty Recording to this day. I ended up going to all her shows in Dallas at the Fairmont Hotel every year, and every show in New York City after I moved there. Betty Carter even came to one of my shows in Dallas at the Prohibition Room, which I was booking at the time, and it was only a few blocks from the Fairmont. She was curious to find out who I was. I had no idea why. I was later informed that it was because her trio had "volunteered" to do a gig with me on their day off while in Dallas. I alway took her trio of guys out to the laundromat and health food store while they were on road. There's a lot more to this story but I can credit Betty Carter, Lewis Nash and Benny Green for my moving to NYC in 1986. Prior to meeting them I had no real idea about the real jazz scene. I had no references growing up in a non musical family.