Debbie Bond has been performing the Blues for over 30 years.
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Debbie Bond's greatest influences are the children she has the opportunity to work with through the Alabama Blues Project. The idea for the ABP was partially due to Johnny Shines' dream of having an organization which could help the struggling blues musicians Alabama. He wanted to go into the schools and teach the youth about their state's blues heritage, put on concerts which would feature the blues community as one big family and create a "co-op" of sorts for the blues musicians of Alabama. After he passed away, Debbie Bond co-founded and is still the Executive Director of the Alabama Blues Project.
While the ABP works to preserve historical archives of Alabama blues heritage, and assist and promote the state's artists, its primary focus is teaching the trade and life skills to children. The ABP's first Blues Camp was in 1998 and has grown each year since. The After-School and Summertime camps, as well as school residencies and rural schools tours, reach out to thousands of children annually. The programs have raised much awareness and won the 2004 Coming Up Taller Award and the 2004 Keeping the Blues Alive Award by The Blues Foundation.
The ABP's camps and school residencies have allowed at-risk children from under-served communities to bond together through music, learning to play instruments and sing, improving their creative abilities and social skills. The rewards are endless for these young minds. Some dedicated students sharpened their talents to form what would be the ABP's first Advanced Band. Naming themselves The Project, they make several performances throught the southeast region, most recently The Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Awards in Memphis, Columbus Mississippi's Market Street Festival, Willie King's Freedom Creek Festival and an opening slot for Tinsley Ellis at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa.
Photos of the Alabama Blues Project
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT DEBBIE BOND
"Debbie Bond sings with taste and emotion and ... She has a feeling for the music, a voice which can cover the sweet to the sinful." - Britian's Blueprint Magazine
"Debbie Bond has truly caught the essence of Southern Blues ... an international personality who got her feet wet in an Alabama swamp ... a true baptism into the blues! - Alabama Musician Magazine
"I've worked with Debbie, she reminds me a lot of Bonnie Raitt, and I've told her she's star material she just needs exposure." - the late, great Johnny Shines
"In a world sadly short of good blues women, Debbie is a real find! Debbie is a star ... I can't wait to see her again." - BBC Radio, Oxford Blues, 95.2 FM Oxford, England
Debbie Bond is the guitarist of Willie King & The Liberators. Here is a clip from the 2006 National Folk Festival in Richmond, Virginia.
Debbie playing with Shar-Baby at Freedom Creek in 2006
I was born in Los Angles California. My father was a Baptist minister and my mother directed the church's choir. Music definitely ran in the family on both sides! My grandmother was a professional opera singer whose brother was a jazz trumpet player. My great-grandfather played guitar and had a family group with all his children either playing or singing in it. My mom majored in voice and sang to me a lot as a baby. She also says I sang long before I could talk! My fondest childhood memories are of my mother playing the piano and our family singing together.
A big change happened when I was 8 years old. Our family moved to England where my father had a scholarship to go back to school. My mother eventually went back to school too and became an anthropologist. She bought me a guitar when I was 12 and exposed me to different cultures throughout my life. I've been lucky enough to have lived for short periods of time in Germany, Holland, England, Scotland, and even spent two years in Sierra Leone, West Africa! In West Africa, music is a big part of daily life and I experienced some of the most wonderful live music and dancing that you could imagine! I made my performing debut at the age of 13 on a national television music show in Sierra Leone. Besides African music, I heard lots of good American blues and R&B there too - which was very popular at the time.
It was in England that I really got turned on to the blues. Our house was always full of people and instruments from all over the world. Our parties usually turned into jam sessions with lots of dancing and live music. Music was in my bones and I never seemed to get enough of it. While in College in Brighton, England, I was in my first R&B band. After I graduated, I took advantage of my American passport and came over to see the States, visit and meet some of my relatives, and work for a while - and I'm still here!
I was immediately amazed by Alabama's rich musical culture - especially the gospel and blues. I formed The Kokomo Blues Band. In 1981, we hooked up with Johnny Shines who had basically retired from the music business. Like many blues artists, Johnny was a legend in Europe but almost unknown in his own hometown. You could go in the smallest of record stores in England and see his records for sale but couldn't find one here. We continued to back Johnny, on and off, for over 8 years. We backed him on his last gig on this planet. Our close friendship and collaboration will always be one of my most treasured memories. Here's
a real audio file of an impromtu jam with Johnny one Thanksgiving
evening. It's a rough cassette tape recording, but the spirit is there for sure. You can hear him thank us just for being there for him after the song ends.
I've opened for Buddy Guy, Clarence Carter, Roy Buchanan, Denise LaSalle, Blind Sam Meyers, Dr. John, Bobby Rush, Tinsley Ellis, Big Jack Johnson, Jerry McCain and many more in the last fifteen years. How COULD I leave Alabama? Even though the music business is sometimes full of frustrations, I feel that I am being blessed with a very rich and exciting life.
People who don't really know about Blues think that it is all depressing music. This is far from the truth - It is uplifting music. The songs are about the rainbow of color of our lives - the whole range of emotions and feelings, the joy AND the sorrow. It is music about acceptance, transcending, and overcoming. It is uplifting because it shows us our power to face and tangle with our demons, our joy and pain, our love, our sexuality. Music can be such a healing, life affirming force about facing truths and celebrating life. Music is certainly a force that can bring people together - while having a good time."
Ciao,Debbie Thank you for the add and the friendship. you are very good, I like your stupendous music a lot, Band, and stupendous voice. compliments ..really. you are one of my prefeitis, I feel great admiration for you, be really one whom is worth rather a lot! you are a great really... I hope to listen soon to you, in italy .. talk to you soon, and all of my best wishes to always listen to your good music all the best.. from italy.. and good life.. every day neal
HEY DEBBIE. THIS IS CHARLIE YOUNG BUT I CHANGED MY NAME TO MY REAL NAME MINOR MERIWETHER. WATS UP. LET ME KNOW ABOUT ANY UPCOMING EVENTS YOU WOULD NEED HELP WITH IM SORRY I HAD MISSED A MORE RECENT ONE. I AM STILL VERY INTERESTED IN GIVING BACK WHAT THE BLUES PROJECT GAVE ME. TALK TO YOU SOON HOPE ALL IS WELL AND CHECK OUT THE TUNES. PEACE. http://www. myspace. com/minormeriwetherthestyrofoamflashbacks
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