Debra Cowan
1,573 plays (534 listeners)
“She is blessed with a beautiful voice and a deep appreciation for the tradition…each song is a new story to be shared and experienced.”
Ron Olesko, host “Traditions”, WFDU, Teaneck, NJ
Debra Cowan was once asked what kind of songs she writes. Her reply? “Bad ones.” Her captivating warm alto carries each folk song she chooses with such emotion that you’ll forget that they were written by others. She performs a cappella and with guitar in the great tradition of folk singers like Joan Baez and Judy Collins, with a clear vocal that calls forth the ghosts of long past but can also offer a more modern urban landscape. In her newest release Fond Desire Farewell, she’s taken contemporary and time-honored public domain songs and put them in a modern setting.
As a young girl she idolized Julie Andrews and in her teens discovered Jethro Tull and Steeleye Span. At the age of 21 she needed escape out of a small Midwestern town so she threw darts at a map and ended up in northern California where she attended college, sang in bars, and eventually found work as a math teacher. She continued her discovery of folk with English singers like Sandy Denny and Scottish singers like Ray Fisher. Debra started performing in California 35 years ago and began touring in 1998, with frequent stops in the US and UK, from folk clubs to festivals like the New Bedford Summerfest and the Dunbar Folk Festival in Scotland. That led her to where she is now, a full-time singer who bridges the old and new with a refreshing stage presence — she may start with a moving ballad like “Rainbow,” a profile of one woman’s courage, and segue into “Johnny Be Fair,” about a poor lass who can’t marry anyone in town because, well, she’s related to everyone.
Ron Olesko, host “Traditions”, WFDU, Teaneck, NJ
Debra Cowan was once asked what kind of songs she writes. Her reply? “Bad ones.” Her captivating warm alto carries each folk song she chooses with such emotion that you’ll forget that they were written by others. She performs a cappella and with guitar in the great tradition of folk singers like Joan Baez and Judy Collins, with a clear vocal that calls forth the ghosts of long past but can also offer a more modern urban landscape. In her newest release Fond Desire Farewell, she’s taken contemporary and time-honored public domain songs and put them in a modern setting.
As a young girl she idolized Julie Andrews and in her teens discovered Jethro Tull and Steeleye Span. At the age of 21 she needed escape out of a small Midwestern town so she threw darts at a map and ended up in northern California where she attended college, sang in bars, and eventually found work as a math teacher. She continued her discovery of folk with English singers like Sandy Denny and Scottish singers like Ray Fisher. Debra started performing in California 35 years ago and began touring in 1998, with frequent stops in the US and UK, from folk clubs to festivals like the New Bedford Summerfest and the Dunbar Folk Festival in Scotland. That led her to where she is now, a full-time singer who bridges the old and new with a refreshing stage presence — she may start with a moving ballad like “Rainbow,” a profile of one woman’s courage, and segue into “Johnny Be Fair,” about a poor lass who can’t marry anyone in town because, well, she’s related to everyone.
Top Albums
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Tar'd & Feather'd
Debra Cowan
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Featured Tracks
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Alcohol (Ray Davies) full track | 3:39 |
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Free MP3 Rainbow (trad) | 3:59 |
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Jealous words (Richard… full track | 4:17 |
News
Vic Heyman Gave Me a Chance
7 Jan 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/debracowan
--> @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } It was 2002 and my very first Folk Alliance Conference. I knew about Vic Heyman, but had never met him. He was sponso...
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7 Jan 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/debracowan -
2 Jan 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/debracowan -
2 Jan 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/debracowan
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Recent Activity
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rogershaw, stargazeypie, cocobakes and 1 other person added Debra Cowan to their libraries. 20 days ago
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RendesKis tagged Debra Cowan with ‘trad’. March 2009
- Debra Cowan posted a news item ‘Vic Heyman Gave Me a Chance’. January 2009
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dcowan updated the wiki page for Debra Cowan. (diff) January 2009
- Debra Cowan posted a news item ‘New Video’. January 2009
- Debra Cowan posted a news item ‘Autumn (again)’. November 2008
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added Debra Cowan to their libraries. November 2008
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