Debra Soule
Encyclopedia
Debra Soule, born January 19, 1965, is an American
singer/songwriter
originally from Minneapolis, MN
who is known for her powerful singing voice and her flaming red hair
. In 2004 she moved to Nashville
, TN
. She has released three CDs on her independent record label Sunhill Records.
since she was 8. Throughout her teenage years she performed with many cover bands throughout the Twin Cities and gained considerable attention for her ability to sing songs by Heart
and Janis Joplin
with the power and presence of the original singers.
In 1992 she married a local guitar
player named Rob Solberg and together they started their own recording studio
, Hypersound Music & Audio Design. At this studio Debra and her husband produced recordings for dozens of local bands
and singers before turning their attention to commercial music production.
In 1996 Debra began to write and produce music for the Advertising
and Film industries. During this time Debra wrote, produced, and performed on more than 100 jingle
s for clients that included Select Comfort, The Auto Show, Rent-A-Wreck, and Tires Plus. She also wrote songs for dozens of productions including the Ewe Know animated series, the Jungle Joe adventure series (produced by Hollywood screenwriter
Jerome Armstrong), and the best selling kid’s CD “Kid’s Dance Party”.
In 2000 Debra and her husband created Sunhill Records as a vehicle to release Debra’s first solo album
. In 2001 that CD (entitled “Vapor”) was released, produced by Debra and Chris Bintliff. The song “Amen” from this CD was featured in an online re-mix contest sponsored by Sony Music to promote its ACID music software. Two other songs from this CD (“Think You Know” and “Perfect Love”) appeared in the feature-length independent film One Day in May directed by Mark Todd Bruner for Double-Edged Entertainment.
In 2002 Debra was asked to put the words of the children’s book “Angel Kisses” to music. This book was written by Debra’s friend Ginny Kelly as a way to help Ginny’s three young adopted daughters deal with her fight with terminal cancer
. Ginny’s courageous story captured the attention of TV producer Geoff Stephens and on June 11, 2002 Dateline NBC aired a story about Ginny, her daughters, and her book. The story featured the “Angel Kisses” song as performed by Debra.
In 2003, after several successful seasons of giving popular Christmas
concerts, Debra released her second CD simply entitled “Christmas”. This CD featured 10 popular Christmas songs arranged and performed in Debra’s soulful roots rock
style. This CD has been picked up be several smaller distribution companies including That’s Great Music of Nashville, TN.
In late 2003 Debra recorded 13 original songs at Echo Bay Studios in Minneapolis MN for a CD that was to be called “Free”. For reasons never fully disclosed, those recordings were never completed or released. In 2004 Debra moved to Nashville, TN where she immediately recorded and released a 5-song CD entitled “Interlude”. The liner notes on this CD mentioned an upcoming full length CD which was to be released the summer of 2005, though that recording never appeared.
Debra has only given a handful of live performances
since moving to Nashville in 2004. But the performances she has given have apparently been enough to attract a sizeable following. Debra’s sold out February 2, 2007 appearance at Puckett’s in Franklin TN left dozens of fans out on the sidewalk, forced to watch the show through the windows.
In late spring 2007 Debra once again entered the recording studio (Vibe56 Studios, Music Row
, Nashville, TN) to begin work on a new CD. She is working with seasoned music producer Phil Madeira
who has written and produced for artists such as Toby Keith
, Alison Krauss
, Garth Brooks
, Emmylou Harris
, and others. Sunhill Records has confirmed that the CD will feature ten original songs, and two covers: “Gone” which was written by Jeffrey Steele and hit #3 on the Country Music
Charts as recorded by Montgomery Gentry
, and The Parting Glass
, a traditional Irish song.
Debra’s official website was updated in June 2007 in anticipation of this new release.
2003 – Christmas (Sunhill Records)
2004 – Interlude (Sunhill Records)
2008 - Dust & Daisies (Sunhill Records)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer/songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
originally from Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
who is known for her powerful singing voice and her flaming red hair
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
. In 2004 she moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, TN
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...
. She has released three CDs on her independent record label Sunhill Records.
Biography
Debra has been singingSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
since she was 8. Throughout her teenage years she performed with many cover bands throughout the Twin Cities and gained considerable attention for her ability to sing songs by Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
and Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
with the power and presence of the original singers.
In 1992 she married a local guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player named Rob Solberg and together they started their own recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, Hypersound Music & Audio Design. At this studio Debra and her husband produced recordings for dozens of local bands
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
and singers before turning their attention to commercial music production.
In 1996 Debra began to write and produce music for the Advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and Film industries. During this time Debra wrote, produced, and performed on more than 100 jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s for clients that included Select Comfort, The Auto Show, Rent-A-Wreck, and Tires Plus. She also wrote songs for dozens of productions including the Ewe Know animated series, the Jungle Joe adventure series (produced by Hollywood screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Jerome Armstrong), and the best selling kid’s CD “Kid’s Dance Party”.
In 2000 Debra and her husband created Sunhill Records as a vehicle to release Debra’s first solo album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. In 2001 that CD (entitled “Vapor”) was released, produced by Debra and Chris Bintliff. The song “Amen” from this CD was featured in an online re-mix contest sponsored by Sony Music to promote its ACID music software. Two other songs from this CD (“Think You Know” and “Perfect Love”) appeared in the feature-length independent film One Day in May directed by Mark Todd Bruner for Double-Edged Entertainment.
In 2002 Debra was asked to put the words of the children’s book “Angel Kisses” to music. This book was written by Debra’s friend Ginny Kelly as a way to help Ginny’s three young adopted daughters deal with her fight with terminal cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Ginny’s courageous story captured the attention of TV producer Geoff Stephens and on June 11, 2002 Dateline NBC aired a story about Ginny, her daughters, and her book. The story featured the “Angel Kisses” song as performed by Debra.
In 2003, after several successful seasons of giving popular Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
concerts, Debra released her second CD simply entitled “Christmas”. This CD featured 10 popular Christmas songs arranged and performed in Debra’s soulful roots rock
Roots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
style. This CD has been picked up be several smaller distribution companies including That’s Great Music of Nashville, TN.
In late 2003 Debra recorded 13 original songs at Echo Bay Studios in Minneapolis MN for a CD that was to be called “Free”. For reasons never fully disclosed, those recordings were never completed or released. In 2004 Debra moved to Nashville, TN where she immediately recorded and released a 5-song CD entitled “Interlude”. The liner notes on this CD mentioned an upcoming full length CD which was to be released the summer of 2005, though that recording never appeared.
Debra has only given a handful of live performances
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
since moving to Nashville in 2004. But the performances she has given have apparently been enough to attract a sizeable following. Debra’s sold out February 2, 2007 appearance at Puckett’s in Franklin TN left dozens of fans out on the sidewalk, forced to watch the show through the windows.
In late spring 2007 Debra once again entered the recording studio (Vibe56 Studios, 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...
, Nashville, TN) to begin work on a new CD. She is working with seasoned music producer Phil Madeira
Phil Madeira
Phil Madeira is an American songwriter, producer, musician and singer from Nashville, Tennessee. He was raised in Barrington, Rhode Island and attended Taylor University, which he graduated from in 1975....
who has written and produced for artists such as Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
, Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
, and others. Sunhill Records has confirmed that the CD will feature ten original songs, and two covers: “Gone” which was written by Jeffrey Steele and hit #3 on the 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...
Charts as recorded by Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo composed of vocalists Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry. The two began performing in the 1990s as part of a band which also included Eddie Montgomery's brother John Michael Montgomery, and founded the existing duo in 1999.Signed to Columbia Records,...
, and The Parting Glass
The Parting Glass
"The Parting Glass" is an Irish traditional song, often sung at the end of a gathering of friends. It was allegedly the most popular song sung in both Scotland and Ireland before Robert Burns wrote "Auld Lang Syne"....
, a traditional Irish song.
Debra’s official website was updated in June 2007 in anticipation of this new release.
Discography
2001 – Vapor (Sunhill Records)2003 – Christmas (Sunhill Records)
2004 – Interlude (Sunhill Records)
2008 - Dust & Daisies (Sunhill Records)