Interview with Deb Callahan

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Interview with Deb Callahan

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Philadelphia’s blues and soul drenched vocalist and songwriter Deb Callahan grew up in the Boston area but has been a mainstay on the mid-Atlantic music scene since the late 90’s.  During this time she has gained a reputation for writing creative blues, soul and roots influenced original music and using her powerful, expressive voice to deliver an exciting live show. Her 2002 debut CD “If the Blues Had Wings” was featured as the hot debut in the October/November 2004 issue of Blues Revue Magazine.  Blues Revue referred to her as the next Bonnie Raitt and raved “Philly’s Deb Callahan has the pipes, the songs and the raw talent to graduate to the next level”.

Deb releases her 5th CD “Sweet Soul” Sept 1, 2015 on Blue Pearl Records. The CD, produced by renowned producer and drummer Tony Braunagel, was recorded at Ultratone Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Deb and guitar player Allen James  travelled to Los Angeles in February 2015 to record the tracks with an all star studio line-up including Johnny Lee Schell, engineering and slide guitar, Mike Finnigan on keyboards, Reggie McBride on bass, Braunagel on drums and James on guitar. This group of LA musicians have recorded and toured with performers such as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal so it was a truly wonderful experience to play with and learn from each one.

It’s been almost 5 years since Deb’s last CD, “Tell It Like It Is” was released. Shortly after this release, Deb became a mom to her now 4 year old son

Elijah. The experience of being a new mom has had a direct impact on her writing and focus in her life. The songs from “Sweet Soul” were written

during an overall sweet and rich phase of life. Deb worked with James and Chris Arms (who produced Deb’s last 3 CD’s) to write the original material

and with producer Braunagel to find some gems written by others that fit the vibe as well. The mood of this blues, soul, roots CD is upbeat, rockin,

funky and fun and explores the theme of love and family with an honest and at times humorous view into both its joys and challenges. This includes the

experience of loving a child or partner, the connection and sweetness you feel when you slow down and just be present with ones you love, the pain

and difficulty of letting go of a family member, the ups and downs of living with someone, the inner tension about balancing family and career, the

energy it takes to keep things running to do a lot of different things in life.

Doing  social work in the heart of Philadelphia would be a good place to learn  about life’s hard knocks and this urban school ground taught  singer/songwriter Deb Callahan well.   Her rich, honest and soulful tunes resonate with listeners and run the gamut from soulful ballads, to upbeat, dance oriented grooves.  Her road tested band includes Allen James, Garry Lee and Tom Walling.  Deb is working on her 5th CD which she is hoping to release sometime in 2014.

http://www.debcallahanband.com/