Deborah Coleman

Deborah Coleman (October 3, 1956 – April 12, 2018)[1] was an American blues musician. Coleman won the Orville Gibson Award for "Best Blues Guitarist, Female" in 2001,[2] and was nominated for a W.C. Handy Blues Music Award nine times.[3]

Deborah Coleman
Deborah Coleman in concert, 2009
Background information
Born(1956-10-03)October 3, 1956
Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
DiedApril 12, 2018(2018-04-12) (aged 61)
GenresBlues, rock
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsGuitar
Years active1995–2018
LabelsBlind Pig, Telarc, JSP, Ruf

Biography

Coleman was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in a music-loving military family that lived in San Diego, San Francisco, Bremerton, Washington, and the Chicago area. With her father playing piano, two brothers on guitar, and a sister who played guitar and keyboards, Deborah picked up guitar at age eight. She played at top music venues: North Atlantic Blues Festival (2007), Waterfront Blues Festival (2002), the Monterey Jazz Festival (2001), Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival (2000), Sarasota Blues Festival (1999), the San Francisco Blues Festival (1999), and the Fountain Blues Festival (1998).

Coleman's Blind Pig debut, I Can't Lose (1997), was an album of ballads, blues stories, guitar playing and singing. Her version of Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" was heard on college and public radio stations around the U.S. The album Soul Be It (2002) included the opener "Brick", "My Heart Bleeds Blue", "Don't Lie to Me," and a jump blues track, "I Believe". These was followed by What About Love? (2004) and Stop the Game (2007). Time Bomb (2007) featured three women blues musicians: Coleman, Sue Foley and Roxanne Potvin.[4]

Coleman died on April 12, 2018, from complications brought on by bronchitis and pneumonia.[1]

Selective discography

Albums
Year Title Genre Label
1995 Takin' a Stand Blues/Rock New Moon
1997 I Can't Lose Blues-Rock Blind Pig
1998 Where Blue Begins Blues/Rock Blind Pig
2000 Soft Place to Fall Blues/Rock Blind Pig
2001 Livin' on Love Blues/Rock New Moon
2002 Soul Be It Blues/Rock Blind Pig
2004 What About Love? Blues Telarc
2007 Stop the Game Blues/Rock JSP

Compilation albums
Year Title Genre Label Notes
2007 Time Bomb Blues Rock Ruf (Idn) with Sue Foley & Roxanne Potvin

References
  1. RIP Deborah Coleman, Making a Scene!, April 13, 2018
  2. "Gibson Guitar Awards: "And the Winner Is ..."". Nyrock.com. 2001-02-21. Archived from the original on 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-12-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-06-02. Retrieved 2007-10-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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