Deborah Gray

Deborah Gray is a former Australian high fashion model and actress who is now best known as an internationally best selling author of non-fiction spell books and jazz singer.

This article is about the Australian celebrity. For the Canadian politician, see Deborah Grey.

Deborah Gray
Born1958 (age 62–63)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Occupation
  • Actress
  • singer
  • writer
  • former model

Early life

Gray was born in Canberra where as a teenager she won the Teen Model of the Year competition, after which she was scouted by a leading agent for a modelling contract with Viviens Management. She appeared on catwalks, top fashion magazine covers and starred in TV commercials.

Acting career

In 1977 at the age of 19, she branched out into acting and burst onto TV screens and into Australian TV history with her role on the television soap opera Number 96. In the show's story Gray's character of Miss Hemingway has a psychological aversion to wearing clothes so seeks help from Number 96's resident psychologist. The comedic storyline she appeared in was specifically devised to boost the show's declining ratings in 1977;

The first appearances by Gray screened in April 1977. Initially she would appear striding into a room of the show's resident psychologist's office and slipping off her expensive mink coat. Over several weeks her character would be seen to be gradually "cured" of her problem, depicted on screen by Miss Hemingway adding one item of clothing with each appearance in the show. However the immense publicity surrounding Gray's acting debut was not enough to boost the program's ratings sufficiently; Number 96 succumbed to its declining viewing figures and was abruptly cancelled in July 1977.

Deborah continued her acting career as a popular television and film actress, and was considered a leading sex symbol at the time. She played a continuing dramatic role in soap opera The Young Doctors, acted in a guest role in the police drama series Bellamy (1981), and was a regular co-host in an Australian Candid Camera style television series titled Catch Us If You Can. Gray started an all-girl cabaret act named Deborah Gray and the Flames (one of the flames was future Perfect Match hostess Debbie Newsome).[1] Gray went on to appear on the cover of Australian Playboy Magazine and was showcased in its best-selling actor profile and pictorial, and acted in two 1981 feature films, the comedy feature Pacific Banana, and The Best of Friends. Gray co-wrote and sang the title song from Pacific Banana with fellow co-star Luan Peters.

Other musical forays at the time were the song "Mellow Loving" and "Love Song of O", which peaked at number 89 in Australia in January 1978.[2]

Music and Writing

In the early Eighties, Gray continued recording and songwriting when she secured a record deal with the German Hansa Label/Coconut Records and a subsequent European top 40 hit No Time to Lose, which was released in 1982.

Having recorded and toured with her bandmate Luan Peters in Europe throughout that year, and despite being beguiled by the continent’s liberated synth-pop textures, Gray returned down-under to Australia in early 1983 looking to build on the interest in her own solo material (by CBS New York) and by imagining a sophisticated visual and electronic duo alternative. Back in Sydney, Australia, she found musical partnership with musician/producer Roy Nicolson who had just returned from producing and writing in the UK. Recording with Nicolson in 1983 an album’s worth of demos were written and formed by the new duo Deborah named ARVO and the now cult classic synth pop album "LUNA" was released. in 1984.

By 1986 Gray, tired of the 'sex-symbol' actress tag and, alarmed at the local film industry's growing penchant for violent films, left acting altogether to pursue songwriting and music full-time. She moved to New York in 1986 to study jazz vocalization and songwriting. She lived there for 9 years, performing in many of the known cabaret and jazz clubs (Maxims, Blue Note, Bradleys, The Supper Club, Tatous) and recording her first all original jazz CD featuring trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

Gray returned to Australia in 1997 where she is based in Australia continues her jazz performing and recording and is an author, songwriter and producer. Her 'magickal' themed non-fiction books have been translated into 10 languages.

Currently

She produced and hosted the 2005 documentary Wish on a Spell, the DVD released internationally by leading American independent distributor Monterey Media, in mainstream stores throughout USA, Canada and Australia and via the web. Gray also appeared in the documentary Number 96: The Later Years, a special feature included in the 2006 DVD release of the Number 96 feature film.

Gray released her new Jazz CD 'Jazz Fresh' in late 2007 and is currently shooting scenes for her appearance in the FFC funded documentary hosted by American Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino titled 'Not Quite Hollywood', a film homage to the breakthrough days of Australian films of the 70's and early 80's (set to be released internationally late 2008)

As of July 2018, Deborah's ARVO recordings from the early 1980s, particularly the track "Bikini" and the album "Luna" have become a cult classic with the DJ's worldwide, who have organically discovered them and built a fanbase for these sought after 80's synth/new wave Australian tracks. In response to public demand a 12" Vinyl re-release of ARVO's tracks "Bikini" and "So Deep" have been released in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Germany and Italy with plans to go worldwide and will also be available on streaming sites and digital download. Deborah's new record company in 2018 is 'Strangelove Music" an independent label based in New Zealand.

Notes
  1. Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz, Sunshine Books, 1984. ISBN 0-86777-057-0 p 92
  2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 129. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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