Album Notes

Deidre McCalla. Singer. Songwriter. Guitarist. Modern day troubadour. An engaging performer with a voice that delicately conveys both strength and vulnerability, Deidre's eclectic blend of folk, rock, country, and pop has touched the hearts and minds of audiences from Maui to Maine, college coffeehouses to Carnegie Hall.

A preeminent performer in both folk and women's music circles, Deidre McCalla has shared stages with a long list of notables that include Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega, Odetta, Cris Williamson, and Sweet Honey In the Rock.

Deidre came of age in the fiery blaze of New York City's folk heyday - a time when the clubs of Greenwich Village were filled with the likes of Dylan, Baez, and Ochs; a time when Motown ruled the top of the charts and the streets of America screamed with anger and civil unrest. All of these influences made an indelible imprint on an open and impressionable young mind. Her first album, Fur Coats and Blue Jeans, was released when Deidre was nineteen and a student at Vassar College. Upon graduating Deidre hit the proverbial road and has never looked back.

With five critically acclaimed albums to her credit, Deidre McCalla remains the indefatigable road warrior. An African American lesbian feminist, Deidre's words and music poignantly traverse the inner and outer landscapes of our lives, chronicling our strengths and weaknesses and celebrating the power and diversity of the human spirit.

"Playing For Keeps" Personnel: Producers - Laurie Lewis, Teresa Trull. Engineer - Tom Size. Musicians - Linda Tillery, Nina Gerber, Tom Rozum,Vicki Randle, Barbara Higbie, Steve Baughman, Melanie De More, Rhonda Benin, Jean Madeloni, Leo Adamian, Nicolas Bearde, Jeanie Tracy, Elouise Burrell, Leah Wollenberg, Madeline Thompson, Jen Waller, Roger Smith, Justin Morell, Todd Sickafoose, Jim Nunally, Michael Witcher, Dan Seamans.