Debra Fotheringham, the ninth of eleven children, grew up in American Fork, Utah in the shadow of the mighty Wasatch Mountains. As a child Debra was quiet and contemplative, preferring time spent in her imagination to time spent in real life. As a result, Debra turned to writing as a way to shed light on her world and express her inner creativity. Beginning in the first grade, Debra was invited to various Writers’ Conferences every year based solely on her talent for fiction writing.
From birth, music was an integral part of Debra’s life. Her father had been a professional jazz saxophonist earlier in his life, and Debra grew up immersed in the constant sounds of his large jazz music library. She tried her hand at several instruments, beginning with the violin, then the trumpet, before she finally found her niche. At the age of fourteen Debra simultaneously discovered the versatility of the guitar as well as the diversity and rhythm of world percussion. Debra took to the guitar immediately. While studying percussion in school, Debra used the guitar to escape from the rigidity of formal instruction. Caught between her two loves, writing and music, Debra discovered she could combine them both to create something fascinating and wholly new to her...and Debra began writing songs…and then she began to sing.
At the age of sixteen, Debra began to perform in local venues and she has been charming audiences ever since. Her clear and effortlessly melodic vocals, insightful lyrics, and uncommon skill on the guitar have caught national and global attention.
In 2006 Debra met Nashville producer/engineer Giles Reaves (Patty Griffin, Chantal Kreviazuk) and in 2007 she and Giles co-produced Debra’s self-titled debut album. That summer Debra toured extensively around the United States and Europe, from Seattle to New York to Paris, including an invitation to perform in Long Island, NY as the featured artist for the world’s largest acoustic podcast.
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