Debra Cowan

Debra Cowan

Debra Cowan

“She is blessed with a beautiful voice and a deep appreciation for the tradition....each
song is a new story to be shared and experienced."
Ron Olesko, host "Traditions", WFDU, Teaneck, NJ

Debra Cowan was once asked what kind of songs she writes. Her reply? “Bad ones. Besides,
there are so many good songs out there written by others and they should be sung.” Her
captivating warm alto carries each folk song she chooses with such emotion that you’ll
forget that they were written by others. She performs a cappella and with guitar in the
great tradition of folk singers like Joan Baez and Judy Collins, with a clear vocal that calls
forth the ghosts of long past but can also offer a more modern urban landscape. In her
newest release Fond Desire Farewell, she’s taken contemporary and time-honored public
domain songs and put them in a modern setting.
Debra bridges the old and new with a refreshing stage presence -- she may start with a moving ballad like “Rainbow,” a profile of one woman’s courage, and segue into “Johnny Be Fair,” about a
poor lass who can’t marry anyone in town because, well, she’s related to everyone.
Debra’s shared the stage with artists as varied as Richard Shindell and John Renbourne.
She’s performed in many prestigious UK folk clubs and for six months in the late 90’s held a
residency at Sandy’ Bell’s Bar, Edinburgh's premier folk music pub, following in the
footsteps of Scottish musicians such as Dick Gaughan and Aly Bain. She was a formal
showcase artist at the International Folk Alliance Conference in 2009 and 2005, and a
formal showcase artist at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance in 2002. This performance
led to two appearances on the nationally syndicated live radio show Folkstage, hosted by
Rich Warren. Her earlier recordings Dad’s Dinner Pail and Other Songs from the Helen
Hartness Flanders Collection and The Long Grey Line brought her praise from both the US
and abroad. In 2006 her version of “Walloping Window Blind” was featured in SingOut!
magazine and also that year, her rendition of Richard Thompson's "Has He Got a Friend For
Me" was included in the Free-Reed Records box set RT-The Life and Times of Richard
Thompson.
Debra continues a dream that began as a 7-year-old and says that "Singing is something I've
wanted to do ever since I can remember. I didn't choose this path; it chose me."