June 2011
Hi Everyone,
I look forward to going up north (where it’s a little cooler) to play with the whole band. It’s been hot down here in Florida but I’m not complaining. The shows that I do here in the south with “Tommy Thompson” (steel & vocals) are such a blast. Tommy sounds so much like Ray Price and Jim Reeves and everyone practically falls in love with him and his voice.
Last week Kevin Carver (my other steel player) and I played at a huge place in Sebring as Tommy was already up north. We didn’t get to rehearse much but the show was effortless as our voices blend so well. People there seemed to enjoy it a lot as they never moved for 2 hours.
The gigs this year have picked up quite a bit and we’ve been booked for 2012 way early this year. I’m happy that the ground work is done and all I have to do pretty much is show up at the gig to sing. Not really but almost! It’s time consuming to get all the things done to every gig. The part I do enjoy the most, as you know is showing up, getting set up, and that’s when all the magic happens…I get to finally sing. Yum….it’s so fun!
This month I had 3 weeks off and I thought I was going to die when I got up to sing. I didn’t bother practicing at all as I was just trying to relax. Wrong! I’ll never ever do that again! I practically had to relearn things all over again. I now sing in the car, the bus, at home, and while I’m walking or riding my bike.
I’ve been reading Shania Twain’s new book, “From This Moment On”, and she said that it takes 10,000 hours to learn how to play an instrument and I believe that. When you stop for a while you have to relearn those parts and more, so practice, practice, practice…….all the time. I remember when I taught myself how to play the guitar. In school during my younger days, I would get up to practice the guitar in the morning, at lunch from school, after school, after supper (dinner) and before I went to bed. I would sing along to the chords I’d learn. Phew! I know I have my 10, 000 hours but always feel like I learn new things every day with music. It’s never boring! Thank God! It really puts my life in perspective, meaning that I am so blessed to be able to do this music career and still enjoy all the things that I am fortunate enough to do. For the most part of my music career I’ve never had much stage fright and I’ve always felt comfortable like it was my living room with lots of friends visiting. It wasn’t like that for her and she shares so much of her life that you can feel her hardship…even the death of her parents. If you have the chance just get it and read it. You’ll have a hard time putting it down whether you’re connected to music or not.
I may not have sold over 75 million albums or won Grammy awards but what I do at a much smaller scale is just perfect for me. I sing for fans, friends, and family, sell albums, do TV and radio shows, hear my music on the radio, and still today at 50, l enjoy every moment of it. I can go places (on vacation) where no one knows who I am and enjoy quiet times too without the paparazzi cameras in my face every moment of the day. I enjoy meeting all of you after the shows and chatting until everyone leaves. Music…. I just plainly love it!
I look forward to seeing all my wonderful friends of music this summer!!!! See you all soon.
July 2010
Happy Summer Everyone,
It was a nice ride up from Florida this year. Travelling through North Carolina and
Pennsylvania via the truck route is probably my favorite. What scenery!
Last week I went up to Canada to do a show with my sister in Bathurst, New Brunswick,
Canada. It had been since November last year since my visit up there and I also
enjoyed the ride From Houlton, Maine down to Moncton, New Brunswick. It was really
nice to see my Dad, (who is doing well), and to hang out with him for a couple days. I
stayed in Bathurst for a couple extra days to catch up with my old friends where we
used to live 12 years ago. It’s so nice to do that. I had no voice the next morning from
talking so much!
I am home again in Maine and will be catching up with yard maintenance since we got
home later than usual. Can someone tell me why do the weeds like to take over????
Thank God I like to garden…. It’s was a cold winter in Florida and I was inside a lot so
I’m looking forward to being outside.
We did a couple of benefits so far this year that was very rewarding. One was in Florida
for “Breast Cancer Research” and the other was for “The Maine Homeless Vets”. I didn’t
realize that there are so many Vets without shelter. It’s truly amazing and we need to
pay more attention to this as they were there for us!
Some of you have heard that I had surgery and it’s true. It was minor surgery and
everything is fine. I’m healthy as a horse….where did that saying come from? Ha! Enjoy
great weather this summer and safe travels if you go on vacation. Hope to see everyone
at one of our shows. It’s so nice when we see you in the audience. I really do
appreciate it very much to see your familiar faces out there!
God Bless
January 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I hope all of you have had a wonderful holiday and are surviving
this CRAZY cold weather, even here in Florida when have been freezing!!!
Well to update you since the last news, Brian and I had a wonderful time at his brother’s
place for Thanksgiving in Jacksonville Fl. It was far too much food and shopping but we
had fun catching up and spending time with him and his wife. My little, ok not so little,
Jessie had fun having two friends to play with while we were there and we never had
any trouble getting him to sleep…hahaha!! For Christmas, we went to Nashville and
spent time with my sister Shirley. We had a great time and I was surprised when my
Aunt and Uncle I hadn’t seen in quite a while showed up. We spent most of our time
cooking and having fun sharing stories about the family, but one really exciting evening
was when we went to the Old Grand Old Opry (Ryman Auditorium) to see Ricky Skaggs
and The Whites. What an amazing show it was, Ricky and his family are such amazing
performers and being at that show just really put us in the holiday spirit.
Well as some of you know December is the month of my Birthday and Brian surprised
me with a trip to Las Vegas. We were there for 5 days and all I can say is WOW!!! We
could have stayed another 5 days and not have been able to see it all. The casino’s are
so big you will definitely get your exercise in from all the walking. While there we spent
a lot of our time seeing some of the incredible shows…My favorites were Cher, David
Copperfield (who made Brian disappear from the front of the stage to the back of the
stage and really don’t know how he did it)!!!! We also took in a Cirque du Soleil show
which was filled with some awesome theatrics and laughed our heads off with comedian
Ron White .
While the last two months have been a world wind of activities, it’s now time to get
settled in and start back to work. I’m looking forward to getting back on the stage and
performing for everyone and getting to see my many friends and meeting some new
ones. Take a look at the tour page for our current schedule but keep coming back since
it really seems to change weekly as we add new shows.
Got to go for now, but I’ll continue to update you as we perform and as the tales of the
tour start happening. Thank You for all your support and please know how much I
appreciate it and Love You very much.
All the best for 2010’
October 2009
Howdy friends,
We just got down here in Florida a couple weeks ago and the weather is beautiful. Ok I
won’t rub it in but I will be home in November and January for gigs so I will get a chance
to experience the cold and the snow once again. I look forward to that as I have always
enjoyed the winters in Canada and in Maine. Brian and I are fortunate to be able to
come down here to work. For me there are more possibilities of gigs here in the winter,
but I do get to goof off sometimes and head to the beach, Disney World, Busch Garden’s
or simply just ride my motorcycle.
For the upcoming holidays we are planning to be in Jacksonville with Brian’s brother and
his wife for our US thanksgiving and in Nashville for Christmas with my sister “Shirley”
and Rod. In November while we back home will have an early Christmas with my family
including my Dad in Canada and my new grand nephew “Seth” who’s about 6 months
now. Fun to have a little one to spoil!
The fall gigs went well and and we were so busy I never had time for any September
News but I'm looking forward to the gigs down here. I hope we’ll get a chance to see
you down the road somewhere and if not, please have yourselves a great fall, winter
and Holiday Season.
Shirley Farrell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our Famous Fan Club President!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS! On your 20th anniversary with being our fan club president! You
have done a super wonderful job and I really hope we have you for another 20 years!
Your hard work and dedication through all these years have been so appreciated by all
the fans and myself. I can’t remember the times you weren’t feeling good and still
there’d be a news letter and it in my eyes was ….absolutely perfect! Shirley, I
Thank You again and again for being my friend and from the bottom of my heart for
everything you are and have done for all of us as our #1 fan club president!
We just love you a whole lot!!!!
Finally, Next Month I'll update everyone on the dental work saga, we are close to having
it completed but it has been at times challenging....
Bye for now, Debbie
August 2009
On the 6th and 7th of this month we had wonderful crowds at our shows in Woodstock
and St-John Pier, Canada. On the 8th we were back in Maine for two more fun shows,
the first at 10:00am at North Nobleboro and then at 6:00 that evening in Wells. Each
year the crowds at these two shows just keeps growing and growing. To finally end the
week on the 9th , I sang at my friends John and Anita Ladd’s 40th wedding anniversary.
They are a great couple and I met so many of their wonderful friends and family.
After taking a few days off to visit dad I was back at work on the 15th doing two shows
at the Broken Acres Country Grass Festival and what a warm crowd. It was nice how
everyone would applaud a lot during our songs as Tommy and I would sing, I guess
they liked what we were doing. It’s always a treat to do a show with Tommy (Freddy)
Thompson, we have so much fun on and off stage. I hope Pat (his wife) doesn’t mind.
Ha ha ha….Actually I’m hoping that next season she will sing more with Tommy and I.
She and Tommy did a fantastic job at Broken Acres also I even joined in on a song
called “Sweet Memories” and the harmonies made the hair stand up on my arms….
and that’s a good thing!!!
The Final show of the month was on the 25th at the White Mountain Hotel. It was
another wonderful show and the crowd from New Jersey and I had a blast. I have two
more shows this year around the holidays which is my favorite place to be with a
blanket of snow. Shhhhhhhhh, I know it’s too soon for snow!
To end the month and begin the next I’m heading back to Florida to visit friends and
complete some of my dental work but I look forward to seeing you all as our schedule
of shows really starts heating up next month.
July 2009
Well I wound up staying in Florida for 3 weeks finishing up some of my dental work and
waiting on the bus to get finished. I drove it home on the 25th and delivered it on the
28th and everyone was excited with the results. While the project was time consuming,
I’m very grateful for the experience and happy with how everything turned out.
The last week of the month I got back to work with gigs at Jimmy Jordan’s and the Wild
West Days in Dexter, ME. The shows were so much fun with great crowds and playing
with the boys again. Lastly, at the end of the month I got to spend time with my niece
Celine, her husband Garth and my new little nephew Seth. They along with some friends
came and spent 4 days with us and it was a ball..We shopped, Swam in the pool, and
had so much fun playing with the young ones. It’s wonderful to have “young babies”
around .
June 2009
Our first gig with the band here in Maine was a little ruff but we had a blast. Wayne
another one of our steel players hurt his foot the day of the show so Kevin sat in with us.
It was nice seeing Kevin too, Imagine playing with 3 different steel players… how cool is
that! Wayne, Kevin and Tommy….I love you all! Ok I love Jackson, Robbie and Ronnie
too. We’ll also had a chance to feel the magic of our sound and lighting guy “Brad”.
Thanks guys you’re all wonderful and talented!!! Since then we’ve really gotten the act
shaped up and done some wonderful shows throughout New England and Canada.
The Montreal Show in particular was a very special as we traveled with Pat & Tommy
Thompson. What a treat it was to learn so much from a couple who’s been married
for 52 years. The show itself was a full house although it rained , of course in the end
the bus being heavy sank in the mud and was filthy by the time we got out of there.
At the end of the month I left for Florida and I couldn’t wait to get away from all this cold
and wet weather we’ve been having….What’s Up with that!!!! Really, Brian and I have
headed back to complete some of our dental work and also for me to pick up the bus
that I’ve been the Project Manager for and drive it home. You should see it after the
renovations, I’ll post some pictures of it soon for all of you to see.
Well that’s all for now, but Thank You as always for your continued support of our
shows and I’ll look forward to seeing all of you soon.
