in Fairhaven April 27, and in Port Townsend April 28
But there is another blues icon closely associated with the music of Debbie Davies, Albert Collins. After a post Maggie Mayall & The Cadillacs stint in LA working under her own name, Davies was introduced to Collins by Coco Montoya and had several opportunities to sit in with the 'Iceman'. This led to her shift as a member of Albert Collins and the Icebreakers. Davies was featured opening each Collins show on lead guitar and vocals with the Icebreakers. Three years of Davies on Strat playing shotgun to Albert Collins Telecaster came to an end in 1991 when she joined another girl band, Fingers Taylor and the Ladyfinger Review. After a summer tour opening for Jimmy Buffet with them, she was ready to put together her own band again that fall, The Debbie Davies Band. She debuted on Blind Pig with Picture This.
I remember clearly when I first became aware of Debbie Davies. Somewhere in my archives I must still have the copy of the Debbie Davies Live! cassette review I wrote for NW Events & Lifestyle Review (then published by David Hull of Bellingham) in the early nineteen nineties. Wearing a black suit, bereted with shades and surrounded by Fender gear, Davies laid out the visual image many of us now associate with the female blues player. The look was quite a jump from guitar players Memphis Minnie in her formal dresses and Bonnie Raitt in her California casual clothes. It was a visual that seemed to say, "Don't look at the girl, listen to the girl play that guitar, take it seriously!" In a decade full of MTV and gimick imagery, Debbie Davies kept her focus fiercely on the music itself. That, in itself, made her stand out from the pack.
We have been fortunate to have a number of contemporary female musicians to serve as role models to the up and coming generation. Without a doubt, Debbie Davies has paved the way for younger female electric guitarists, both with the industry and with audiences. One of the most appealing things about Davies is the sucess she has achieved without pretense. She loves blues, she loves rock, she loves playing guitar. So that's what she does. She does it well.
Debbie Davies plays live at the Fairhaven Martini Bar, 1114 Harris in Bellingham, WA on Wednesday, April 27th, 2005. (info. 360-671-6745)
Debbie Davies plays live at the Upstage in Port Townsend, WA on Thursday, April 28th, 2005.
