Debbie Davis

Debbie Davis was born and raised in New Jersey, the daughter of two professional opera singers who gave her an early and inescapable musical education. She was performing children's roles in opera companies by the time she was five, and singing in rock and jazz bands through high school and her young adult years. A knee injury that sidelined her dancing career redirected her energy entirely toward singing. In 1997 she moved to New Orleans, quickly making a name for herself in the local jazz and cabaret scene. She joined the renowned vocal group the Pfister Sisters in 1999 and spent seventeen years performing with them locally and internationally. She became one of New Orleans's most prominent ukulele players, traveling to Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2012 for a special performance with Broadway star Michael Cerveris. A collaboration with Hollywood figure Harry Shearer has also been part of her wide-ranging career.

Davis released her debut solo album It's Not the Years, It's the Miles in 2012, featuring Jon Cleary, Tom McDermott, and other New Orleans luminaries. Her second album Linger Til Dawn (2014), recorded with the Mesmerizers — including guitarist Alex McMurray and pianist Josh Paxton — was made in a single afternoon at Piety Street Studio and became a fan favorite. Her third album Vices and Virtues followed in 2017. She has recorded and performed with Irma Thomas, John Boutté, the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, and the Dukes of Dixieland, among many others. She was the jingle singer for the Zatarain's television campaign from 2003 to 2009, and contributed to the soundtrack for HBO's Treme, which received Grammy nominations — Steve Earle's “This City” was Emmy-nominated, while the series' Emmy win was for sound mixing, not the soundtrack — on which she appeared as herself for three seasons. She continues to perform regularly at Frenchmen Street venues.