Debi Smith is an American

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

singer-songwriter. She has been a member of

Four Bitchin' Babes The Four Bitchin' Babes is a group of female singer-songwriters with rotating membership performing mainly humorous, satirical, or light-hearted songs in the folk genre. The current touring group consists of Sally Fingerett, Deirdre Flint, Chri ...

since 1994, with whom she continues to tour.Harris, Craig
Debi Smith Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Retrieved November 16, 2013

Career

Smith began her career as a soloist after graduating from

The College of Wooster {{Infobox university , image = College of Wooster seal.png , image_upright = .6 , name = The College of Wooster , former_names = University of Wooster (1866–1915) , motto ...

in Ohio (she also briefly attended

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institut ...

for some of her coursework) and busking in San Francisco. She worked with National Endowment for the Arts and then performed with the all-female

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group '' The Hags'', and began playing the

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A Goatskin (material), goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or ot ...

during that time. In 1980, she began performing with her sister, Megan Smith, as ''The Smith Sisters''. They released five albums together on Flying Fish Records, which featured accompaniment from musicians such as

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and

Merle Watson Eddy Merle Watson (February 8, 1949 – October 23, 1985) was an American folk and bluegrass guitarist. He was best known for his performances with his father, Doc Watson. Merle played and recorded albums together with his father from age 15 unti ...

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...

, and

Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961) is an American fiddle player, composer, guitarist, and mandolinist whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Mu ...

. Smith's first solo CD, ''In My Dreams'', was co-produced by John Jennings, and she has released six more solo albums since, some on the Shanachie label. She continues to tour as a soloist and as a member of ''The

,'' along with occasional appearances with The Smith Sisters. Smith, whose music has been Grammy-nominated, has also been a multiple recipient of Wammie awards (Washington Area Music Awards). Debi has appeared on

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

Prairie Home Companion Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

Mountain Stage ''Mountain Stage'' is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio (NPR). Hosted by Larry Groce from the show's inception until 2021 and curr ...

, Radio Smithsonian, CBS Sunday Morning, CMT, and Ken Burn's PBS series, " The National Parks" and " The Roosevelts." She has performed at such U.S. venues as The Kennedy Center, Wolftrap, EPCOT Center, Philadelphia's Keswick, and L.A.'s Wadsworth Theaters, and has toured as far away as Russia. She and her mother co-edited the book "Look Up at The Hawks," based on Debi's grandmother's 1930s–40s dust bowl diary. Debi was also included in Random House books' "Life's a Stitch."

Personal life

Debi continues to live in Falls Church, outside of the Washington, D.C., with her husband, Michael Jaworek, VP/Promoter of The Birchmere nightclub.

Discography

* ''Bluebird'' (The Smith Sisters) (1984) * ''Mockingbird'' (The Smith Sisters) (1986) * ''Roadrunner'' (The Smith Sisters) (1989) * ''I See the Moon'' (The Smith Sisters) (1991) * ''A Canary's Song'' (The Smith Sisters) (1993) * ''In My Dreams'' (1994) * ''More Than Once'' (1998) * ''Red Bird'' (2001) * ''Cupid'' (2005) * ''The Soprano'' (2007) * ''Hits and Holidays'' (2013) * "If I Were an Angel" (2014) * "Deep Tracks" (2018) * "Then and Now" (2021)

References

External links

Official web site
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American women American women folk singers American women songwriters American folk musicians Bodhrán players Four Bitchin' Babes members College of Wooster alumni People from Falls Church, Virginia Musicians from Fairfax County, Virginia {{US-singer-songwriter-stub