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| D E B B I E |
| G I B S O N |
| Deborah Gibson grew up in the turbulent 1970's and long before Jessica Simpson or Brittany Spears she was one of the first of the new breed of female teen-idols. Born in Brooklyn in 1970 and growing up on Long Island Gibson began writing songs in her early childhood, taking piano lessons from Morton Estrin (who also taught Billy Joel) from the age of five. At the age of six she wrote "Make Sure You Know Your Classroom," but it was "I Come From America," which she wrote at age 12, that earned wide recognition for her talents. "I Come From America" won 1,000 dollars in a songwriting contest, prompting her parents to sign a management contract with Doug Breithart. Breithart helped Gibson learn several instruments, as well as teaching her how to arrange, engineer, and produce records; she would record over 100 of her own songs by 1985. While she was still in high school, Debbie Gibson signed with Atlantic Records and began recording her debut album with producer Fred Zarr. "Only In My Dreams," her debut 12" single, climbed to number four when it was released in the summer of 1987. It was followed in the fall by the club favorite 12" single "Shake Your Love," which also peaked at number four; the single also became a hit in Britain, reaching number seven. "Out Of The Blue," her debut album, was released in the fall of 1987, and by the spring of 1988, it had reached the American Top Ten. The title track 12" single became a number-three hit that spring and it was followed by her first number one single, "Foolish Beat," making her the youngest artist ever to write, perform, and produce a number one single. Following the success of "Foolish Beat," Gibson graduated from Calhoun High School in Merrick, NY, with honors. "Staying Together," released in the fall of 1988, didn't perform as well as her previous four singles, stalling at number 22. By the end of 1988, "Out Of The Blue" had gone triple platinum in the U.S. "Lost In Your Eyes," the first single from her second album, "Electric Youth," became Gibson's biggest hit early in 1989, staying at number one for three weeks. The 12" single of "Electric Youth," released in the spring of 1989, also hit number one, spending five weeks at the top of the charts. However, her popularity began to slip by the end of the year. The "Electric Youth" album just missed the Top Ten and her next two singles did progressively worse, with "We Could Be Together" unable to climb past number 71. At the end of 1990, she released her third album, "Anything Is Possible," it peaked at number 41. Two years later, she released 1992's "Body Mind Soul," which produced only one minor club hit, the 12" single, "Losin' Myself." In 1992 Deborah returned to her theatrical roots (she had already appeared on Broadway at the tender age of 8 with Placido Domingo in the Met's Children's Chorus) as "Eponine" in "Les Miserables." She then flew to England for the role of "Sandy" in "Grease," which broke box office records. Returning to the U.S. she toured in "Grease" and "Funny Girl" to rave reviews. Gibson returned to pop music in 1995, recording a duet of the Soft Boys' "I Wanna Destroy You" with the Los Angeles punk band the Circle Jerks and releasing a considerably softer album of her own, "Think With Your Heart," which marked a departure from the dance-pop that made her famous. A return to her first love, the Broadway theatre, saw Deborah take the role of "Belle" in "Beauty & The Beast." Following that with a star turn in "Gypsy" with Broadway icon Betty Buckley. In 2000 she hit the road with a national touring company of "Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." That fall she released "What You Want" to mixed reviews. "M.Y.O.B." followed in early 2001 and by year's end she took a three month engagement in "Cinderella" alongside Earth Kitt, another Broadway icon. In October 2002 she starred in Boston's North Shore Theatre's production of "Chicago" which earned her, once again, rave reviews. The role and production were so successful she took it to Oklahoma's Lyric Theatre in July 2003. In between she squeezed in a four month run at "Studio 54" as Sally Bowles in their production of "Cabaret." 2004 is another busy year for Gibson with her latest release "Colored Lights-The Broadway Album" melding her two loves, music and theatre together. This summer she'll be appearing in L.A. in a revival of "Brigadoon" and has signed to appear in "Broadway On Ice" alongside Nancy Kerrigan and others in early 2005. From teen idol to disco star to Broadway actress, without a doubt Deborah is one of a few rare talents that has come along in many years. We pay respect to "Debbie" for her disco hits but she is much more than that. |
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