Debbie

Debbie Daniels
Banjo, Piano, Keyboards

Debbie started playing piano when an old neighborhood upright was literally rolled down the sidewalk from house to house. When it landed in the Daniels’ garage, Deb showed enough enthusiasm to earn lessons and a new piano.

In junior high and at Valley Forge High School, she occasionally accompanied the choirs. She remembers when her piano teacher had her accompany a violinist for a classical competition. Little did she know that many years later, she’d be working on violin/piano arrangements in Abbey Rodeo. When she was sixteen, she bought her first guitar and taught herself some chords with the help of a Joni Mitchell songbook.

Deb then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree at Lake Erie College in Painesville. That was where she met Abbey Rodeo member Bob Yocum. Deb was heavily into rock, but when she heard Bob play his fiddle, a whole new world and style of music was opened up to her.

During her time abroad as a college student, Deb took a job at Strawberry Recording Studio as a translator for British and American bands. This studio was in a beautiful old chateau situated in the countryside of Paris. Although this was a dream job, she missed Ohio and returned to Lake Erie to get her degree in French and Education. (Little did Deb know that she’d end up spending much time at another beautiful old house in the country called Suma Recording, owned and operated by Paul Hamann. Suma has a nine-foot Steinway grand piano that Deb is lucky enough to have at her disposal.)

After graduating, Deb tried homesteading in Montana, but again, Ohio called her back. When she returned, she continued playing rhythm guitar and before long, she and Bob were playing together, and soon the Better Than Bacon Band was formed. Former members Cindy Tilson and Bill Watson are active area musicians and still good friends of Deb’s. Our deceased banjo player, Charlie Campbell, had a deep musical influence on many of the best pickers in our area. The Better Than Bacon Band reopened Rabbit Run Theater in Madison with much help from area musicians and Darlene Sweet. Every Sunday we had a concert or a bluegrass festival, complete with an occasional pig roast.

During the eighties, Deb took a job as a governess for a wonderful family with three darling little girls as her charges. She practiced piano with them, and also during this employ, returned to France and stayed in a chateau that had a piano actually played by Chopin. This family also had an art deco piano once owned by John Lennon. What a thrill it was to sit and play Imagine on that instrument!

Deb decided that she needed to brush up on her playing technique, and began taking lessons at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Mr. Derek Nishimura, a native Hawaiian, who continues to teach there and inspire students from all over the world. Deb and Derek are still very close friends and she attends his area concerts whenever she can.

In the nineties Debbie decided to take jazz piano lessons from internationally acclaimed pianist Cliff Habian. You may have been lucky enough to hear Cliff play at Nordstrom’s Department Store in Beachwood. He continues to play at Cleveland clubs and release new CD’s of his original material.

Deb gave up music for a while to earn her master’s degree, all the while she continued as the teacher at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center. When her degree was completed, she bought a banjo and began taking lessons from her friend Paul Kovac of Hillbilly Idol and Clearfork. Paul’s beautiful farm in Chardon is the perfect setting for letting the banjos ring.

Then Bob moved back to Lake County and he took Deb over to jam with some friends he had met at various open mic sessions in the area. Bob had told her about the great vocals, and when she heard Chris Butcher and Verne McClelland sing, she immediately knew it was something very special. She began adding some keyboard and banjo parts, and the rest is history.

Playing so many of her favorite songs with her friends Fred, Bob, Chris, Verne, and Vince is such a good time that she looks forward to every gig and rehearsal. Not only are these guys wonderful musicians, they’re truly wonderful people with whom Deb is proud to be associated. Deb hopes that Abbey Rodeo continues to play great tunes together for many more years, and that all of you continue to enjoy our music along with us!!