After a couple of years on the west coast, Deborah Allen moved back to Nashville, continuing to write for other artists and perform solo. Allen's powerful voice caught the ear of RCA Records, who tagged her to complete several songs by country crooner Jim Reeves. Despite having perished in a plane crash in 1964, Reeves was still a presence on the country charts due to a large backlog of session work and the skilled marketing department at RCA. Among his many hits, Reeves had recorded duets with Patsy Cline, and these unfinished tracks were perfect for that format - given the right singer. Allen's voice - which combed the high and lonesome pedigree of Dolly Parton with Cline's throaty sophistication - was ideally matched to Reeves' baritone, and she polished off her duets with the deceased singer as though she and "the Country Gentleman" were in the same room. All three duets graced the Country Top 10, and Allen was quickly snatched up by Capitol Records.

Trouble In Paradise, Allen's 1980 debut for Capitol, was well-received, spawning several minor country hits. Then, singer Janie Fricke took one off Allen's compositions, "Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby," to the top of the country charts in 1982. Intrigue at Capitol, however, eventually resulted Allen's dismissal from the label. Before she left, Deborah cut several pop-oriented tracks including "Baby I Lied," the song that would make her a major star. RCA, already familiar with Allen's potential, purchased the languishing masters from Capitol, releasing them as a mini-LP, Cheat The Night. "Baby I Lied" went Top 30 pop and Top 10 country, and three other singles from the record also graced the upper reaches of the country charts. The follow-up, Let Me Be The First (1984), was even more radio-friendly, but its success was limited to the country market. And if Let Me Be The First pushed the country envelope, Telepathy (1987) tore it to shreds, featuring a title cut written and produced by Prince (under the pseudonym of Joey Coco). Suffice to say that Deborah Allen is no Sheena Easton, and, predictably, the record bombed.

The 1980's were a decade when crossover dreams were not simply acceptable in Nashville - they were encouraged. Deborah Allen wore her pop ambitions like a badge of honor, but the overly-polished production of her recordings - not to mention the garish fashions she wore - seem horribly dated now. With hindsight, it's clear that Allen succeeded artistically when she stayed true to her country roots, emphasizing substantial songs rather than studio sheen.

As the 80's wore on, Allen doggedly chased pop glory, and she lost her core audience to the emerging "new traditionalism" of artists like Randy Travis and Reba McEntire. Once again, she found herself adrift without a label - though she continued to write hits for others, often in collaboration with her husband, Rafe Van Hoy. Over the years, Deborah Allen has placed songs with dozens of major country stars - Patty Loveless, LeAnn Rimes, Brooks & Dunn, and Tanya Tucker, to name but a few - and a fair number of pop stars, as well.

In the early 1990's, Deborah Allen resumed her recording career, wisely choosing to embrace country music. These records, including Delta Dreamland (Warner Brothers, 1993) and All That I Am (Giant 1994), sound thoroughly modern but resolutely organic, emphasizing acoustic instruments rather than electronics. While each album was moderately successful, Allen all but retired from recording afterwards, continuing perform onstage and as a session musician, as well as scoring major hits as a songwriter. Her website (www.deborahallen.com) chronicles her busy schedule, including some new, self-released recordings.

All of Deborah Allen's original albums are out-of-print, and those prior to the 1990's have never been reissued on CD. Thankfully, Anthology (1998), an exhaustive collection of her hits, was released by Renaissance Records. Though Anthology was clearly produced on a tight budget, it compiles all 21 of Allen's charted singles, including her rollicking holiday tune, "Rockin' Little Christmas." The colorful booklet includes notes on each song by Allen herself. Though Renaissance is now defunct, copies of Anthology are not too hard to obtain. However, I strongly recommend avoiding Curb's Best Of Deborah Allen (2000). Consisting largely of new recordings - including a revision of "Baby I Lied" - the CD simply isn't "the best" of anything. [top of page]