|
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. In 1988 she was pronounced the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, with her song "Foolish Beat" and she remains the youngest female to write, record, and perform a No. 1 single to date. She has gone on to starring roles on Broadway and touring musicals, as well as independent film and television work. She continues to record, and reached the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart as high as No. 24 during 2006 in a duet with Jordan Knight titled "Say Goodbye." In 2010 Ms. Vocalist,” from Sony Japan that was top 10 on the Japan Billboard charts and the first single, “I Love You,” hit # 1
Gibson was born in Brooklyn, New York, the third daughter of four for Diane and Joseph Gibson. She grew up in the Long Island suburb of Merrick and was raised Catholic. At the age of five, she began performing in community theater with her sisters Karen, Michele and Denise and cousin T.J Normandin and wrote her first song, "Make Sure You Know Your Classroom." At age eight, she sang in the children's chorus at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. She began playing the ukulele and taking piano lessons soon after, including with American pianist Morton Estrin. Gibson said that her household was probably the only one where bystanders would hear kids fighting over piano playing time.
In 1987, while performing around the United States at nightclub venues, Gibson was recording what would become her debut album, "Out Of The Blue." The album was recorded in four weeks. Four singles from Out Of The Blue reached the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 100: "Only in My Dreams", "Shake Your Love", "Out Of The Blue", and the No. 1 hit "Foolish Beat", followed by "Staying Together", which performed more modestly, reaching No. 22. "Foolish Beat" set a record for Gibson, making her (at 17) the youngest artist ever to write, produce, and perform a Billboard No. 1 single, as entered in the 1988 Guinness Book of World Records, and she remains the youngest female artist to write, record, and perform a No. 1 single to date. By the time Out Of The Blue was established as a hit album, and she had success in the UK, as well as in Japan and southeast Asia, filling stadiums with her Out Of The Blue tour. By the end of 1988, Out of the Blue had gone triple platinum. The Out Of The Blue music videos on VHS was certified platinum by the RIAA, as well as Live In Concert "The Out of The Blue tour VHS video was certified 2x platinum by the RIAA.
In October 1988, Gibson sang the national anthem for Game One of the Major League Baseball World Series. Throughout 1988 and early 1989, Gibson recorded her second album. Electric Youth was released in January 1989, and spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart. The first single released, "Lost in Your Eyes", was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, garnering Debbie with another achievement the first female in chart history to chart both the Electric Youth album and the single "Lost In Your Eyes" simultaneously at No. 1. She shared ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award 1989 with Bruce Springsteen. Subsequent singles from this album missed the Top 10: Electric Youth (No. 11), No More Rhyme (No. 17) and We Could Be Together (No. 71). The Electric Youth album was certified 2x platinum by the RIAA. Another successful "The Electric Youth" world tour, and Live Around the World tour on VHS certified 2x platinum by the RIAA followed.
Style and Influence
In tandem with the second album, she created a perfume called Electric Youth that was distributed by Revlon, and other makeup essentials for young girls that were distributed nationwide through Natural Wonder Cosmetics, another of her sponsors at the time. Debbie Gibson and other artists of the time made side ponytails and crimped hair popular. She also made tight, rolled up jeans and wearing two Swatch watches popular. Her influences are Madonna and Olivia Newton John; though she has often said she admires Elton John, and Billy Joel as favorite artists. Debbie appeared on the covers of teen magazines (globally), such as Tiger Beat and many others. Her successes opened the doorway for many of today's pop princesses.
1990–1995
Gibson recorded two more albums for Atlantic Records: Anything Is Possible (1990), and Body Mind Soul (1993). "Anything Is Possible", co-written with Motown mainstay Lamont Dozier, peaked at No. 26 on Billboard's Hot 100 in January 1991. Subsequent singles from Anything Is Possible failed to chart on The Billboard Hot 100, although "One Step Ahead" scored on the Billboard Hot Maxi Singles and Hot Dance chart, peaking at No. 21 and No. 18 respectively. Body Mind Soul, which was released in February 1993, spawned another minor hit in "Losin' Myself", which was accompanied by a somewhat controversial Matthew Rolston-directed video clip featuring Gibson as a stripper. The second single from the album, "Shock Your Mama", would become a minor hit in Europe and the UK, however "Losin' Myself" remains Gibson last appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 to date.
During this time, Gibson was part of a supergroup that recorded the charity single Voices that Care which peaked at No. 11 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
In 1995, she signed with EMI's SBK Records division and recorded what would be her only album for the label, Think With Your Heart. This album is an Adult Contemporary heavy album consisting of piano ballads and keyboard ballads recorded predominantly with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. The album's producer, Niko Bolas (usually Neil Young's co-producer), was producing the reunion album for veteran punk band Circle Jerks, and invited Gibson to a recording session for that band's album, she sang background vocals on the song "I Wanna Destroy You," as well as appearing at and participating in the Circle Jerks' performance at punk venue CBGB, wearing one of the band's t-shirts and sharing a microphone with frontman Keith Morris.
Independent releases
After parting company with EMI, Gibson formed her own record label, Espiritu, to release her original material. Her sixth album, Deborah, marked her full return to dance-pop. Deborah includes the lead single "Only Words." "Only Words" (Dance Edit) became a Top 40 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit. The album's other single is the ballad, "Naturally." Deborah was well received and remains respected, though it only sold 20,000 in the US.
In 2001, Gibson released her seventh album on her then-new record label, Golden Egg, titled M.Y.O.B. (AKA Mind Your Own Business). It features the three singles, the sensual pop song "What You Want," the Latin-infused Dance-pop song "Your Secret," and the bass heavy "M.Y.O.B." Highlights from the album include the sultry Latin flavored Smooth Jazz song "In Blue," her vintage style ballad "Wishing You Were Here," "Jaded," and a remix of "M.Y.O.B." Her single M.Y.O.B. had the background vocals of her two nieces.
In 2005, Gibson co-wrote and recorded a song titled "Someone You Love" with the O'Neill Brothers. With the O'Neill Brothers, Gibson released an updated, acoustic version of her former No. 1 hit "Lost in Your Eyes." There was a PBS special late 2005, and it was Emmy nominated in February 2006.
|
