Deanna Dove

Deanna Dove’s music has been described as everything from an “earthy, clear voice that blends rock, pop, and R&B with warmth and clarity,” to “a little bit Buffett.” The title track from her first album Chesapeake has been called the “anthem and soundtrack of the Chesapeake Bay.” Dove’s life is intertwined with the life of the Bay. Growing up on Broomes Island, Maryland, the water wasn’t just some place that Deanna would walk to occasionally, but an omnipresent facet of life. In Dove...

Deanna Dove’s music has been described as everything from an “earthy, clear voice that blends rock, pop, and R&B with warmth and clarity,” to “a little bit Buffett.” The title track from her first album Chesapeake has been called the “anthem and soundtrack of the Chesapeake Bay.” Dove’s life is intertwined with the life of the Bay. Growing up on Broomes Island, Maryland, the water wasn’t just some place that Deanna would walk to occasionally, but an omnipresent facet of life. In Dove’s case, the horizon was out over the water, and her songs relate to others who connect to the same ideas whether the world lies ahead on the road, railroad tracks, or beyond the sea and sky. Her songs are about her life, but at the same time about the story of the Bay from its heyday to its present day troubles. The song title Take Me Back from her latest album Peace, Love & Crabs reflects this joy and sadness together. Like the familiar song Brandy, Deanna is the girl in the bar and the sailor, both at the same time. Deanna Dove is a gifted composer, with an extraordinary vocal and performance style. Dove’s fans react to her live performances with a degree of enthusiasm that cannot be appreciated from just listening to her albums. Her connections with her audiences are derived from both the skill exhibited in her compositions and performance, and from the emotional content of her songs. Almost every listener can feel a connection with Deanna through a lifetime of shared experiences, either felt or hinted at in her songs. Dove’s work illustrates perfectly how music can connect with emotions in a way that goes beyond the spoken word alone. Dove’s search for a diverse musical culture in route to Austin, Texas can be traced to November of 2006, when after a month-long musical tour from North Carolina to Florida; Deanna returned home and packed her bags for Nashville. In January 2007, she met hit-songwriter, producer Billy “Zig” Herzig and began an intense two-month long recording project. Deanna worked with Zig along with her acclaimed Nashville band —Marshal Richardson & Steve Holland (drums), Justin Schipper (guitars), Chris Autry (bass) and Zig (b3, mandolin)— to create a fun and uplifting album. The resulting album Peace, Love & Crabs earned numerous accolades from press and fans. While on her daily walk down by the river in Nashville, Deanna shared one of the lines she had just written that day from the song Stalemate with country legend “Whispering” Bill Anderson, her newest friend. For the rest of the walk, all that Bill kept saying was, “I wish that I had written those words,” and invited her to the Grand Ole Opry and Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame. The song Lay Down With Dogs gets its name from a well used phrase Dove heard often from her father at the kitchen table and also from reading a book while in Nashville entitled “Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both." “I wrote the song to get a “red alert” out to young women today, says Dove.” She comments that the song You Guys was written to enviously jab at young males who grow up having their mothers take care of business for them while they take care of business learning how to play the guitar. Dove’s debut album Chesapeake has sold over 3,000 copies. The title track Chesapeake is the theme song for the "Voices of the Chesapeake Bay," a Sunday morning radio program on WRNR 103.1, Annapolis, MD. Chesapeake was also released on the 2005 compilation disc Songs of the Chesapeake Bay, and is featured in numerous films and advertisements. Dove performs live on WRNR and her music can be heard on radio programs throughout the country as well as Belgium, the British Virgin Islands, the Netherlands and Costa Rica. Word of mouth praise has led to rave reviews in magazines such as Chesapeake Life, Latitudes and Attitudes, Nor’easter Mid-Atlantic, and Soundings, all of which continue to lead her to high profile appearances at the Historic Avalon Theatre, Ram’s Head Stage and innumerable venues from New Jersey to the Carolinas and the Caribbean. When at home Dove performs in her hometown in an activist role in support of public awareness for restoring and preserving the Chesapeake Bay. For tour schedule, song lyrics and more information about Dove’s recordings, please visit www.deannadove.com.