Today I would to introduce you, or reintroduce you, to one of my all-time favorite female vocalists. I recently had a friend post his favorite male singers and that spun my head down a rabbit hole. (By the way, the friend is fellow author Sean Finnegan who has a great first novel, Norcal, out and his next book Stubs, should be released later this year. I’m including a link to his Amazon author page below.)
The rabbit hole centered around that one key word, FAVORITE. The voice might not be the most technically trained or possess the greatest range, but it’s a voice that really appeals to me. In other words, it is completely subjective. For my money, Debora Iyall of Romeo Void has one of those signature, grab your attention voices.
Romeo Void is an 80’s band from San Francisco that had about a six-year-run (1979 to 1985). I have always maintained that they deserved so much more than they received. They straddled this really eclectic, fun bridge over post-punk, New Wave, rock, pop kind of a vibe. Difficult to pigeon hole and uniquely their own style. The saxophone work by Benjamin Bossi in particular set Romeo Void apart and I’m not even much of a sax girl. I am including two of their more well known songs, A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing) which cracked the Top 40 at #35 and Never Say Never. The later was featured in the 1984 film Reckless which incidentally starred a very young and ridiculously hot Aidan Quinn.
Iyall had all the usual qualities that our white, Christian male world loves to get judgey about, stacking the deck against her, and also against her band. Female? Check. Minority? Check (Iyall is a Native American of the Cowlitz tribe). A bodacious sister of size? Check. Unashamed of her sexuality? Check. Add to that she is not overtly religious and that she is politically active (at the age of 14 she was among the group of Native Americans who orchestrated the Occupation of Alcatraz in 1969) and her record company suits didn’t know what to do with her.
Romeo Void was doing pretty well for a new band. Their album sales were increasing and their concert tickets were selling out. However on what would be their last tour, the band was celebrating A Girl In Trouble breaking into the Bill Board Top 40 when two things helped stop the momentum. The record company wanted the creative, artsy group to produce more pop-driven singles and Debora needed to lose weight. When she said she liked herself just fine, Epic pulled their support mid-tour. No more radio station interviews, no more media support, no record company representative there as they rolled into town. Tired, overworked and feeling abandoned the group called it quits once the tour was finished, despite their music being more popular than ever. Now, as a fan, I never knew what happened until years later. I kept hoping there would be another album. No such luck.
The fate of such a creative group, who should have gone farther-that I wish had made more music, isn’t that hard to believe. After all, in 1982 when Never Say Never was released women had only had the ability to get a credit card in their own name for eight years (1974), same thing for a mortgage in their own name and the no-fault divorce that effectively freed women from unhappy marriages by allowing them to instigate proceedings came about in 1969, just thirteen years prior (although divorces were granted to the rich and famous or in cases of extreme abuse much earlier). In the convention of the time, if she wanted to make it in the industry she should have done what so many women did and starve herself, use weight loss drugs, whatever it took. Karen Carpenter is remembered as a beloved icon, but she’s a dead icon. Debora Iyall was a pain in the record company’s ass but she’s still alive, still singing, still making her art at 72.
This was a time that hadn’t seen a Lizzo, a Bebe Rehax, a Beth Ditto or a Netta Barzilai. No, Iyall helped break a path for these women still to come. Debora is a self-described “fat chick,” a minority, an independent, articulate, intelligent woman who stood her ground and like so many other pioneers, she paid for it. So did her band mates, but man oh man, can she sing!
Great read, totally forgot about them. And I did not know her story. Love your writing style. Tricky, that ‘favorite’ word. Now, when I start the conversation I ask “what’re some of your favorites?”. Takes the pressure off. My ‘favorites’ change by the week. This song is so great, takes me back to junior high. Thank you for the shout, my friend.
-Sean
It’s a pleasure!
Now…WHEN is “Stubs” coming out??? Killing me, Finnegan, killing me.