Deborah Silver

Deborah Silver projects an energetic presence as a singer celebrated for her emotionally resonant yet refined takes on enduring jazz and pop standards. Initial notice arrived with her first release, Pure Silver in 2014, which set the stage for her ascent to the summit of the Traditional Jazz Albums chart via The Gold Standards two years later.

Born and raised in Indianola, Mississippi, she absorbed an eclectic mix of sounds throughout her childhood, encompassing pop, rock, jazz, standards, R&B, and country. Her mother sang opera and moonlighted as a vocal instructor. Silver joined choir in high school yet contended with shyness that led her to minimize her visibility onstage. After entering Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, she gained poise through appearances in campus theater productions that crystallized her commitment to singing. Private voice study followed, and upon graduation she headed to Los Angeles to train further with established vocal coach Seth Riggs. Later she relocated to South Florida, married, and focused on raising her family.

Silver persisted with occasional jazz performances, and campaigns on behalf of a relative ultimately broadened her exposure. Her sister received an ALS diagnosis in 2009, the progressive neurodegenerative disorder commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease. While directing multiple initiatives to heighten awareness and underwrite research, Silver channeled her own skills productively. Her debut album, Pure Silver from 2014, assembled standards and pop selections that showcased her polished vocal delivery, with every CD sale proceeds earmarked for ALS research. Favorable notices ensued, expanding her following on the cabaret circuit.

For The Gold Standards in 2016 she enlisted producers Steve Tyrell and Jon Allen plus arranger Alan Broadbent. Grammy-winning singer Jack Jones and noted jazz vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway contributed guest appearances, and first-day sales proceeds went to ALS charities. The album entered at number one on both the Traditional Jazz Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts, reached number two on the Jazz Albums tally, and climbed to 150 on the Billboard 200. In 2018 she teamed with vocalist Freddy Cole for a duet on the Nat King Cole classic “Orange Colored Sky,” issued as an independent tribute single. She resumed solo activity with Glitter & Grits in 2020, a jazz-country fusion recorded with Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson.