The Bonham family of Worcestershire, England, boasts a deep gene pool. The family produced John Bonham, the esteemed drummer for Led Zeppelin, and his son Jason, who has followed in his father’s footsteps as one of hard rock’s most skilled skinmen. Add to the list Deborah Bonham – sister of John, aunt of Jason – whose debut Rhino Entertainment album Duchess introduces her powerful blues-rock vocal chops to American listeners.
Backed by her forceful working band – former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley, bassist Ian Rowley, keyboardist Gerard Louis, and guitarist Peter Bullick (her husband) – Deborah rips through 14 original compositions that showcase her committed, soulful singing and her effortless, sensitive approach to a gamut of styles, from blues and soul to hard rock and English folk.
Deborah Bonham’s musicality runs deep in the blood. She listened to a breadth of music growing up at the Old Hyde, the family farm. “At a very early age, I had a wealth of music given to me,” she says. Her favorites encompassed the soul of James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Motown; the bluesy ‘60s rock of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin; and rootsy American country-rock styles, from the Eagles and Little Feat.
An admirer of Aretha, Janis, and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, Deborah cites Maggie Bell – the onetime lead singer of the English blues-rock band Stone the Crows, and later a solo artist on Led Zeppelin’s Swansong label – as her key influence. “She was my main one,” she says. “When I was very young, John of course brought me her album Suicide Sal. She’s my girl.”
Of course, her brother’s pioneering band, which became the reigning rock act of the ‘70s, was a major inspiration. She vividly recalls seeing Led Zeppelin for the first time: “I was about six years old. I went to see them at the Birmingham Odeon. There were 2,500 people there, and their first album was just out. I was amazed by them. It was awesome. I remember thinking, this is what I want to do.”
It would be some years – and not until after the untimely death of her brother in 1980 --before Deborah would put her dream of performing into action. She was initially hesitant to take the stage; she says the Bonham name “became a double-edged sword – I knew some people would think I was just jumping on the bandwagon.”
But one close family friend had faith in her talent: Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant. “He was wonderful,” Deborah recalls. “He said, ‘Come in and do some demos.’” After recording at Plant’s home near the Old Hyde, he offered a critical suggestion about securing a record deal: “He said, ‘You should send the stuff out anonymously.’” After shopping her material under another name, Deborah was signed, and her first album From You and the Moon was released in the U.K. in 1985.
Though the album received strong notices and significant airplay in England, Deborah soon soured on the music business. “I was totally frozen,” she says. “The record deal was dodgy, the manager was dodgy. I couldn’t get free, and I couldn’t afford to get a lawyer to fight for me. I just thought, if I can’t sing or record, I’ll find out how the business works.” For several years, she worked in the legal affairs department at a record label in London, where she learned the ins and outs of the industry.
“You’ve got to keep going, and then good things come,” she says. So, in the ‘90s, Deborah returned to live performing and recording. She opened for her nephew Jason’s band at the Whisky A Go Go and House of Blues in Los Angeles, and did two American tours in her own right. She has shared stages with Paul Rodgers, Humble Pie, Van Halen, Paul Weller, Foreigner, and Donovan, among many others. Her festival appearances included stands at Glastonbury, Donnington, and Fairport Convention’s Cropedy Festival.
Her solo album The Old Hyde was issued in 2004; produced by Mo Foster (Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Phil Collins), its featured players including Mick Fleetwood, the Pretenders’ Robbie McIntosh, Robbie Blunt and Dougie Boyle of Robert Plant’s band, and Jason Bonham.
Duchess is the best showcase yet for Deborah Bonham’s versatility. It features the bluesy stompers “Pretty Thing,” “Grace,” and “Duchess & the Shufflemeister”; the heart-ripping ballad “Love You So”; the country-tinged lament “Blue” (featuring veteran pedal steel guitarist BJ Cole); and the folk-inflected “Chains.”
Two performances stand out. On “Hold On,” a stirring statement of self-reliance and faith, Deborah is joined by Paul Rodgers. She opened for the singer – formerly the front man for Free and Bad Company, the bestselling Swansong act – at a 2006 concert, and contributed duet vocals on “Can’t Get Enough” during Rodgers’ set. She remembers, “After I did the show with Paul, he said, ‘We should do this again.’ I was pretty thrilled – I still pinch myself.”
The track also features Jason Bonham on drums. At the time of the session, he was involved in some fairly important work of his own, Deborah says: “He was rehearsing secretly with Led Zeppelin [for their recent reunion show at London’s O2 Arena]. He kept looking at his watch, saying, ‘I promised Deb I’m gonna come.’”
A celebration of soul, strength, and family, Duchess marks Deborah Bonham’s finest work. She’s rightfully proud of it.
“I feel I’ve paid my dues,” she says. Paid, in full.