It was 1966, in the small town of Brunswick, Maine. As images of the Vietnam War flickered across the tv screen and protests raged on college campuses across the country, friends and family would gather at the Alexander home for a spaghetti dinner. But, the focal point of the evening wasn't the pasta. It was the after dinner entertainment. As soon as the dishes were cleared, any one in attendance who could play an instrument would break it out, and the rest of the guests would sing along. It happened every Saturday night and, on more than one occasion, among the musicians in attendance that year was a 21 year old pedal steel player from Nashville named Doyle Grisham, on active duty with the Navy and stationed at the nearby base. "I come from a musical family. My parents sang, I played guitar a little - and sang. We looked forward to those 'Spaghetti Feeds' in our home," says then thirteen year old Debbie. "My uncle had a band at the time and Doyle was in it, so he would come by some times and sit in. I had a big crush on him, but he barely even noticed me."
Forty plus years later, Parrot Heads will recognize Doyle Grisham as a long-time member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band... And the young teenager in puppy love with the steel playing sailor back in 1966? She is now Debbie Grisham - wife of Doyle - and head of Deb Grisham Entertainment, the Nashville based artist management and booking group that includes among their clients Nadirah Shakoor, and top trop rock artists John Frinzi and John Patti.
I'll let Debbie take it from here...
"When Doyle finished his active duty in Maine, he moved back to Nashville. In the meanwhile, I got married, kept singing and playing guitar - for fun, mostly, although, my husband at the time kept saying I should do it professionally. One day, a drummer with a local band - Ralph Lashua and the Four Coachmen - walked into the place where my husband worked and told him they were looking for a female singer. I auditioned and got the job. I wound up singing with them for the next ten years!"
So, how did you and Doyle reconnect?
"Around 1979, Doyle came back up to Maine, to visit my uncle. He heard me sing and, between the two of them, they convinced me I should go to Nashville to record some songs. The next year, I went down and recorded an album ("I'm My Own Woman" on Doyle's label). We finished the whole thing in two weeks, then I went back home to Maine. By 1983, I was ready for a change and moved full time to Nashville. I started working with Doyle, singing back up in the studio and doing demos for songwriters. I also recorded two more albums between 1983-1986. I had gotten divorced by then, Doyle asked me to marry him - and here we are!"
Sounds like you had a nice singing career going. What made you get into managing bands?
"I liked singing - I still do it now, whenever the opportunity comes up. But, by around 2004 I had decided that after almost twenty years and three albums, I wasn't going to be a big star making music. I figured my best contribution would be helping others with their careers. One day, I met Kevin Max of the Christian Rock band DC Talk. I knew alot of people in Nashville by then, so started helping him get gigs. And it grew from there."
How did you start working with Nadirah?
"I knew Nadirah, of course, through Doyle. We were down at Meeting of the Minds one year - 'Nod To The Story Teller' had just come out. I asked her, 'Who is booking you?' She said, 'nobody' and I immediately said, "I'd love to work with you!' By January of the next year, I had her first booking."
And you built your roster from there?
"Yes. It wasn't long before I had other artists come to me and ask if I could work with them, too. The funniest thing was that, after I started working with and getting gigs for people like John Patti and John Frinzi, Doyle and I were sitting together one day when suddenly he asked, 'How come you don't book me?' It hadn't dawned on me!"
So, what is a typical day for you?
"If I'm not on the road, with Doyle on a Buffett tour or with one of my artists, you will generally find me in my home office on the phone and computer. If I'm not contacting venues to try to get my artists gigs, then I'm following up on dates we have already set up - sending out contracts and riders, doing press releases, working on social media to get the word out. I spend about fifteen to eighteen hours a day doing that. I also pitch songs to record labels in Nashville"
I want to get back to that, but first - how do you find the venues for your artists to play?
"I have built up a full list of clubs over the years. Alot of it is repeat business, places we have played before. But, new places open all the time. And, often, I will have an artist tell me they have heard of a place that might be good. In those cases, I will do some research, contact whoever is in charge of booking and we go from there. Some times it's a phone call, sometimes an email. It depends on the club."
Now, tell me more about pitching songs...
"Through connections I have made over the years, people like Jim Glaser, I have been able to get on the 'approved list' at the major labels in Nashville. That means I have permission to pitch songs to their A&R people or producers. First, I find out which artists are looking for new material - I get a thing called a 'pitch sheet' - and then take them songs from music publishing companies that hire me, as well as the artists I work with, when it fits. It used to be that you would go by and play the songs for the folks at the labels. These days, they mostly want you to drop off a cd or send the song via MP3. But, without that previous permission, I'd never get through the door."
Let's talk about some of the artists you work with... We already talked a little about Nadirah...
"As I said, that started at Meeting of the Minds and our relationship has grown from there. I work with her solo and with her band, Outside Art. I really love her sweet spirit. She's giving, respectful, kind - very easy to work with. Just a good person. And the fact that she's one hell of a talent doesn't hurt anything!"
How about John Frinzi and John Patti?
"John Frinzi started hiring Doyle to play on his records in the early 2000's, and he also came up and recorded in our studio. So, I knew him but hadn't started working with artists then. One day, a few years later, at Meeting of the Minds we got to talking about booking him. The same thing with John Patti, it was at MOTM in 2008, he asked me if I'd be interested and I said 'yes'. Seems like alot of things happen in Key West!"
What about Jim Mayer?
"I have been working with Jim - 'Uncle Jim' - on his kids' shows, getting out his anti-bullying message, which I think is great. I call schools all over the coungtry, talk to Principals and Superintendents. We're just getting started with that, have done maybe a dozen shows in the last six months."
And Coral Reefer Soul?
"That's also something new. Nadirah came up with the idea of doing some shows with members of the Coral Reefer Band, around Jimmy's tour dates. We did one in Las Vegas with Nadirah, Mac, Robert and Ralph. It went so well, we said, 'why don't we try to do these before EVERY show?' So, we are. The line up will depend on who is available - in Atlanta it's Nadirah, Peter and Ilo Ferreira. We have another big show booked on June 24 in Wisconsin. Doyle, Nadirah, Mike Utley - along with John Patti, and JD Spradlin from Radio Margaritaville as the host!""
I haven't forgotten about your husband, Doyle, who you also work with. But, I have a whole interview with him to post here soon, so I'll leave that for another time. How do you choose who to work with?
"I do alot based on instinct. I have to be passionate about the artist, really believe in them."
Do you have any plans to add to your roster any time soon?
"I don't feel I could right now, no. There are a hundred very talented people out there, but I want to be able to give the people I'm working with my FULL attention. If I had too many people, I couldn't do that."
For more on Debbie and the artists she represents, check out her website at:
http://www.debgrishamentertainment.com/index.php
