Myers, Debbie - Strong Enough to Bend

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Strong Enough to Bend	02:44

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Strong Enough to Bend	02:44

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Information/Write-up

Debbie Myers emerged from Moncton, New Brunswick’s rich country music tradition, raised in a family where her father, Gerry Myers, was a founding member of the Bunkhouse Boys. She first stepped on stage beside him at the age of eight, performing before 10,000 country fans, and by her teens had become a seasoned performer with the versatility and polish of an artist twice her age. Early projects included duos with her sister Shirley (the Myers Sisters), performances with her father (Gerry Myers & the Myers Sisters), and even an all-female band called Snow Queen.

By the mid-1980s Myers was singing full-time, fronting Bobby Kay and the Southern Express Band, and appearing regularly at Canada’s leading country venues like Moncton’s Urban Corral. She backed Mickey Gilley at his Moncton club in 1985, and lent her voice to Joan Kennedy’s 1986 Christmas album. Though she once had to turn down a contract at Nashville’s Opryland due to commitments at home, she was clearly positioned for national recognition.

Her breakthrough came in 1989 with the Destiny Records single “Strong Enough to Bend.” Written by Nashville hitmakers Don Schlitz (“The Gambler”) and Beth Nielsen Chapman, the track was produced by three-time Canadian Producer of the Year Mike Francis, who also played guitar and mandolin. The studio lineup was exceptional: Barry Keane (longtime Gordon Lightfoot drummer), Ron Dann (steel/dobro), Ron Boroughs (keyboards), Kim Brant (bass), Jim Pirie (acoustic guitar), and backing vocals by celebrated Canadian singers Judy Tate (mother of Emilie-Claire Barlow, member of the Laurie Bower Singers) and Stephanie Taylor (of The Willows, and the cult solo album I Don’t Know Where I Stand). The single became a Top 10 Canadian country hit, staying on the charts for over 16 weeks. Shortly afterward, the song was picked up by Tanya Tucker, who turned it into an international No. 1, underscoring Myers’ role in helping launch a country standard.

Through the late 1980s she charted three singles in Canada, including one that hit #1 on French-language radio, and she recorded an album in Nashville featuring original songs by herself, her sister Shirley, and songwriter Rod Nicholson. Myers shared stages with artists including Steve Wariner, Highway 101, and Little Jimmy Dickens, appeared widely on Maritime radio and television, and quickly became one of the East Coast’s most visible country performers.

Her later career saw her relocate to Maine, where she continued performing with her long-running band Redneck Rodeo. A fixture at the annual North Nobleboro Day festival, she appeared there for more than a decade, earning a loyal following. In recognition of her enduring presence, she received multiple honors from the Maine Academy of Country Music, including Best Female Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year.

Today, Debbie Myers stands as a rare figure who bridged Maritime country traditions with Nashville songwriting, while also leaving a lasting imprint in New England. Her early single “Strong Enough to Bend” not only introduced her to Canadian audiences but became part of international country history through Tanya Tucker’s cover. With a career spanning from Moncton clubs to Nashville studios to Maine fairgrounds, Myers represents the resilience and vitality of East Coast country music.
-Robert Williston

Mike Francis: acoustic guitar, lead guitar, mandolin
Ron Dann: steel guitar, dobro
Ron Boroughs: keyboards, synthesizer
Barry Keane: drums, percussion
Jim Pirie: acoustic guitar
Kim Brant: bass
Judy Tate: background vocals
Stephanie Taylor: background vocals

Written by Don Schlitz, Beth Nielsen Chapman
Produced by Mike Francis

Introducing …
Debbie Myers

Take characteristics like style, class, charm and poise. Add extensive musical versatility and total professionalism. Combine with the seasoning attributed to veteran performers. And you’ve got one tremendous country music singing talent -- Debbie Myers.

Debbie began her career at her father’s side, on stage before an audience of 10,000 country music fans, when she was just eight years old. In the years since, Debbie has honed her musical skills to a finely tuned performing edge. In the beginning she combined her stage career with school. Later, she merged two careers -- her singing with a job in business. In 1986, Debbie began devoting her full time energies to her music and in a round of club and fair dates in the Maritimes and beyond, quickly made a name for herself as a performer who is loaded with talent and one who has the stage presence and personality fans love. Debbie has fun when she performs and it shows.

Debbie was raised in Moncton, New Brunswick, and still makes her home there when she’s not on the road. Her dad, Gerry Myers, was one of the original members of the Bunkhouse Boys, a name synonymous with country music in the Maritimes in the 1950s and 60s. She grew up in the industry and came to appreciate the pure, prideful sound of Maritime country. True to her roots, Debbie carries a bit of her musical heritage with her when she walks out on stage.

Extremely versatile, Debbie Myers plays keyboard, drums, guitar, saxophone and clarinet and writes songs. Her forté, though, is vocals. In a style that has been likened to that of Reba McEntire and Emmy Lou Harris, yet is uniquely her own. Debbie has a talent for injecting a piece of herself into every song she sings. She concentrates on country songs but has been known to introduce a little pop or jazz into her act from time to time. She not only sings them, she feels them. A quality not lost on the many fans she has earned herself during her performing career.

Currently singing with a New Brunswick-based group, Bobby Kay and Southern Express Band, Debbie has performed solo, with her sister Shirley in a duo called the Myers Sisters, with her dad in a group called Gerry Myers & the Myers Sisters, and with an all-girl band, Snow Queen.

Her many musical credits include a stint singing back-up vocals for Mickey Gilley at Micky’s Moncton club in 1985. She also backed country recording artist Joan Kennedy on her Christmas album, released in 1986. Once offered a performing contract at Nashville, Tenn.’s Opryland, Debbie was forced to pass due to previous professional commitments. “But,” says Debbie, “there will be a next time and hopefully we’ll be able to do it then.” Today she and her group, Bobby Kay and Southern Express, regularly appear at Canada’s leading country music club, Urban Corral, Moncton, N.B.

And there will be another offer for this talented Maritime performer. She’s a rising star whose charming personality, performance savvy and tremendous talent will carry her just as far as she wants to go in the music industry. And, she’s headed right for the top.

"Strong Enough To Bend"
The song "Strong Enough To Bend", was written by Nashville’s heavy weight and Award winning writer Don Schlitz, with Beth Neilson Chapman, both from the MTM Music Group.
This is the first of a (3) song session for Debbie Myers, and what an introduction of Ms. Myers to radio programers.

The session was produced by Canada’s (3) time Award winner as Producer Of The Year Mike Francis, and includes Mike’s guitar styling both on acoustic/lead guitar. Mike also plays mandolin parts on the song, backed with Ron Dann on steel, and dobro, Ron Boroughs plays keyboards/synthesizer, Barry Keane plays drums/precussion, Jim Pirie plays acoustic guitar, Kim Brant plays bass, and background vocals are supplied by Judy Tate, and Stephanie Taylor.

We hope you like it, and we appreciate your ongoing support of this, and other Destiny Record products from the past and in the future. THANK YOU PROGRAMERS****************

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