Yes, I've been into her music for a while now too. There was a period, some years back (mid-'90s), when all of a sudden, a bumper crop of women really surfaced on the blues scene, and Debbie was among them. A number of them got their introduction via Antone's, a blues club in Austin, TX.
Aside from Debbie, and Susan Tedeschi, who Warren already mentioned, there's Marcia Ball and Sue Foley. A gal named "Natasha" was doing her thing on the East Coast, while Keri Leigh came out strong with an album titled "Blue Devil Blues."
At the time, of all of them, I really liked Sue Foley and Keri Leigh. They both appeared to have that Janis edgy sort of style, especially Keri. I was somewhat sad that after 3 albums, she seemed to drop into obscurity. I'm glad Sue Foley is still around, although her sound has become more commercial and mainstream. She's still great though.
Locally, here in The Windy City, we have Liz Mandville Greeson. She is a blues belter extraordinaire, and to her credit, she coaxed Aaron Burton, Albert Collins' former bass player, out of retirement. That's a good thing, because he really knows how to lay down the bottom end! Liz, aside from having several albums to her credit, is one of the artists featured on Earwig Record's 20th Anniversary Collection.
