Debora Iyall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Debora Iyall
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Image of Debora Iyall
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Debora Kay Iyall |
| Born | 29 April 1954 Soap Lake, Washington, U.S. |
| Origin | Cowlitz Native American |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
| Associated acts | Romeo Void |
Debora Kay Iyall, born on April 29, 1954, is a talented Cowlitz Native American artist and singer. She is best known as the lead singer for the new wave band Romeo Void. Her last name, Iyall, comes from her family adopting the name of an ancestor, Iyallwahawa.
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Early Life and Activism
Debora Iyall was born in Soap Lake, Washington, but she grew up in Fresno, California. She is an official member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. When she was 14 years old in 1969, Iyall joined the Occupation of Alcatraz. This was a protest where Native American activists took over Alcatraz Island to bring attention to Native American rights. She stayed there for six days, hoping to connect with the Native American community, but she felt a bit out of place.
Becoming a Music Star with Romeo Void
While studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, Debora Iyall helped form the band Romeo Void in 1979. She started the band with Frank Zincavage and Peter Woods. Romeo Void became known for giving the punk sound a modern twist. Debora's strong, almost spoken, singing style was a big part of their unique sound.
In 1982, their song "Never Say Never" became very popular on college radio stations. Another one of their songs, "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)," reached the top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. This success led to the band appearing on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in 1984, a famous music show.
Solo Career and Art Journey
Romeo Void broke up in 1985. The next year, Debora Iyall released her first solo album, Strange Language, with Columbia Records. After this album, Iyall decided to go back to her first passion: art. She became an artist and an art instructor.
Throughout the 1990s, she taught art at the 29 Palms Cultural Center and for the Arts Council for San Bernardino. She also led nature walks and gave presentations for the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. In 1995, she started Ink Clan, a print shop. This shop was created to teach screen printing and other art forms to young Native artists. Ink Clan was once located in the South of Market Cultural Center in San Francisco. Today, Debora Iyall lives in New Mexico with her husband, Patrick Haight, who is an audio engineer and instructor.
Since late 2009, Iyall has been performing new songs she wrote with Peter Dunne in Northern California. In 2010, her second solo album, Stay Strong, was released. In January 2012, she released an EP (a shorter album) called Singing Until Sunrise. On November 2, 2019, Iyall received a Lifetime Achievement Honoree award at the 19th Annual Native American Music Awards.
In 2023, Debora Iyall appeared in the Netflix children's show Spirit Rangers. She played the character of the Great Cowlitz Sa'mn Spirit in the episode "Salmon, Where Are You?".
Discography
- Strange Language (1986)
- Stay Strong (2010)
- Singing Until Sunrise (2012)
