Deborah Allen: From “Baby I Lied” to Elvis’ Bus and Back Again :: Ep 20 Circling the Drain Podcast

In this episode, country artist and hit songwriter Deborah Allen joins the Three J’s for a warm, funny, and deeply personal conversation.

Deborah shares:

• The story and long tail of her signature hit “Baby I Lied”
• Early days at Opryland, touring Russia with Tennessee Ernie Ford, and how Shel Silverstein nudged her into songwriting
• Growing up in Memphis around the sounds of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Mitchell, Al Green, and the Hodges brothers
• How she wound up sleeping on Elvis’ tour bus and later cutting pioneering overdub duets with Jim Reeves as “The Mystery Girl”
• Getting a brand-new song from Prince after a brief meeting at Sunset Sound
• A major health scare, surgery at Vanderbilt with Dr. James Netterville, and why she says “the devil’s not stealing my smile”
• Celebrating her mom’s 100th birthday, her mom’s younger boyfriend Ed, and the belief that every person you meet is a gift

Highlights & Timestamps

• 0:40 – Introduction to Deborah & “Baby I Lied” on country, pop, and AC radio
• 7:35 – Opryland, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Russia tour & meeting Shel Silverstein
• 12:19 – Memphis influences: Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Mitchell, Al Green
• 18:39 – Elvis’ bus at her parents’ shop & “I slept in Elvis’ bed”
• 23:10 – Overdubbing duets with Jim Reeves & the “Mystery Girl” campaign
• 29:30 – Pushing for her own songs at MCA & “Don’t Worry ’Bout Me Baby”
• 34:56 – Writing hits for others: Patty Loveless and “Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way)”
• 35:06 – Prince writes her a song as Joey Coco after a Sunset Sound encounter
• 41:33 – Her mom at 100, Ed’s nightly visits, and Opry birthday roses
• 50:12 – Metastatic carcinoma scare, holistic support, and successful surgery
• 1:01:22 – How old friendships (doctors, musicians, neighbors) ended up saving her

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Circling The Drain is produced by It's Your Show dot Co

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