Debora Kay Iyall (; ; born 29 April 1954), is a

Cowlitz Cowlitz may refer to: People * Cowlitz people, an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest ** Cowlitz language, member of the Tsamosan branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages * Cowlitz Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe of ...

Native American artist and was lead singer for the new wave band

Romeo Void Romeo Void was an American new wave/post punk band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band ...

. Iyall got her surname from her family adopting their ancestor Iyallwahawa's "first" name written at the time as Ayiel.

Early life

She was born in 1954 in

Soap Lake, Washington Soap Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, on the shores of Soap Lake. The population was 1,691 at the 2020 census. History Soap Lake was officially incorporated on June 9, 1919. This came to a halt during the Depression when drought hi ...

, and grew up in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. In 1969, at age fourteen, Iyall joined the

Occupation of Alcatraz The Occupation of Alcatraz (November 20, 1969 – June 11, 1971) was a 19-month long protest when 89 Native Americans and their supporters occupied Alcatraz Island. The protest was led by Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, and others, while John T ...

and stayed for six days. She had hoped to connect with the Native American activist community there, but felt "out of place".

Romeo Void

While attending the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

, she joined Frank Zincavage and Peter Woods to create

in 1979. The band was remarkable for their modernization of the

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

sound, and for Iyall's forceful, half-spoken delivery. They reached hit status on college radio stations with the suggestive and multi-leveled song " Never Say Never" in 1982. Their song " A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" landed them in the top 40 of Billboard's

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart, and an appearance on Dick Clark's ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'' in 1984.

Solo albums and art career

Romeo Void parted ways in 1985, and the following year Iyall released her debut solo album '' Strange Language'' on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. After a lukewarm reception of the album, Iyall returned to her first love, as an artist and 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 hikes and made presentations for the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum as a paid docent, and in 1995 she started Ink Clan, a print shop dedicated to teaching screen printing and other arts to young Native artists. Ink Clan was once housed in the South of Market Cultural Center in San Francisco. She presently resides in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, with her husband,

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

and instructor Patrick Haight. Since late 2009, Iyall has been performing new material written with Peter Dunne at a variety of local venues in Northern California. In 2010 Iyall's second solo album, ''Stay Strong'', was released, and in January 2012, an EP, ''Singing Until Sunrise'', was released. On 2 November 2019, Debora Iyall was awarded as a Lifetime Achievement Honoree at the 19th Annual Native American Music Awards.

Discography

* '' Strange Language'' (1986) * ''Stay Strong'' (2010) * ''Singing Until Sunrise'' (2012)

References

External links

Iyall professional website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyall, Debora 1954 births Living people 20th-century American printmakers 20th-century American women artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century American printmakers 21st-century American women artists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century Native Americans American new wave musicians Artists from California Artists from Washington (state) Coast Salish people Columbia Records artists Women new wave singers Musicians from Fresno, California Native American printmakers Native American singers Native American women artists People from Soap Lake, Washington San Francisco Art Institute alumni Singers from California Singers from Washington (state) American women printmakers 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women Women punk rock singers