ACCORDION AMERICANA

Making Music, Texas Style:

Debra Peters

and The Love Saints

By Christa T. O’Neill

for Accordion Americana   

Austin, Texas is home to one of the most diverse musical landscapes in the United States. The accordion has always had a role in the local music scene from the advent of the town’s German Beer Halls in the 1800’, through the evolution of Tex-Mex music. Because of this presence, the accordion is alive and well represented in Texas music, today.

One of the most popular and respected Texas accordionists is Debra Peters.

For the last 22 years, she has consistently performed in Austin and all around Texas with her band, Debra Peters and The Love Saints Band. Debra is a career singer/songwriter, accordionist, pianist and session musician. Also, well-known in Austin as a teacher of the accordion, she is an entrepreneur, producing and marketing her own music as well as a selection of accordion educational videos.

Women musicians who have their own bands are rare. But, a woman musician with the professional longevity that Debra Peters has shown, are all the more rare. Monthly, for the last 22 years, Debra Peters has appeared at the legendary Broken Spoke in Austin.  Also, throughout the last two decades, Debra and her band have toured Europe, Japan, Mexico, North America and Hawaii.  Debra Peters and The Love Saints Band were featured at the International Accordion Festival held in San Antonio, Texas in 2010. This month, they are scheduled to appear on September 20th at the upcoming 2014 Texas Folklife Festival in Austin along with Mariachi Corbetas, Los Travadores and the Greg Izor Blues Band.  This marks the 30th anniversary for Texas Folklife, which was started in 1984.  The festival presents and honors the diverse cultures and living heritage of the Lone Star State.  Tex-Mex and Zydeco/Cajun music are represented in the band’s repertoire along with Americana, polkas and other dance music. The daughter of a Canadian railroad engineer.

Debra enjoys performing a selection of railroad songs, as well.

As an accordion educator, Debra has

presented workshops every year for

the past 10 years.  ” I am a lifelong music student as well as a lifelong music teacher. Around every corner, there is always something more and great to learn!” Her vision of producing and marketing her own accordion educational videos came out of a workshop held in Las Vegas. Upon viewing an accordion lesson video done by another accordionist, Debra remembered that, as a child, she was introduced to the piano by a lesson video on VCR. At that moment, she determined that she would create her own lesson videos. “It was almost like I was stung by a bee!” Immediately, she went to work to produce an educational video and, in 2005 created The Blues, Chords and Chops. The reaction from her students was positive and in 2007, Debra created The Blues ,Chords and Chops, Volume II.  Since then, she has produced and marketed other video accordion lessons, including one that focuses on bass patterns for the Stradella bass keyboard, 25 Bass Patterns. It was a lot of work for the already busy musician to “write and present the lessons, film and edit them, design the covers, produce the actual copies, set up the mail system, build a website, and do the marketing.”

She persevered, and today sales from her web site are healthy and she has plans for more lesson videos.

Her enthusiasm for the accordion and her passion for people is evident. Debra strives to encourage others to play the accordion, especially girls and other women. A hardworking professional musician, Debra Peters is inspired, not only to entertain, but to empower others who seek to become skillful accordionists locally and in places far away from her Austin, Texas home.