Debbie Hunter has music running through her veins. Both of her grandmothers were musicians, and she’s been doing music, one way or another, since she was 4 or 5. Raised on classical music, she started singing harmonies with her father as they drove, in the car, on family trips, learning early the joy of singing with other people. As the folk revival swept the country and then became surrounded by the rock movement, so Debbie’s enchantment with traditional music grew to include much of the then alternative rock music, such as Jimi Hendrix, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin and others. Then, in 1970, at a crossoads with her perso nal musical choices, she heard and immediately became enamoured by John Renbourn’s “The Lady and the Unicorn,” a seminal recording of John’s unique guitar interpretations of early music (medieval), blending it with traditional English songs and tunes. She believes this to be one of the major journey decisions, as she began to sing, play and write songs in the traditional style, reinforced by the many bands appearing on the British folk-rock music scene, as Steeleye Span, Pentangle, The Strawbs, Incredible String Band, Nick Drake, as well as those already previously mentioned.

Shortly after moving to Virginia in 1976, she met her still-husband, Peter, who shared a love of both traditional British Isles music as well as the earlier music of the medieval and renaissance periods. Within a few years, they had formed both a folk-rock band called Mandelay as well as an early music ensemble, named the Greenwood Ensemble. Although Mandelay stayed together for 13 years, the Greenwood Ensemble did only one concert. But in another couple of years, Debbie had put together another group, The Greenwood Consort, sometimes shortened to Greenwood, that still performs on rare occasions, after more than 15 years of numerous performances, both local and statewide, even some out of state, in spite of the fact that all the members had young children.

Many years later, having traveled a long and excitingly multi-faceted musical journey, she has been moving through the worlds of teaching, writing, performing and directing in a number of genres and with a number of bands and ensembles. Her heart, though, and landing field continues to be the combination of traditional and early music, in a life-blend all her own. Her original music reflects not only her love of these influences, but the depth, passion and love with which she has lived her life. At a particularly difficult time some time ago, on a short trip to Gethsemane Monastery with a few friends and theologian Huston Smith, she recalled to him the tale of Saint Brendan, in which the saint is told by a Voice from the sky that to reach the island he has been in search of for many years, he must give up that thing which has gotten him thus far. St. Brendan replies in confusion, ‘My boat? How will I continue the journey without my boat?’ and the Voice replies, ‘No, not your boat. You must give up your harp.’ Debbie asked Huston Smith, “I have been struggling so much with my music and metaphysics – do you think that perhaps I also need to give up the music?” Huston replies, “Be very careful about giving up something which is your life, and gives so much to so many people.”

Though she is, in her own words, “a word person,” for Debbie the music still comes first, as you hear in the lush and gorgeous melodies she writes and chooses to use.