Nor'easter Magazine.com

February Boat Show 2005/Nor’easter Mid-Atlantic Edition

Deanna Dove- Home grown Bay girl sings the songs of the Chesapeake

By Jill Malcolm

 The first time I heard Deanna Dove, she was playing a gig at my home marina.  Every Sunday at Mango’s in Herrington Harbor, the management brought in a musician to entertain the afternoon sunbathers and boaters sucking down frozen Herrington Hurricanes.  Her deep alto voice caught my ear immediately, for after hearing one too many ho hum troubadours singing Buffett cover tunes, Dove’s voice was a welcome change.    

            Dove played guitar expertly, backing her music with an electronic beat.   Her rich tone and stage presence showed this wasn’t her first time playing in front of a crowd. Within a few lines, I found myself singing along to the title track to her CD ‘Chesapeake’, though it was the first time I had ever heard the song.  

            Dove’s signature sound reflects her Chesapeake Bay upbringing.  She grew up on the shores of the Patuxent River in Broomes Island, MD.  She loved the waterfront life, fishing and crabbing with her Dad and getting dirty in the river mud like only a child of the Chesapeake can.

            Though other musicians write about the Chesapeake, few capture it in verse like Deanna Dove.  Waterfront life, rivers, the bay and the happy memories of her childhood are the inspiration for her lyrics. 

            “These songs are my base, for nobody can write these songs like me,” says Dove.  “They weren’t there, they didn’t live it.”   Dove lived and breathed the Bay.  Her father worked as a waterman in the summer and Deanna wanted to go out with him every time the boat left the dock.

            “In the evenings, we would go down to Sadie’s, which my Aunt owned at the time and climb aboard the skiff I helped my Dad build,” says Dove recalling the riverfront restaurant that is now known as Stoney’s Crab House.  “Crabs were so plentiful back then we had to make ourselves come in, either that or we would run out of baskets.” 

Dove’s roots rock has earned her the unofficial title of the female Jimmy Buffett of the Bay. Like Buffett, she writes her own music and plays to the regular crowd of her fans, which could be referred to as Dove-heads, dressed in breezy tropical attire, much like Buffett’s parrotheads. 

Her songwriting has been recognized by the music industry, earning an honorable mention in last year’s John Lennon Songwriting contest for the lyrics to her ballad ‘Rivers Flow to the Sea’.  Songs like ‘Back to the Island’ reflect her going home again to Broome’s Island, but to the listener, it could be about any favorite island paradise. 

Though Nashville has come knocking, she resists moving to the home of country music because she loves where she lives. 

            “I like the openness and feel of being right on the Bay,” says Dove.  “I keep saying and I know I probably should move to Nashville for my music, but whenever I am there I get kind of claustrophobic.”   Music and the waterfront have been part of her entire life, for from Dove’s perspective, what would one be without the other?

            Dove started singing as a child.  Every Sunday, she sang in church with her sisters as part of the Dove Sisters Trio.  They sang gospel with Deanna on electric guitar, performed at local fairs and festivals, and played regularly on a local radio station. But as her sister’s interest in music waned, Deanna’s love for music grew with her as she listened to blues artists like Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, and Etta James, always looking for her own sound. 

 Dove spent over a decade working for the government, commuting an hour to Washington, DC and then playing music on weekends. But she always felt her music was more important than any job or relationship.  So two and a half years ago, she came to a decision that it was time to try and make a go at music full time.  Fortunately for her fans, she has been able to make a living performing at area venues. 

            “I had been singing all my life and always wanted to do it,” says Dove about committing to her music as a career.  “So I finally decided it was now or never time, and so I gave myself a time frame, set my goals and now I am doing it all.”  Which includes being her own publicist, booking agent, and public relations marketer.  Though she admits she sometimes get overwhelmed, she doesn’t regret for a moment her decision to be a musician.

            When Dove isn’t playing music at venues throughout the mid-Atlantic, she is writing or producing records with her own production company, Island Girl Records.  When time allows, she teaches vocal and guitar to area students through the music stores.   Much of her time is spent on the road, traveling to gigs.

            Earlier this year, she performed at Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands for a sailing regatta, staying aboard a catamaran.  She has also played at the Taj Mahal and Trump Marina in Atlantic City, NJ.  She is currently planning a regional tour which includes stops in the eastern US and into Texas.  Her ten year plan includes more CD’s, touring, and playing music in outdoor venues.  Her dream is to live aboard a large boat, traveling from port to port, playing music. 

Dove is an avid boater but lately, hasn’t had time to go out on the boat at the family dock on Broome’s Island.  Instead, she takes off in her kayak to get her water fix and a little exercise.  A boating babe with a voice a clear as the sea.  Now that’s our kind of girl!

Deanna Dove’s CD ‘Chesapeake’ is available through her website www.deannadove.com.