BRANSON ON THE ROAD

Debbie Horton
~ Biography ~

Debbie Horton, co-host of Branson On The Road^®, was born in Newport News, Virginia to Johnny and Maggie Burr. Debbie has one younger sister, Vickie. Johnny owned several barber shops in the tidewater area and Maggie was a stay at home mom. In later years, Johnny became an ordained Southern Baptist minister and pastored several churches in Virginia.

It was evident early on that Debbie had an interest in show business. Her dad played an old Kay guitar and would entertain the family after a long day at work. The songs of Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Jim Reeves and Buck Owens were some of his favorites. Debbie would always beg him to sing just one more song. When Debbie was around 5 years old her parents bought a piano and arranged for her to take lessons. This was the first formal training she received. Although Debbie learned the fundamentals of piano, it was her sister, Vickie that took to the piano naturally and stayed with the instrument.

In the summer of 1969 Debbie saw a gentleman on television that was to have a profound influence on her life. “The Johnny Cash Show” debuted on ABC-TV and the music and unique Cash sound literally demanded her attention as a young child. She asked her dad to show her a few chords on his old Kay guitar and she began to try to learn to play. In a short time she mastered three basic chords and began putting together songs. Debbie’s biggest musical influences were Johnny Cash, Luther Perkins and Mother Maybelle Carter & The Carter Sisters (from Virginia as well). Her style of playing was a combination of them all.

Debbie and Vickie began singing together and it wasn’t long before they worked the courage up to perform in front of people. The family had started attending the New Light Baptist Church in Newport News, Virginia on a regular basis and the pastor invited the girls to sing in church one Sunday morning. Debbie had received a Yamaha guitar for Christmas that year and that Sunday morning “The Burr Sisters” sang “The Old Account” and “No Hiding Place Down Here” for the congregation - their first public appearance. Debbie's knees were literally shaking as they played. Debbie was 11 and Vickie was 9 years old. After the songs, the congregation applauded the girls and they became a regular part of the Sunday services learning new songs every week.

The Burr Sisters performed for church singings, gospel revivals and private family gatherings wherever they could. For Debbie’s 14th birthday her parents bought her a Martin D-18 guitar. This was a very expensive gift for the family to purchase. The Martin guitar had a much better sound and Debbie’s playing improved as she played that guitar. People would comment they couldn’t believe she could get as much music as she did out of that guitar. A small country music venue in Mathews, Virginia called The Donk’s Theatre was their first exposure to a country music audience. Debbie’s mom made her and Vickie matching outfits with sequins and fringe to wear for their performances at the Donk’s Theatre.

Debbie was named the Virginia Representative of the Johnny & June Cash International Fan Club and whenever The Johnny Cash Show was within a few hundred miles of their home in Virginia, they would go see them. Over the years, Debbie went to many, many Cash concerts and had gotten to know them personally. When she graduated high school, she was invited to have lunch with the Cash’s at their home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Debbie also holds the distinction of being the only woman to have ever played lead guitar for Johnny Cash. During a concert near Baltimore, Maryland Johnny Cash invited Debbie to play lead guitar for him on stage. Debbie was 19 years old and Cash arranged for her to receive a recording of the entire performance. (There is more about Debbie and her relationship with Johnny Cash on the JOHNNY CASH page on this site.)

Debbie attended a private school, Central Baptist High School, in Hampton, Virginia and shortly after graduation, the family moved to the Eastern Shore of Virginia where her dad was pastor of the Cape Charles Baptist Church. Debbie's hearts desire was to work in country music in some capacity, but she didn’t know where to begin. She came to find out it would be no closer than her radio dial.

WCMS AM-FM in Norfolk, Virginia was the powerhouse country music radio station serving Delaware to the Carolina’s. It was the #1 radio station in the area. One morning they were running a contest called, “DJ for a Day”, where listeners were encouraged to call in to introduce a song, etc. Debbie called in and won the contest which was your own radio show for an hour. When she entered the WCMS broadcast booth, it was her first time in a radio station. The engineer took care of all the technical aspects, but Debbie’s announcing won over the listeners so much that the phones rang off the hook. The next day, the station owners offered her a job and Debbie was the 6:00pm to midnight DJ for about 2 years. During her tenure at WCMS Debbie MC concerts for Kenny Rogers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Hank Williams, Jr. and interviewed Buck Owens and actor Dennis Weaver. She was the first female radio announcer at WCMS and in the tidewater (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg) area. Debbie still holds a 3rd Class FCC License.

A marriage and a move to Pennsylvania put all of the music aspirations on hold. Debbie worked for several major corporations including Nabisco, Ernst & Young, and ten years with Unisys Corporation Headquarters located on the outskirts of Philadelphia. She was involved with sales, marketing, promotion, multi-million dollar budget planning and acting as the right hand person for a Vice President. She was living in a major metropolian area now and attended college at night focusing on a degree in Business Administration. During this time she traveled quite a bit visiting Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and several trips to Alaska. Her positions with these companies exposed her to the upper echelons of corporate America and what she gained in a business education proved to be invaluable.

Debbie is a graduate of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People and participated in a series of seminars focusing on Tom Peter's famous, "In Search of Excellence".

As a results of a position relocation, Unisys moved Debbie from Philadelphia to Austin, Texas in the mid-90’s and it was in Texas that the opportunity to pursue a musical career presented itself one again. Throughout Texas there were many Grand Ole Opry style theatres and Debbie auditioned and became a part of that scene. She traveled all over the state playing the “Opry Circuit” and was named Entertainer of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year numerous times at many of these venues. She recorded her first album of songs she had written and received airplay throughout Texas. Her song "Before the Last Teardrop Dries" received the most airplay and got the attention of legendary Tulsa, Oklahoma DJ, Larry Scott at KVOO who said it was one of the best country songs he'd ever heard (in later years this song was recorded by Grand Ole Opry star, Norma Jean). Debbie also performed in Nashville at the famous Nashville Palace and toured in Texas with the gospel quartet, The Florida Boys and the beloved country comedian, Jerry Clower.

While playing, writing songs, and singing as much as she could, Debbie was still working for Unisys. Although this filled many of the desires she had for music, it still lacked the total commitment she wanted to make. The only way to do that was to make a move to take her career goals to another level. Abiding by the old addage, "It not what you do that you regret when you get older but what you didn't do"...Debbie, after careful consideration and a lot of prayer, left Unisys and moved to the live music capital of the world, Branson, Missouri.

Debbie remarried and came to Branson with a singer she met while working the Opry’s in Texas. She hosted her own show at the old BoxCar Willie Theatre in Branson replacing the slot held by Ferlin Husky, who had retired. Debbie was a guest on many shows in Branson and appeared at the Jim Stafford Theatre, Moe Bandy Theatre, The Grand Country Music Hall, The Little Opry Theatre at the IMAX, Shepherd of the Hills, and performed at Branson Fest for several years (just to name a few). She worked with the Korean War Veterans groups in Branson performing for them whenever she could. Debbie hosted another show in Cassville, Missouri at the Roaring River Theatre and worked many fairs and road dates stretching from Canada to California to Florida in the midst of her Branson show commitments.

During this time Debbie was invited to appear on the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree in Nashville, Tennessee (which she has several times) and was part of a special Louisiana Hayride Reunion held in the original Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana along with Kitty Wells, Norma Jean, Hank Locklin, Billy Walker, Hank Thompson and many others broadcast live over radio station KWKH in Shreveport as the Louisiana Hayride was many years ago.

Debbie’s group was signed on as mid-week entertainment at the Fairfield Resorts (now Wyndham Resorts) in Branson. Debbie was finally making music her life and her living, but this show ended in 2004 both professionally and personally.

Never to quit, Debbie pressed on. She continued her show at the Wyndham Resorts, now in it's 7th year, and brought on new players and new energy to the show. She continued to write songs and started her own music publishing company through BMI called Mitzi May Music (named after a nickname her dad gave to her sister, Vickie). In 2006 Grand Ole Opry star, “Pretty Miss” Norma Jean and legendary rockabilly queen, Wanda Jackson, both recorded songs "Before the Last Teardrop Dries" and a biographical song titled "Pretty Miss Norma Jean" written by Debbie. Both songs appeared on the album, "The Loneliest Star in Texas" by Norma Jean with special guests, Wanda Jackson and Buck Trent.

Although many opportunities for housed theatre shows continued to present themselves to Debbie in Branson, Debbie developed a new show concept and called it "Branson On The Road^®". Long time friend and fellow musician, Donnie Wright, helped Debbie with the creation of the idea of bringing a Branson show directly to the people who may never have a chance to visit the city. Branson On The Road^® debuted in October 2005 and was a hit from the start and continues to gain momentum. Branson On The Road^® became a registered Trademark in 2006 and the name was approved by the City of Branson, Missouri.

Donnie and Debbie performed in Austria in 2005 being seen by millions on Austrian national television. They appear regularly on the RFD-TV show "Midwest Country" seen in over 130 million homes on the Dish and Direct TV. Debbie acted as host of "Midwest Country" in the summer of 2005.

Branson On The Road^® has been such a blessing for Debbie and Donnie because it enables them to continue to perform in Branson on a regular basis and also to travel with their show; the best of both worlds. Branson On The Road^® plays predominantly in historic theaters throughout America and donates a portion of each ticket sales back to restoration and preservations of the arts in those communities.

In July 2007 Debbie was invited by Bill Miller to be interviewed on the second broadcast of the new Johnny Cash Radio (www.JohnnyCash.com Radio - also available on iTunes) and her performance with Johnny Cash was aired for the first time. This has resulted in a onslaught of mail and interview requests from all over the world regarding her association with Johnny Cash. It was truly an honor to be a part of this show and to share that special performance.

Donnie and Debbie were married in November 2006 and share a home and a small farm in the Branson area. They continue to perform in Branson and travel throughout the country with Branson On The Road^®. Debbie and her sister, Vickie, still sing together every chance they get. Vickie obtained a Masters of Divinty Degree, was ordained, and pastors the Hanover United Methodist church in Indiana. She and her husband have two girls. Debbie's dad passed away in 1997 and her mother lives in Indiana near Vickie.

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