Justine Johns was actually a stage name for Deborah Williams (it was the 80s and you needed a name with a bit of pizzaz; even I had a name--as a disc jockey--that had that uniquely 80s flair...nope, not sayin'). Deborah could have taken her experience in a number of different ways. She could have been encouraged or discouraged, clung to her 80s persona or given up on the music biz entirely. Instead, she went to work. She studied the craft in all of its many facets in all of the cities where talent congregates.... L.A., New York, Nashville, etc. She worked musical theater, did voice-overs for commercials and took character roles in assorted television shows. She sang at corporate conventions and weddings. She played the nightclubs of New York and the casinos of Las Vegas. In more recent times, she's taught others, passing on the decades of knowledge she's accumulated.
One thing Deborah does not seem to have done in all that time is record another album...until last year. In November 2016, Deborah (as Debbie Williams) released a Christmas album. "When Christmas Was Christmas" escaped our attention, here, as the hard copy was available only from the artist and label. Not sure when the digital version reached Amazon, but we missed that, too. A lot of life is about second chances. "When Christmas Was Christmas" is Deborah's second chance at a recording career and, as the CD finally reaches Amazon on July 7, this is our second chance to tell you about it.
Can't believe I'm still listening to Christmas music. Something is very very wrong with me.