Dr. Deborah C. Hodge is a retired music educator, with of over twenty-five years of experience teaching instrumental and vocal music, and is a native of Lexington, Kentucky. She attended Kentucky State University and was an education major with an emphasis on the clarinet.

Dr. Hodge was also a dedicated member of the phenomenal Kentucky State University Marching Thorobreds, playing baritone horn and serving as a vocalist for the marching band.

Dr. Hodge’s mother was, if not the first, one of the first female sousaphone players in the KSU Marching Band, in the 1950’s. Dr. Hodge would go on to become President of the KSU Marching Band. While attending Kentucky State University she also became a member of the Beta Zeta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Dr. Deborah Hodge began her teaching career in the Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, Kentucky, teaching junior high school chorus and orchestra, and later elementary and high school chorus. After five years of teaching she decided to relocate to New York to pursue a performance career as a vocalist and writer.

While striving by night to achieve her quest for a recording contract, Deborah worked in pharmaceutical during the day as a machine operator and later as a supervisor. She supervised the packaging of vitamins, creams and ointments, liquids, as well as anti-carcinogenic medications such as methotrexate, for packaging and exporting nationally and internationally.

While continuing her regular work schedule Deborah Hodge performed in venues in New York City such as: The elegant “Sweetwater’s Supper Club,” the world renowned “Village Gate,” jam sessions at “The Blue Note,” was the first vocalist to perform at Harlem’s “Londel’s” restaurant, Harlem’s “Sylvia’s” and “Sylvia’s Also.” Dr. Hodge also had the extraordinary privilege of recording with the famous Mr. John Taylor and the Ad Libs, who wrote and recorded “The Boy From New York City.”

While weaving between her 9 to 5 job, gigs in the city, writing and submitting material to labels, Deborah always had her own group to perform in local venues in the Rockland County, New York, a Manhattan suburb, while continuing to work with other R and B groups. Dr. Hodge would finally decide to quit her exhausting 9 to 5 pharmaceutical job after ten years and pursue music full time.

Some months later she was offered an opportunity to perform in Tokyo, Japan, which she took. There she was performing six days a week and enjoyed it. While in Japan Dr. Hodge learned quickly that the Japanese people embraced Soul and R and B music with a much higher regard and level of respect, than she had anticipated. To this day, she states she never heard a Japanese tune in her three month stay in Japan. Deborah says on Sundays even Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants piped in Gospel Music.

While leaving Japan to return to the United States, Dr. Hodge experienced just how small the world truly is. As she was loading her belongings in the overhead compartment of the airplane, she heard someone say “Deborah.” She froze, never looking around, and continued loading.

Someone again said, “Deborah.” Reluctantly, almost fearfully, she cautiously turned around. Sure enough, she knew the voice and the face. It was a drummer by the name of Yonrico Vandez Scott, whom she had attended Kentucky State University with, had sung with in Atlanta many years prior, and had not seen in over twenty years. He had been in Japan gigging with the famous group, “The Three Degrees.” Sadly, Yonrico passed in 2020, in Atlanta Ga.

Dr. Deborah C. Hodge never obtained the recording contract she had worked very long and hard for. But she continues to write, record and sing, because it is what she loves to do.

Deborah has met many great artists in her travels and has no regrets. Dr. Hodge created he own television show in the suburbs, to highlight the arts, which aired for five years. She served as the writer, host, producer, videographer, and editor. In 2000 she was the featured entertainer for the Miss Kentucky Pageant and in 2015 was asked to return as a judge.

In 2020 Dr. Hodge officially established her own nonprofit Arts Initiative Corporation, “Artistic Hands Shaping A New Society” (AHSANS), which was launched to make true artistry more tangible in young people’s lives, while helping to mitigate gun violence in communities, through the arts. Expect to hear more about AHSANS in the future.

However, you can find Dr. Deborah C. Hodge’s latest recording on most music platforms, including You Tube, under her name with the song and video to “If Your Heart Has Been Broken.” She hopes to receive enough airplay in hopes of a young artist re-recording it, so listen and feel free to share. She also demonstrates her love for music not only as a vocalist, but continues to play the guitar, baritone horn, and soprano saxophone.

Dr. Deborah C. Hodge currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky; however, she resided in New York for over twenty-five years and still considers New York home. She maintains her membership at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, in Harlem.

For more information you can reach Dr. Hodge @:

eborahdampp@gmail.com- Music industry related information

Ahsansforall@gmail.com- Nonprofit corporation related information

eborahda@gmail.com- General information