“When no one was calling me to present or perform, I called myself.”  That’s how self-starter Debórah Benton describes her rise on the Television Screen as a TV Talk Show Host, and on the Live Stage as a headlining Tribute Artist to the music of Dionne Warwick.

 Since 2005, Youngstown, OH native Debórah Benton has garnered and endeared fans around the world for her most recognized entertainment media platform,  Valley Gold with Debórah,  the self-produced and Hosted TV Talk Show that features (tagline) “The Stars, the Stories, & the Performances”  – broadcasted from the former steel city [Youngstown] and infamously mafia-riddled Mahoning Valley region.  Ah! but Debórah focused on the Gold, the great value she saw in people. When unable to convince any TV station to buy into the concept, Debórah bet on her own skills and ideas to produce the landmark TV show, Valley Gold with Debórah, a bet that continues to pay off in popularity today.

 Fall of 2004, Valley Gold with Debórah half-hour weekly TV show productions began in the Bentons’ then 12’ x 17’ living room on the north side of Youngstown, OH. The following year, her studio was relocated to a commercial space in which Debórah’s husband, LaMarr, employed his engineering genius and artistic talent to create a Bona fide Television Production studio for his wife, replete with house band and studio audience accommodations – the first to ever be created in the Mahoning Valley.  Debórah contracted with Youngstown Television’s CBS affiliate, WKBN-TV for Monday nights at 1:37 AM and so began her foray into the spotlight as Executive Producer-Host of what would become a history-making, star-studded and very popular show – seen regionally on broadcast and Cable TV, nationally and 14 European countries via satellite, and globally via the Internet.

 Musically, Debórah began singing in the church choir at an early age, as did many African American entertainers. She was introduced to Dionne Warwick’s music when she was just 8 years old, and though she went on to sing with gospel choirs, and various R&B bands, her affinity for Dionne’s voice and Bacharach-David arrangements were a growing part of her private repertoire. As Debórah grew into adulthood, the music seemed to fall away and was replaced by the relentless demands of her work as a free-lancer in media, and later, marriage and family.

 After years of producing behind the camera for clients and appearing on camera as a Talk Show host, in Sept., 2019 her secret passion was brought to light when Debórah was encouraged to take the stage to do the thing she loved most – sing;  featuring the music she loved best – that of Dionne Warwick.   Her rise in demand was not swift, but rather, a long and circuitous route.  Fully armed with the will of God in her life,  and the support of her family- all while maintaining her weekly presence on Television, Debórah answered the call to ‘self ‘ to emerge as a singer, and more specifically, as the world’s only Dionne Warwick Tribute singer.

 Creating a fitting tribute show to the iconic Ms. Warwick, who is the 2nd most charted female vocalist in history was a monumental task. From paring down a comprehensive repertoire to a 90-minute show that would include many of Ms. Warwick’s major hits, to selecting just the right musicians who had the skills to play Burt Bacharach arrangements, and even the right wardrobe were all components that required much trial and error, as well as significant investments.  Months led to years of private practice and preparation in nearly every area of Debórah’s life.

 May, 2024 at the DeYor Performing Arts Center was the debut performance of  Déjà Vu The Dionne Warwick Tribute  by the first Warwick Tribute artist anywhere.  It proved to be just the beginning of many gloriously successful nights since. From it came collaborations with world renown artists, recording projects, a radio broadcast and podcast, more concert dates and an ever-growing fanbase.

 Today Debórah continues to produce intriguing content for millions of fans of Valley Gold with Debórah TV show. She’s happy to also have the live stage as a platform of musical expression, thrilling her audiences with renditions from the voluminous song catalog of Ms. Warwick through Déjà Vu The Dionne Warwick Tribute.