Highland Beach resident and recording artist Deborah Silver at home with her Morkie, Sugar. Silver attended the 2026 Grammy Awards as a nominee for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for her collaborative Basie Rocks! Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Recording artist Deborah Silver of Highland Beach hit a recent high note, walking the red carpet at the 2026 Grammy Awards as a nominee for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Basie Rocks! — her collaboration with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. The album was announced as a nominee in November 2025.
Music has always been a part of her life, she said. “My dad was a businessman, and he also had his own band where he played the saxophone. My mother [an opera singer] is a soprano and has a beautiful voice.”
Her parents, Robert and Sondy Berman, started Deborah and her two sisters, Marjie Berman Block and Sheri Berman Spector, in music lessons from when they were little, and her mother taught them operas. “We were the only children probably in this entire state of Mississippi that when we went to an opera, we could follow it in another language and knew the story.”
Silver’s children are also involved in the arts. Her son, Spencer, 28, sings and plays many instruments, while her daughter, Madison, 27, is a painter and graphic artist.
Her husband, Larry, on the other hand, “can’t sing a note,” she said. “But he is the one who usually gives me most of my ideas about the songs that I put in my performances and on my albums.”
In her early music and entertainment career, Silver won the title of Miss St. Louis in the Miss America Pageant when she was a senior in college and, after graduating, she performed at venues in St. Louis and California.
After the birth of her second child, she suffered an illness that left her in a wheelchair for a year, and upon recovery, she devoted herself to raising her children, eventually transitioning back to music.
“When my kids got old enough to start calling me from their bedrooms on their cellphones, I said, ‘Mommy’s going back to work,’” she said.
Since then, she’s recorded the album Pure Silver to raise money for the cure for ALS, the disease her sister Marjie has. Then she went on to make The Gold Standards, Glitter and Grits, Asleep at the Wheel and an EP, Sunny Side.
About Basie Rocks!, she said: “We took rock ’n’ roll songs and reimagined them with the big band. It was produced by Steve Jordan, the drummer for the Rolling Stones. Even Peter Frampton played on it. Peter heard my version of Baby, I Love Your Way and called me up and told me that he wanted to play on it and he played the most beautiful guitar solo I’ve ever heard.”
Also, the album includes Fly Like an Eagle with guitarist Bill Frisell and Joy to the World, with Silver and Trombone Shorty singing. Other artists taking part included trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and Latin percussionist Pedrito Martinez.
“We all poured our hearts and souls into it. It took us four years to record it,” she said.
“The Grammys was such an incredible experience,” she added. “I was welcomed and treated like part of the family. I am very fortunate to have received a seat at their table.”
What’s next for Deborah Silver? “Let’s just say that I still have quite a few surprises up my sleeve,” she said. “I am forever pushing creative boundaries. I’ve never been comfortable inside the box. I don’t follow lanes. I build them. And tradition inspires me, but it doesn’t confine me.”
— Christine Davis
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and was raised with strong Southern values — kindness, hard work, faith and community. Being surrounded by genuine people shaped who I am. My early schooling was in Jackson, and I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, working hard for my perfect straight-A grades. My upbringing gave me resilience and heart. It taught me to appreciate where I come from, stay grounded no matter how far I travel, and always use my voice — not just to sing, but to uplift others. Those roots still guide everything I do.
Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A. I’ve worn many hats over the years — performer, spokesperson, actor, recording artist, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. My journey in entertainment spans decades, from early performance work to returning to music later in life with renewed purpose. Following life-changing complications from a pregnancy that left me unable to walk, my career was put on hold. Professionally, I’m most proud of staying the course — rebuilding my career after taking time off to raise my family and ultimately earning a Grammy nomination with my latest album, Basie Rocks! My return to music is living proof that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
My greatest purpose in music is helping others. Giving back is at the heart of everything I do, supporting various causes from helping cure neurological diseases to having a portion of the proceeds from Basie Rocks! go to the Jazz Foundation of America. I strongly believe those recognized in our industry have a responsibility to give back. Awards are special, but being able to help others is most meaningful to me.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A. Follow what lights you up — but pair passion with perseverance. Careers aren’t always straight lines, and success rarely happens overnight. Be willing to work hard and keep learning. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, but most importantly trust your own instincts. Don’t be afraid to take risks and don’t ever let anyone discourage you. Choose something that allows you to make a difference in this world, because fulfillment comes not just from what you achieve, but from how you help others along the way.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Highland Beach?
A. I love the beach and always wanted to live by the ocean. In my previous neighborhood, while walking my two dogs, we were suddenly surrounded by several large, ferocious dogs. I had to pull both of my dogs out of the other dogs’ mouths. I never wanted to go through that again. I came up with the idea I need to be at the beach. If I walk my dogs on the sand and see another dog running toward us, I could jump into the water with my dogs.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Highland Beach?
A. The ocean gives me peace, perspective and creative inspiration. I love it outside every second of the day!
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. This may sound funny, but everyone who knows me knows I rarely take time to truly relax — I try to put every waking moment to good use and purpose. When I do have downtime, I usually let others choose the music, especially my husband, who has a wonderfully eclectic taste, from the Great American Songbook to country. But when I’m alone, many times I don’t listen to music at all. Since music is such a big part of my daily life and work, I sometimes need quiet — it helps me focus on what I am working on so I can give my best to everything I do.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. My daddy taught us many wonderful quotes growing up, but my favorite is one from Winston Churchill that echoes through our entire family as we continue to fight for a cure for my sister’s ALS: “Never, never, never give up.” It’s become our family mantra and keeps us hopeful no matter how hard the journey.
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. My greatest mentors and supporters are my family including my parents, my two sisters, my husband and my children who have always stood with me, offering honest opinions, which I truly value and trust.
Professionally, my mentors include the legendary arranger Charlie Calello, and my beloved friend and “stage mom,” Florida’s first lady of musical theater, the incomparable, late Jan McArt. Jan was the one who brought me back to the stage after a long time away from my career, and I will always be grateful for her belief in me.
Q. What’s your favorite cause and why?
A. I work diligently to support many causes, but ALS and neurological disease are especially personal to me. My sister was diagnosed 18 years ago, and walking alongside her through that journey changed me forever. It opened my eyes to how important research, awareness and compassionate care truly are. I’m also passionate about supporting fellow musicians through the Jazz Foundation of America. Giving back is at the heart of everything I do; using my concerts and recordings to help others is the most important part of my music.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. That’s a tough one, but I’d probably say Reese Witherspoon or Sandra Bullock. They both have strength, heart, and that perfect blend of grit and grace. I think they’d understand the resilience and the feeling of chasing dreams later in life — and hopefully they’d let me do the singing parts myself!
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