Deborah Allen - Career Peak: 1980s

Career Peak: 1980s

In 1980, Allen signed with Capitol Records. Her debut album for the label was 1980's Trouble in Paradise. The album produced her initial solo hits "Nobody's Fool" and "You Make Me Wonder Why," the latter became Allen's highest charting single from the album, peaking at No. 20. Subsequent chart singles included "You Look Like the One I Love" (a song she had co-written) and "After Tonight," co-written by Troy Seals. At the same time, Deborah had written a song called "Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby" with Bruce Channel and Keiran Kane. Although she pleaded with her record label, Capitol, to let her record it and release it as a single, they refused. With the encouragement of music publisher Don Gant, Janie Fricke's producer, Jim Ed Norman, heard "Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby" and recorded it with Fricke. The single became Deborah's first No. 1 single on the Billboard charts as a songwriter, affirming Allen's belief that songwriting was the way to create a successful future for herself.

In 1983, Deborah moved to RCA Records, where she achieved her greatest success, releasing the album Cheat the Night. The first single from the album became Allen's signature song, "Baby I Lied," which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard country chart and crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 26 in January 1984. The song also climbed into the Top 10 of the Adult Contemporary charts. Allen followed the crossover hit with the country single "I've Been Wrong Before," which went to No. 1 on the Cashbox country chart in the spring of 1984. Later that year, "I Hurt For You," also from Allen's breakthrough album, became a Top 10 country hit. In 1984, she recorded "Let Me Be the First," the first album to be digitally recorded in—and released from—Nashville. In 1984, Allen made the charts once again with "Heartache and a Half" (written by Allen with Rafe VanHoy and legendary Muscle Shoals songwriter Eddie Struzick).

In 1987, encouraged by her label, RCA, to explore and expand her musical horizons, Allen released a single penned by Prince (musician), under the alias Joey Coco, called "Telepathy." An album of the same name was also released. In 1987, Allen released her last single for RCA, "You're the Kind of Trouble."