Rebecca Downes Biography

Birmingham-based Rebecca is a fully independent artist creating original blues/rock music with her co-songwriter Steve Birkett and releasing it on her own label Mad Hat Records. She usually plays live within a 5-piece band, performing tracks mainly from her studio albums Believe (2016), More Sinner Than Saint (2019) and The Space Between Us (2022) along with new material and one or two classic covers.

Wolverhampton-born Rebecca’s current music began when she linked up with co-songwriter Steve to write blues-infused material to create their excellent first album, Back To The Start (2013) followed by Believe and the live album BeLive (2017). Rebecca was voted Female Vocalist and Emerging Artist of the Year at the British Blues Awards 2016 and Female Blues Vocalist of the Year in the FORM UK Blues Awards 2018.

More Sinner Than Saint (2019) contains material honed with advice from producer Chris Kimsey, famous for working with the Rolling Stones and Peter Frampton, and the tracks were mixed by California-based producer Bill Drescher and Thunder’s bassist Chris Childs. The album received considerable critical acclaim and the second single – Hurts – was playlisted by Planet Rock Radio UK.

In April 2021 Rebecca released Stripped Back, an album created under lockdown conditions, and containing ten tracks from Believe and More Sinner Than Saint each reimagined and re-presented in a laid-back style, together with two previously unreleased tracks.

In November 2022, Rebecca released The Space Between Us, ten new songs and one cover in a collection of raw, passionate, multi-hued tracks with a very live feel that allows Rebecca to deliver her at times very personal lyrics with vocal conviction. The album was produced by Steve Birkett and mixed and mastered by Gavin Monaghan.

Steve and Rebecca are working on new material for release later this year.