Grammy Award Winner's Wife Plays Dual Roles

“I was in the dormitory when she came in/ She caught my eye in the middle of a story/ I stopped and stared as she walked by.”

These are lyrics from the song “That’s Where You Come From” by local guy and beloved national storyteller Bill Harley. The “she” that Harley is referring to is his wife and manager, Debbie Block.

Block is not the proverbial “woman behind the man,” but rather the “woman next to the man.” She’s managed the Grammy Award winner's career and record label, Round River Productions, for decades. With two grown children and on the verge of the 29th record release, the two clearly have an enduring working partnership, both personally and professionally.

If it weren’t for a phone call out of the blue, this might not have been the case. Several years after graduating from college the two were living in Providence and working at the Learning Connection, a non-profit adult education center that Harley had co-founded. When Block gave birth to their first child, she planned on taking six months off then returning to work. But, Block says when the time came she wasn’t interested.

“We had to do something. Bill was away at a conference and a phone call came in from a principal at some school on the Cape. He wanted to book Bill. I had no idea what Bill was charging so I made something up and booked it. He came home and said ‘How much did you ask for? And he said yes??” recalls Block.

Growing Harley’s fan base and multi-platform career happened organically, says Block. They began locally and grew to a wider regional audience then a national one. What started out as the career of a folk singer became so much more – a musician that appeals to children and adults, a spoken word storyteller, an NPR commentator, and a prolific author to boot.

“It’s a lot of balancing,” says Block. “Bill’s always writing on multiple levels. He’ll say ‘I need to please all my audience members.’"

Currently they’re working with Peachtree Publishing on a new picture book, finishing up a limited edition CD, gearing up for fall tour dates and readying the February launch of a “High Dive,” Harley’s latest CD.

Working from a cozy, art-filled home office with Office Manager Michele Eaton and Harpo the dog, Block says there is no such thing as a typical day. Her to-do list on Friday morning included talking to a variety of people around the country about bookings, speaking with a licensing director at Sirius FM, looking at illustrations that accompany Harley’s latest children’s book, and sending a demo video to a car company that may want to use Harley in an ad.

Not everyone could spend decade after decade working for and with their spouse, but the two seem to have gotten it down pat.

“There were times we’d get into bed and it would be ‘Is this my wife or my manager?’ We’ve learned over the years how to be respectful of the boundaries,” Block says. “One thing that’s been helpful is mini retreats where we’ll talk about things in our lives that we really love and are working. I do think one of the reasons we’ve been as happy as we’ve been is that our lives are joined and connected, but we also have time where he’s out in the world doing his thing and I’m here managing the business. I also have a life that’s not Bill Harley."