Donna Beasley
East Tennessee. More than just a convenient geographic description, in musical terms it means lonesome, spooky, mountain melodies and lyrics. Donna Beasley continues the tradition of real, honest rural music. With a voice that goes from a whisper to a wail, she injects her music with the soul of the mountains, the joy of their beauty, and the pain of their isolation.
Donna's parents hailed from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Shortly after marrying, they moved to the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where she was born and raised, Sevierville, Tennessee. From a young age Donna was exposed to a wide range of musical styles. Her mother came from a family of guitar pickers and fiddlers who favored Bluegrass and Country music. Her father's tastes ran purely Country while her older brothers introduced her to Rock & Roll and R & B.
In her teens, Donna gained notoriety singing in local churches and tent revivals. The biblical themes from her Fundamental Baptist background are evident in her songs. Later, she took a musical hiatus to obtain a Master of Arts degree in Psychology and spent two years working with AIDS patients.
Donna met her future producer/husband after traveling to Nashville to record demos for "Rise Above" and "No Yesterday", both featured on her first full-length record, "Good Samaritan". Donna's songs "Rise Above" and "Cotton" have been featured on compilation CDs of East Tennessee songwriters, "Songbird Cafe:Volumes 1 and 3".
Since moving to Nashville in 2004, Donna has gained praise from notable Nashville musicians and artists for her unique voice and songwriting. Expect to see Donna out in full support of her debut recording "Good Samaritan".Your musical influences
Allison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Pat Benatar, Linda Ronstadt, Eva Cassidy, Appalachian Folk Music, Julie Miller, Joni Mitchell, Crash Test Dummies, Sarah McLachlan, Neko CaseWhat equipment do you use?
Taylor 410 with a Fishman Natural Matrix pickupAdmin
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@Tom Spaulding
