Donna Kay

Donna Kay spent her earliest years in front of the television, memorizing every commercial jingle during the Golden Age of TV Advertising. She began formal music studies at age 8, and has been playing something-or-other ever since. From piano, she moved to voice studies, picked up the bass in a post-punk grunge band, made beautiful sounds for Atlanta's Liar's Club, and played keyboards and sang back up for the Americana band Wonderful Johnson in a paradise called Naples, Florida.

In 2008, Donna Kay moved to Greenville, SC, where she met jazz bassist Shannon Hoover, who mentored her and helped her become a reputable jazz singer. Her collaboration with jazz and experimental percussionist Daniel Zongrone led her to an artist in residence in Berlin, Germany, in the summer of 2014. The duet, called Vibe Vox, performed stripped-down versions of their electronic soundscapes in Berlin and Prague. Not wanting to go back to The Great American Songbook, whose pages by this time had begun to fray, Donna Kay decided to start a Gypsy Jazz/Western Swing/Boogie Blues band. Kay called her new band The Carousers. Kay enlisted the musical direction of Monty Craig, who was then an adjunct Professor of Guitar Studies at Clemson University. Monty enlisted the original line-up and played with The Carousers for seven years. The band boasted some of the best players in the region, including German native Hans Wolff on violin, Robert Nance on upright bass, Kevin Korschgen on percussion, Reed Miller on guitar, Jorge Garcia and Adam Knight on guitar and even Mark Rapp on trumpet. The band recorded a CD (Possessed), and EP (Devil Water) and two singles. (Across the Alley From the Alamo and the original tune, Free and Easy (Monty Craig).

Donna Kay also sang with the 17-piece big band Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble for four years (2014 - 2018). She has participated as a guest judge for local talent competitions, hosted of open mic nights, and wrote a monthly column featuring the women in Greenville's music scene for the digital pages of Fete Magazine (Greenville, SC).

"I'm ALWAYS looking for an opportunity sing, and if I cannot find one, a chance to promote live music and jazz - any chance I get," Kay said.

She now resides in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kay hosted/performed in the local 2022 jazz series "6th St. Sessions" (Academy Center) before forming a new combo (BellaDonna) and playing with the local and regional talent presenting composer-based jazz sets.

Tags