DONNA KAY: "SWINGING WITH THE SWINGOUTS"

The Swingouts, vocalist Donna Kay with instrumentalists Haywood Giles on tenor saxophone, Lilianna Yates on bass, and Gary Meisner on piano will perform familiar danceable tunes from the Swing Era of jazz and a little beyond.

Donna Kay was born in Lynchburg and attended Amherst County Schools, 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 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. There she became part of the duet, Vibe Vox, performing stripped-down versions of their electronic soundscapes in Berlin and Prague.

Later on Donna decided to start a Gypsy Jazz/Western Swing/Boogie Blues band she called The Carousers. She enlisted the musical direction of Monty Craig, who was then an adjunct Professor of Guitar Studies at Clemson University. The band spent seven years playing all over South Carolina. They 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 moved back to Lynchburg in 2021. She met Laurabella Owens, who agreed to accompany her.Together they formed the duo BellaDonna and enjoyed playing with local and regional talent presenting composer-based jazz sets.

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