By 1971 she was a regular performer on the venerable Old Dominion Barn Dance in Richmond, opening shows for Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty and Barbara Mandrell among others, and in 1976 and 1977 Donna was chosen as Virginia's Female Vocalist of the Year.

After performing in nightclubs around the country for many years, Donna moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a singer and songwriter. Headlining at the World Famous Stockyard Restaurant and Bullpen Lounge for several years and appearing with Boots Randolph's Show in Printer's Alley, Donna shared her stage with numerous celebrities such as Burt Reynolds, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben Vereen and Vicky Lawrence.

In 1987 she landed a record deal with Mercury/Polygram Records, and after releasing a critically acclaimed album and several songs on the Billboard Magazine charts, she was nominated by the Academy of Country Music for New Female Vocalist of the Year. In 1989 Donna was honored by her home state by being inducted into Virginia's Country Music Hall of Fame.

In recent years Donna has displayed her talents by writing and performing songs for television commercials, including several for Nashville tourism, Richmond tourism and the Christian Children's Fund. In 1996 she and her husband Jimmy teamed up to write "Virginia", a song about their beloved Commonwealth that they hope will become Virginia's next state anthem. They also collaborated on Jimmy's highly acclaimed autobiography "Thirty Years of Sausage, Fifty Years of Ham", which was released in October of 2004.

Besides writing and recording songs in her home studio, Donna enjoys her miniature poodles Tara and Pepper, traveling, fitness walking , fishing and boating.

back