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What is the Blues?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyBXAKUsw30
Influences:
Son House
Johnny Winter
Robert Nighthawk
Muddy Waters
Robert Johnson
Lucinda Williams
Furry Lewis
Tampa Red
Bob Brozman
Memphis Minnie
Bonnie Raitt
John Hammond
BB King
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Fred McDowell
Ma Rainey
Bessie Smith
Etta Baker
Sippie Wallace
Big Bill Broonzy
Neal Schon
Eric Clapton
Harvey Reid
Roy Rogers Slide Player
Donna Herula is a Chicago-born singer and acoustic and electric blues slide guitarist that has a passion for playing traditional Hill Country, Delta Blues and Chicago Blues in addition to contemporary and original blues. Her sound combines her love for music of the Deep South and Chicago with her love of blues guitar improvisation.
Acoustic Guitar Magazine named Donna one of the “top 10 up and coming resonator guitar players” and featured her in an article, “Down and Dirty: 10 contemporary resonator players talk about their love for that nasty sound.” In October 2016, Donna was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
Donna is a regular performer at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago and has opened for Buddy Guy multiple times. She is also a teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago where she teaches Acoustic Slide Guitar, Electric Slide Guitar and Blues Fingerstyle group and individual lessons.
Donna was the headliner of the 2014 Durban International Blues Festival in South Africa and has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival three times and King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas twice, including solo tributes to Robert Nighthawk, Sister Rosetta Tharp and Johnny Shines. She was also the co-winner of the 2010 and 2011 Chicago Blues Challenge, solo-duo category.
Donna has provided numerous educational blues programs at libraries and has also performed at many music festivals, art festivals and concert series. She plays as a soloist, in a duet or band depending on the venue. Donna has been inspired by blues singers, guitarists and songwriters, including Son House, Johnny Winter, Lucinda Williams, Bessie Smith and Rory Block.
What’s New?
New Video:
Donna and Harlan Terson play Can’t Be Satisfied at the Old Town School of Folk Music - Music Store - Different Strummer - on October 22, 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N1OFmRA9gs
Donna and Marcus Cartwright Live on King Biscuit Time - KFFA Radio at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas on April 12, 2019. https://youtu.be/FASe_GbHGJk
I Can Tell
Donna and Suzie Vinnick at the FARM Folk Conference in Grand Rapids, MI on October 26, 2018.
Can’t Be Satisfied
Donna, Kenny Smith and Melvin Smith play Can’t Be Satisfied at the Windy City Blues Festival on September 22, 2018.
Richland Women Blues
Donna and Chris Walz perform at the Woodstock Folk Fest
July 15, 2018
Give Me Back My Wig
Donna and the Chicago Women in the Blues
https://streamable.com/ii3jc
Blues Blast Magazine
Donna was one of the three artists featured in the Chicago Blues Guitar Women article that Blues Blast Magazine published on April 5, 2018. Click here to read the article.
Acoustic Guitar Magazine
Acoustic Guitar Magazine included Donna in their May 2016 issue of the top 10 “up and coming resonator players" in the story “Down and Dirty: 10 contemporary resonator players talk about their love for that nasty sound,” by Mark Kemp. Click here to read the article.
Teaching
Donna is teaching an 8-week Acoustic Slide Guitar Repertoire class on Sundays at 12 noon at the Old Town School of Folk Music beginning on Sunday, November 3, 2019. To learn more, click here: https://www.oldtownschool.org/classes/detail/?courseid=6301
Donna is teaching an 8-week Electric Slide Guitar class on Sundays at 2pm at the Old Town School of Folk Music beginning on Sunday, November 3, 201 9. To register, click here: https://www.oldtownschool.org/classes/detail/?courseid=2499
Donna is teaching an 8-week Acoustic Slide Guitar 2 class on Sundays at 3:30pm at the Old Town School of Folk Music beginning on Sunday, November 3, 201 9. To register, click here: https://www.oldtownschool.org/classes/detail/?courseid=5584
Venues Played:
Blues, Folk and other Music Festivals
Chicago Blues Festival (Front Porch Stage & Route 66
Raodhouse Stage)
2014 Durban International Blues Festival (South Africa)
King Biscuit Blues Festival (Lockwood-Stackhouse Acoustic Stage)
Juke Joint Festival (Clarksdale, Mississippi)
Mississippi Valley Blues Festival (Tent Stage)
Bayfront Blues Festival, Acoustic Stage (Duluth, MN)
Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival (Geneva, IL)
Blues By the Bay, Main Stage (East Tawas, MI)
Alpena Blues Festival (Main Stage)
Woodstock Folk Fest (Woodstock, IL)
Old Town Blues Festival, Main Stage (Lansing, MI)
Mother’s Best Music Festival, Main Stage (Helena, Arkansas)
Robert Nighthawk Symposium, Delta Cultural Center, Miller
Hotel (Helena, Arkansas)
CU Folk and Roots Festival (Urbana, IL)
Festival for the Eno, 4 stages (Durham, North Carolina)
Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation
Numerous Art Festivals
Blues Bars and Clubs
Buddy Guy’s Legends (Chicago, IL)
BB’s Jazz Blues and Soups (St. Louis, MO)
House of Blues (Chicago, IL)
YouTube
Donna & Mike Wenner (from the Nighthawks) play at the Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College Blues & Swing Week Faculty Performance in Elkins, West Virginia on July 14, 2015. The three songs include a solo performance by Donna (Kansas City) followed by the duet (My Home is in the Delta & Take It Easy Baby):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFDomvkBo_E&feature=em-upload_owner
Donna, Rob Anderlik and Mike Church play Crying Won’t Help You at the Fox Valley Folk Festival on September 5, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=60&v=PCsihme17u8
Donna, Rob Anderlik and Mike Church played at Kiss the Sky Records in May in Batavia, IL and recored the following songs:
Vestapol: https://youtu.be/kJjE0JWrrO8
Come On In My Kitchen: https://youtu.be/Xw7TsuUBzyg
Crossroads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hrkVR_XysE
Kind Hearted Woman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q94yCwtPQSE
Donna playing with the Chicago Women in the Blues in June: https://youtu.be/7pa2FUAuxms
Watch Donna at the 2014 Durban International Blues Festival in South Africa, October 15, 2014:
Watch Donna & Tony playing at Buddy Guy’s Legends on November 1, 2014 for the acoustic dinner set: http://www.gigity.tv/event/100848.
Contact Information
To be added to Donna’s e-mail list, e-mail: belladonnablues@yahoo.com.
