Donna Ulisse
Singer, Songwriter, Bluegrass Poet
Donna's latest CD "Walk This Mountain Down"
Available on January 20th, 2009
#8 Floodlights...Applause!!!
A girl has to start somewhere and my memory of this is not quite as sharp as some of my earlier stories...that might be due to STAGE FRIGHT! The place was and is still called Donks Theatre in Mathews, Virginia. The charm of an old building with the original front looked more like a football stadium to my 12 year old eyes as my mom and dad pulled up to my first "big" show. I was going to get to sing one whole song with the house band that performed every Saturday night.
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Updated on: Saturday, December 5th, 2009
#7...All Aboard!
Sometimes wandering back through my mind makes me feel like I'm taking a vacation to some tropical island with sparkling blue water and snowy white sands; a real getaway. One of those beaches holds the memories of my summers spent with my Bonna and Pop in Richmond, Virginia.
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Updated on: Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
# 6...The family that sings together...
The great family "get together" was a staple in my childhood. My father's family actually surrounded us...literally! My Italian grandfather Carmine Ulisse, Papa, encouraged my uncles, Gene and Tony, my father and my aunt Yolanda to build houses circling my Nana and Papa's home. These siblings were all close in age so they started sprouting kids at the same time; lots of them. It was so cool growing up next door to all of my Italian cousins. There was never a loss for playmate, they were everywhere. I also got to grow up in close proximity to the best Italian cook in the world, just a hop and skip across the field and through her aromatic front door!!! My Nana could jam on some spaghetti and meatballs and all things Italian. I was lucky enough to get a plate of pasta almost everyday! Her bread...yummmm! Her sauce, whew...my mouth is watering now.
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Updated on: Thursday, April 9th, 2009
#5...The Pink Upright Piano
My father, Jimmy Ulisse could come across the best deals on the oddest things. He and mom thought I would be better served if I learned piano. After this decision, he went on a hunt and found me the coolest, upright piano that a nine year old could ever hope for. It was a lovely shade of cotton candy pink and the ivories were a nice yellowish color. Dad presented it on my birthday and stood beside it with this big Italian grin. My mother must have been very challenged in how to work this lovely PINK upright piano into our den.
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Updated on: Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
#4...The Lamp Chord/ Hairbrush Tour
I mentioned getting a record player one Christmas and the truth is that it opened my world up to music all the time. I'm sure my folks yelled up the steps more than once for me to turn that darn thing off but I bet I didn't hear them. I was totally lost to a new world and couldn't get enough of listening to my records over and over again. That is the real beauty of the "record player". You could adjust the arm to repeat and there's nothing like hearing a song a million times to really help you learn it...lol!
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Updated on: Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
#3...Christmas Hiding Places!
When I was a little girl, Christmas Eve was something very exciting although a little nerve wracking. I think the poems, stories and songs about this night were geared to make sure young children would have nightmares about a home invasion by a white bearded man in a furry, red suit roaming around your living room! The thing is, once you ran around the corner (or in my case, were SHOVED by my brothers) and spotted all the glittery, colorful toys spread out across the floor, you forgot to be petrified by the man who left them there until the next Christmas rolled around. So this is the next tale in my life's journey.
