Donna Ulisse

Singer, Songwriter, Bluegrass Poet

Donna's latest CD "Holy Waters"

Available on April 20, 2010

IBMA World of Bluegrass Conference 2009 busy but fruitful for Donna

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L to : BJ Cherryholmes, Donna's brother Jimmy Ulisse, Donna and Skip Cherryholmes after BJ and Skip beat Donna and Jimmy at the bean bag toss.
L to : BJ Cherryholmes, Donna's brother Jimmy Ulisse, Donna and Skip Cherryholmes after BJ and Skip beat Donna and Jimmy at the bean bag toss.
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Donna giving it all she's got in the bean bag toss at the Cherryholmes booth as she and her brother Jimmy play the siblings in the group but sadly to say they did not win one game!
Donna giving it all she's got in the bean bag toss at the Cherryholmes booth as she and her brother Jimmy play the siblings in the group but sadly to say they did not win one game!
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Donna doing some station liners in her booth for Les Sears from Virginia.
Donna doing some station liners in her booth for Les Sears from Virginia.
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Donna signing autographs in booth
Donna signing autographs in booth
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Donna with DJ Freddy Smith of WDVX in Knoxville. They set up a remote outside the ballroom in the Convention Center and were doing interviews.
Donna with DJ Freddy Smith of WDVX in Knoxville. They set up a remote outside the ballroom in the Convention Center and were doing interviews.
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DJ Larry Bomar from Memphis with Donna
DJ Larry Bomar from Memphis with Donna
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Donna with DJ Ray Hicks from Rolla, MO doing an interview during the artist/DJ taping session
Donna with DJ Ray Hicks from Rolla, MO doing an interview during the artist/DJ taping session
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L to R: Darin & Brooke Aldridge with Donna. Darin and Brooke have recorded the song "It Moves Me" written by Donna and Jerry Salley for their next release due out in early 2010. It's a great song and they do it wonderfully.
L to R: Darin & Brooke Aldridge with Donna. Darin and Brooke have recorded the song "It Moves Me" written by Donna and Jerry Salley for their next release due out in early 2010. It's a great song and they do it wonderfully.
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DJ John McNaughton from Canada with Donna.
DJ John McNaughton from Canada with Donna.
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Donna and Claire Lynch as they finally get the chance to catch up. They had not seen each other since they wrote the song "Face to Face" which is on Claire's new CD!
Donna and Claire Lynch as they finally get the chance to catch up. They had not seen each other since they wrote the song "Face to Face" which is on Claire's new CD!
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Darin and Brooke Aldridge Band in the Hadley Music Group showcase room. Make sure you go to their show when it is in your area. They are great!
Darin and Brooke Aldridge Band in the Hadley Music Group showcase room. Make sure you go to their show when it is in your area. They are great!
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Donna giving it her all with the Poor Mountain Boys.
Donna giving it her all with the Poor Mountain Boys.
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L to R: Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle and Jerry Salley performing some of their many hit songs for a packed Hadley Music Group showcase room.
L to R: Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle and Jerry Salley performing some of their many hit songs for a packed Hadley Music Group showcase room.
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Donna wailing on the late night showcase in the Hadley Music Group showcase room. The Poor Mountain Boys were in fine form also.
Donna wailing on the late night showcase in the Hadley Music Group showcase room. The Poor Mountain Boys were in fine form also.
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Barry Mazor (Wall Street Journal and American Songwriter journalist) and Donna
Barry Mazor (Wall Street Journal and American Songwriter journalist) and Donna
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L to R: Donna, Barry Mazor and Bill Cody on the panel for doing a great interview.
L to R: Donna, Barry Mazor and Bill Cody on the panel for doing a great interview.
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Donna with new friend Ed Fryday at the Monday night IBMA dinner.
Donna with new friend Ed Fryday at the Monday night IBMA dinner.
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L to R: Scott Neubert, Donna, Rick Stanley at Douglas Corner show kicking off IBMA week
L to R: Scott Neubert, Donna, Rick Stanley at Douglas Corner show kicking off IBMA week
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Donna clowning around at dinner with DJ Lee Michael Demsey from WAMU in Washington, D.C.
Donna clowning around at dinner with DJ Lee Michael Demsey from WAMU in Washington, D.C.
Donna kicked off the week a bit early with a performance at Douglas Corner on Saturday evening, September 26 in Nashville. There were a few folks in town early for IBMA who attended and Donna's producer Keith Sewell also stopped by and did three songs from his new CD release Way of the Wanderer.

Monday was spent getting registered and looking over the schedule which was full of educational panels and seminars. The booth was only open from 3 until 6 p.m.and then Donna attended the opening night dinner and sat with Lee Michael Demsey, Katy Daley and Lisa Kay Howard from WAMU Radio in Washington, D.C.

Tuesday was Donna's busiest day. She had to be downtown for a live on the air interview on Fox 17 in front of the Ryman Auditorium at 7:45 a.m. Later in the morning she was a member of a panel with Barry Mazor who writes about music for the Wall Street Journal and Bill Cody who hosts the morning show on WSM Radio and hosts GAC TV's Master Series. The panel's focus was on how to do a good interview and Donna was there to represent the artist side of how to give a good interview. She was chosen for this panel as she received extensive media training when she was signed to Atlantic Records. After the panel she spent some time in the booth visiting with DJs and promoters who stopped by to say hello. Tuesday night, Hadley Music Group sponsored an after hours showcase room with a great lineup. Donna did two shows for industry folks and filled the room with talented friends who also performed; producer Keith Sewell was there performing with Andy Leftwich on fiddle and mandolin, Byron house on upright bass and Wendy Buckner Sewell doing some harmonies. Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley and Larry Cordle packed the room with their songwriter show and Darin & Brooke Aldridge closed the evening with a set that included a song Donna wrote with Jerry Salley titled It Moves Me which will be on their upcoming CD release in early 2010.

Other events Donna participated in later in the week was a Song Circle of bluegrass songwriters with songwriter Tony Rackley leading the circle, a song demo critiquing panel, visiting with DJs at the artist/DJ taping session and serving breakfast to the fans for FanFeast to raise money for charity with other artists.

It was a week that did not allow much sleep but a highly successful and fulfilling week for Donna as she was able to spend time with friends she has made over the past two years and make many new ones. There were some festivals booked that will be showing up on her schedule as details are finalized. The pictures help tell the story much better than it can be written.

Also, a special thanks to Ted Lehman who has allowed us to use some of his photographs from the week. Ted writes a wonderful blog and covers many bluegrass events and is a friend to all bluegrass musicians and artists in the way he shares his experience at their shows. You can visit his blog by clicking here