Full Bio
Donna Beasley was born in East Tennessee in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. Appalachia is in the timbre of her voice. Its dark hollers inform her pen. The dichotomy of an upbringing equal parts bible and bottle is discernible in her newest release, “Glorious”. Like some roadside Baptist church letter board, her eyes are on Jesus, but the devil is nipping at her heels.
Beasley began singing in church at the age of 13 and, as a young girl, developed a county-wide ministry. She pursued a career in secular music, experiencing the usual close calls with success and the disenchantment that follows. Solace was found in academic pursuits, with Beasley earning a Master’s degree in Psychology. Unfulfilled by the mere study of the human condition, she needed to write about it. Sing about it. She pawned an old wedding ring and bought her first guitar.
She met her musical and life partner in 2004, relocated to Music City and immersed herself in East Nashville’s burgeoning music scene.
Beasley released Good Samaritan in 2007 and Under the Rushes in 2010. Both received positive press and world-wide airplay. Them Rubies was released in 2017 with her trio of the same name, which included Jennifer McCarter and Etta Britt. Their blend created a magical three-part harmony that drew a lot of attention in Nashville. They performed with the Grammy winning Time Jumpers and garnered a coveted Americana Music Association showcase.
It was a Them Rubies gig that led to a discussion of Beasley’s long-shelved fourth release.
The writing for Glorious had begun in 2010. Initial production by Beasley’s husband, Tom Spaulding, and recording by multi-platinum engineer and mixer, Russ Long, began in 2013. Due to overwhelming personal family commitments, the record was all but abandoned for the next five years.
In 2018, sound engineer/technician, Anthony Aquilato, unearthed this musical cache with the intention of working on it while he was between gigs. “Anthony got down in the vocal weeds with me, sorting out the many recorded vocal takes. Without him, this record might still be sitting unopened on a hard drive.”
Experienced Nashville “utility guy” Scott Neubert began arranging and recording some of the lead and much of the backing vocals. Scott’s talents as a multi-instrumentalist are displayed on the record as well.
In late 2020, Grammy winning producer and guitarist, Bob Britt, took over the project. Britt had been enlisted to join Bob Dylan’s “never ending tour” in 2019. Working around his busy touring schedule, it was a slow process but one that ultimately yielded satisfying results.
Though Glorious is an amalgam of many talented Nashville producers, engineers, mixers, and musicians, Bob Britt gave it the cohesive final polish it was missing. “He has a way of finding the right balance as a producer and mixer and the perfect part as a guitarist. Next to the overall contributions of my husband, Tom Spaulding, Bob Britt is most responsible for the final sound of Glorious.”
“It has been a long road to realization," Beasley muses. "For me, this is not merely an album. It's a time capsule.”
Glorious is vibey, Appalachian country-rock that draws influence from classic country, bluegrass, and even blues on a couple of tracks. Lyrically, it starts out on the road to ruin with “The Devil Can Wait”. But it’s not in a hurry to get there. “Bad Man Down” asserts the truism that evil will always be brought to light. Though the reference to heaven in the title track is more sensual than spiritual, In Good Time and Sweetest Release (for Dennis) affirm the artist’s devotion to The Divine.
Glorious is Beasley’s most fully realized songwriting delivered with the wail and moan of a girl still singing to save sinners.
“In some ways it feels like a lifetime has passed since I conceived this music. I’m grateful to everyone who has been part of the process. Twelve years in the making, Glorious is the record I dreamed of having.”