Donny Grace bio

MOVA 2009 Donny Grace is a 6-time winner at the Mountain Valley Arts (MOVA) Festival. Donny and his wife, Susan, along with Holly Helms won 1st Place in Country at the 2009 MOVA competition. Donny and Susan won 4 awards at the 2007 MOVA Festival songwriter competition to include Best of Show. Donny was a 2-time Finalist and Judge's Pick award winner in the 2005 MOVA Festival, a 2-time Finalist in the 2004 competition, double winner in the 2002 festival placing 2nd in the Inspirational/ Gospel/ Spiritual category and 2nd place in Soft Rock/Adult Pop in the 2003 festival, and placing 3rd in the Country category in the 2002 MOVA competition.

Donny Grace fell in love with a song as soon as he learned to play the radio. MOVA performance From the Everly Brothers on that very first old acoustic to Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Webb, 59 foto and the sophisticated numbers of Henry Mancini on the piano, Donny was soon playing everything that came on the radio. He then began to write songs and his love for chords and harmonies soon led to the group Aesop's Fables, which focused on the Beach Boys, Four Seasons, and other Aesop's Fables vocal groups of the era along with some originals. Then as bass player, vocalist, composer, and arranger for the regional success, The Carousel, he toured the Southeast performing the college circuit and other venues, including opening for such acts as the O'Kaysions ("I'm a Girl Watcher"), Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs("Wooly Bully"), and Travis Wammack. Two songs of his songs were cut by the Carousel, "Girl Maybe You (No Time for Diamond Rings)" and "Gonna Hide My Face", co-written with Mike Lantrip. Donny then performed and collaborated in writing and studio work with Marc Phillips and Tommy Calton of the nationally recognized groups Hotel and Split the Dark. Panoply pic Donny was later in the Christian rock group Noah's Ark. He has performed his own material at writers nights throughout the area including the Bluebird Café in Nashville, the Moonlight Music Café in Birmingham, the Muscle Shoals Songwriter Showcase, and Jim Parker's Acoustic Songwriter Showcase in North Alabama where he has performed in the round with such writers as Richard Leigh, Lenny LeBlanc, Marc Phillips, and Jim Parker, co-writer of John Anderson's hit "Chicken Truck".

Fall 2001, the song "God Remembers", co-written with George Wells, was cut on the CD "Believe, Stand Strong" by artist Connie Angel of Orange Park, FL.

Donny also served for 12 years as coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) workshop for North Alabama. For more info, go to NorthAlabamaSongwriters.com or NashvilleSongwriters.com.