Donna Ulisse: The Songwriter in "Her"

She’s an award-winning singer, songwriter, teacher, and bluegrass ambassador. The multi-talented Donna Ulisse has had a career in music that has spanned decades, and her talent, perseverance, and passion have earned her respect in the world of bluegrass and country music.

Born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, Donna grew up surrounded by music. “My dad loved the Osborne Brothers, and I have vivid memories of him flying down country roads when I was very young, singing at the top of his lungs.” Another childhood memory goes back to when Donna was just three years old. “I grew up in a large Italian family that celebrated everything. I remember my dad hired a band for a party they had, and when the band took a break, I climbed up on the stage and began singing ‘Take This Hammer’ into the microphone. The band returned and started playing backup for me.”

By the time she was ten or 11, Donna says her dad bought a steakhouse. “He said he did it so I’d have a place to sing.” She sang on weekends with a house band. When she was 15, Donna began performing with Jimmy Caldwell. “I cut my teeth with that band.”

Donna credits her high school choir teacher, the late Barbara Davis, for teaching her to sing correctly. “She recognized my talent, and because of her, I learned so much that I still use when I perform today.” Donna recalls when Davis surprised her at a performance in Hampton. “When I realized she was in the audience, I broke down in tears on stage. I was finally able to tell her how much I appreciated what she taught me.”

Songwriting is Donna’s passion, and in 2014, she published a book, The Songwriter in Me: Snapshots of My Creative Process. “It took me 45 years to learn songwriting, and it felt great to pass that knowledge on.” The book still sells well, and now Donna is working on a follow-up. “It’s about 95% finished. This book is a little more intense – it gets into the nuts and bolts of writing.”

When she was a child, Donna wanted to be a teacher. “I used to play school with my three younger brothers. I always thought I’d love to be a teacher, but I loved music more.” Today, she combines those skills with the songwriting workshops she holds at her “Wee Farm” in Lebanon, Tennessee, inspiring a new generation of songwriters and musicians.

Donna is married to Rick Stanley, whom she met when she was 15. “Because I was my dad’s only daughter, he went with me everywhere. I was playing at a talent show, and Rick was the bass player in the band. I was watching him, and my dad asked why I was staring at that boy. I told him that I was going to marry him and iron his pants.” While their paths crossed fairly often, Donna was not on Rick’s radar until she was about 20. Today, the couple writes songs together, and Rick plays in Donna’s band.

The couple moved to Nashville shortly after marrying, and Donna got a deal with Atlantic Records. Her debut album, Trouble at the Door, was released in 1991. She has since released many more albums that showcase her love of narrative and tradition. “I’ll do a cover from time to time, but it has to be a song that has special meaning to me.”

Donna says she writes many of her songs when visiting her mother-in-law’s cabin in the Clinch Mountains. “Sitting in that cabin on Honey Camp Road, there isn’t much else to do. There is no cable TV, no cell service, and I am not a big hiker. So, when everyone is gone, I write about what I see. I write a lot about mountains. It’s a great place to work and I’m always inspired there.”

Her peers have recognized Donna’s work, and she has received many awards over the years. She received her first International Bluegrass Music Association award for Songwriter of the Year in 2016, followed by the 2017 IBMA Song of the Year with “I Am a Drifter,” co-written with Marc Rossi and recorded by Volume Five.

Donna is as busy as ever. She signed with Turnberry Records last fall. “I’m working on a new project now,” she says. “It’s my first project for Turnberry and the first project I’ve self-produced. That experience has made me realize what a luxury it is to have a producer sitting behind the glass.” The project will be released in Spring 2026. In the meantime, Donna is busy starting a new publishing company with Doyle Lawson. They are co-COO’s of Tall Oaks Publishing, under the Turnberry umbrella. (Look for more information in the February issue of The Bluegrass Standard.)

“We are super excited about it,” she says.