Born in Victoria, Donita Dey (real name Helen Turner) attended school at Warrnambool and Mortlake. Teaching herself to play guitar and having some lessons to learn bass. At 17 years of age Dey performed her first gig singing solo, live, to air on Radio 3YB for their Hospital Appeal Day. Soon after the band The Western Ramblers was formed with Ray Batten and Hilton Boyle with Dey singing vocals and playing bass. They released an EP 'Introducing The Western Ramblers' in 1969 on the local Tower Hill label. Another EP 'Many Happy Hangovers' followed by their album 'The Western Ramblers With Their All Original Country Music' The Westerners were very successful in Victoria with their own weekly half hour radio program on 3CS out of Colac as well they made appearances on the Reg Lindsay Country & Western Hour TV Show.
At the age of 20 Donita left the group to go touring with country star Buddy Williams for six months, after that a move to Sydney to try the club scene. Having changed her name to Donita Dey, she performed around the Club Circuit in New South Wales where her style of entertainment in playing both modern and county music and hits from all-time greats of that time, proved a great delight to her audiences. Donita then went on to tour throughout Australia to perform alongside such greats as Frank Ifield, Jay Justin, Col Joye, Digger Revell, Buster Noble, Lucky Star, Johnny Chester, Jade Hurley, Chad Morgan, Slim Dusty, Jimmy Little, Reg Lindsay, Judy Stone, Dinah Lee and Little Pattie and also with other well-known Australian artists. Many of Donita's tours included small towns with the venues being mostly in halls. Touring the Aboriginal Missions was such a learning experience, as Donita says "it was an experience I wouldn't have missed, how different and what wonderful audiences".
Donita says that Tamworth was a part of her life for just a few years. She appeared on their Must Be Country TV Show which was as Donita says "Lots of fun". Donita only ever entered one of her singles at the Tamworth Awards and was placed in the finals of Best Female Vocalist. The song was "Warm Sheets, Can't Cover Up Your Cold, Cold Heart" which didn't win, but what an honour to reach the finals. Donita's many trips to America prevented her entering more of her singles in the years to follow, for which she is very regretful.
In the US she had a hit in California with her Tamworth nominated single "Warm Sheets, Can't Cover Up Your Cold, Cold Heart". Donita's trips to the US back then were not the done thing and she lost some popularity at home for doing so. Donita worked in the US on T.V. and with Hank Williams Jnr and with David Allan Coe riding in David's touring bus. When Donita did her spot on the show David would stay on stage and play along on guitar. Donita recorded on Pike Records in the U.S. Another part of Donita's life that she enjoyed very much was working as an extra in movies and as a regular extra on the last five years of A Country Practice. Although now retired, she has had many years of incredible pleasure and worked with so many of the name artists that have been a joy to know.
No comments:
Post a Comment