DONITA DEY

 

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, Dey performed her first gig singing solo, live, to air on Radio 3YB for their Hospital Appeal Day at age 17. Soon after local band The Western Ramblers was formed with Ray Batten and Hilton Boyle plus 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.

In 1971 Donita left the group to go touring with country star Buddy Williams for six months. On return she moved to Sydney to try the club scene. During this period, she changed her name to Donita Dey, 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 a few years. There she appeared on the 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 TV 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. While in America Donita interviewed many great American artists for various radio stations in Sydney and some of these artists were Emmy Lou Harris, Carl Perkins, Oakridge Boys, The Osmonds, Joe Diffie, The Belamy Brothers, The Statler Brothers, Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, John Schneider, Stella Parton, Mary Reeves (wife of Jim), Richard Carpenter, Robert Fuller, James Burton (lead guitarist for Elvis Presley), Faron Young, Ray Peterson, Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Tom T. Hall, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Rodriquez, Skeeter Davis, Cliff Richards, Chuck Connors, Merle Haggard and Marty Robbins. She also agreed to interview Garth Brooks to coincide with the release of his first album.

Donita specialised in both Country and 50/60s Rock ‘n Roll and her lively stage performances brought out the best in the songs which her audiences loved. While performing at Clint Eastwood’s Hogs Breath Inn at Carmel on the San Francisco Bay, Donita was fortunate enough to spend some time conversing with the superstar and to coin a phrase to make her day.  Back in Australia Donita was the guest artist on the Mike Walsh Show on several occasions and in the 1980s and 1990s she worked on television productions and commercials. She also became an extra for various movies which included the television show A Country Practice during its last five years of production. Donita also appeared regularly on various Country TV shows out of Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Tamworth and also performed for many charity events and concerts. In 1995 Donita organised a successful benefit concert at the Wentworthville Leagues Club in Sydney for her old friend Reg Lindsay who at that time was critically ill in hospital. After Donita retired in 1998, she and her husband returned to live in her hometown of Mortlake, and this is where they now still live happily together.

SINGLES
''Blue Jeans On My Chair / I Can't Help Myself'' 1981 SL Soundlab 
 ''Too Much Is Not Enough'' [with Digger Revell] / Wasn't That Love'' 1989 Rockabilly 

References

Donita Dey Website