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Don
started playing the guitar when he was about 10 years old. He played with
an old time fiddle player and claw hammer banjo player that used to play square
dances. His dad played music pretty much all his life and started him out on an old Stella guitar with the strings about an inch off the neck. "At the time I thought I had a pre-war Martin D28 because I didn't know any better. One day Dad and I were driving though Cookeville TN and I saw the most beautiful guitar I had ever seen ! It was sitting in a window of a jewelry store (of all places). The guitar was a J-50 Gibson wow was it pretty! They were asking $279.00 for it and at that time, all I could do was dream about it. " "Dad
and I raised cattle and hogs. One day dad took a load of hogs to the sale
barn (without me knowing) and that afternoon when I came home from school there
on the couch was that J-50 Gibson. It sure was pretty and boy was I proud,
I still have it today. " "I
meet Danny Canerday 20 plus years ago. One night he called and asked if I
would come up to a jam and bring my electric bass. (I also played bass a little
at the time) There was Rick Randol (playing banjo at the time) the three of us
have been together ever since. They are both like brothers to me. " Danny
and Rick told Don that he would have to get an upright bass if he wanted to play
bluegrass music, which he did. "Every time Kathy and I go to buy a new
vehicle, I have to make sure my bass will fit before we purchase it." Don,
Danny and Rick played in our first band called Union Grass Works. We met Rick
and Tim Collier and that's when New Harmony was born. Don
met his wife
Kathy in 1977, got married in 1978 and is still with this beautiful and
wonderful lady today. They have two wonderful children, Josh and Melonie who are
both married today with their own children. Don
has worked in the floor covering business since 1976 doing mostly large
commercial projects. Don has worked on jobs like the Conseco field house and
Circle Center Mall. "My hobbies other than music is wood working, camping, hunting, and of course golf, I have built one guitar (D28 style) and now on my second one (D18 style).
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Don