Donna Jean godchaux-Mackay(August 22, 1947-Present)
Born on August 22, 1947 and raised in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Donna Jean (Thatcher) Godchaux-MacKay would find her singing voice as a young girl. A natural born vocalist, Donna visited her first recording studio at the age of twelve and knew that music was her calling. By the time she reached age fifteen, she was already a recurrent harmony singer at Fame Studios, the distinguished home of the Muscle Shoals sound. Here, as a teenager, she collaborated with artists like Elvis Presley, Boz Scaggs, and cher adding a new dimension to the songs with her harmonic vocals. Donna's distinct harmonies can be heard on tracks such as Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," and Percy Sledges "When a Man Loves a Woman."
After a while, Donna grew tired of the one-dimensional life she felt she was living in Muscle Shoals so she packed her things and headed for San Francisco. Upon her arrival, she worked at Union Oil, processing credit cards behind a desk and getting to know the many Deadheads who served as her colleagues. She fell in love with the music of the Grateful Dead in 1970 and attended her first show one night in October at the Winterland Ballroom. The show would leave her dumbfounded, "How did they do that, how did they do that? That's what I want... it was spiritual," she remarked. Out of all the bands of San Francisco, the Grateful Dead would be the one that resonated with Donna.
Later in the year, Donna met and fell in love with a man named Keith Godchaux, a fellow Deadhead and talented keyboardist. Shortly thereafter, they were married and making plans to confront the Grateful Dead with their desire to join the group. Intimidated by the idea, Keith did little to help with the organizing of a meeting so Donna took it upon herself to ensure their dream would come true. She captured Jerry Garcia one night after a show and with strong intent she remarked to him that she needed his phone number because her husband was going to be his new piano player. Unbeknownst to her, the Dead's current pianist, Ron McKernan was declining rapidly in health, so the timely was uncannily perfect. The bold statement seemed to enlighten Garcia and he handed over his phone number. Soon thereafter, Keith became the keyboardist for the Grateful Dead, but since Donna was not working as a musician at the time she didn't join the band right away, rather she joined a few months later.
Throughout her career with the Dead, Donna Jean provided back-up and lead vocals to many of the songs in the Grateful Dead repertoire. Garnering criticism from many Deadheads for missing notes and singing out of key, Donna Jean wasn't exactly a popular member of the group. However, the addition of a female singer gave the sound of the Grateful Dead more depth and some of her vocal contributions were certainly tasteful. Donna Jean toured and recorded with the Grateful Dead for eight years, from 1971 to her departure from the band in 1979. Donna was an alcoholic with a nasty temper that only seemed to emerge when she was drinking, something that no doubt contributed to the demise of her career with the Dead.
A year after she and Keith left the band, in 1980, the couple formed The Heart of Gold Band. The band would not last long, as Keith died tragically in a car accident soon after the band's first show. Donna Jean would eventually re-marry when she met another Bay Area musician, bass player David MacKay, and the two moved back to her hometown of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In 2009, Donna formed a new band, The Donna Jean Godchaux Band with Jeff Matson, also referred to as Donna Jean and the Tricksters, a seven-piece rock band featuring some of her early gospel and soul influences. When she's not out touring with the Donna Jean Godchaux Band she can be found recording music at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.
After a while, Donna grew tired of the one-dimensional life she felt she was living in Muscle Shoals so she packed her things and headed for San Francisco. Upon her arrival, she worked at Union Oil, processing credit cards behind a desk and getting to know the many Deadheads who served as her colleagues. She fell in love with the music of the Grateful Dead in 1970 and attended her first show one night in October at the Winterland Ballroom. The show would leave her dumbfounded, "How did they do that, how did they do that? That's what I want... it was spiritual," she remarked. Out of all the bands of San Francisco, the Grateful Dead would be the one that resonated with Donna.
Later in the year, Donna met and fell in love with a man named Keith Godchaux, a fellow Deadhead and talented keyboardist. Shortly thereafter, they were married and making plans to confront the Grateful Dead with their desire to join the group. Intimidated by the idea, Keith did little to help with the organizing of a meeting so Donna took it upon herself to ensure their dream would come true. She captured Jerry Garcia one night after a show and with strong intent she remarked to him that she needed his phone number because her husband was going to be his new piano player. Unbeknownst to her, the Dead's current pianist, Ron McKernan was declining rapidly in health, so the timely was uncannily perfect. The bold statement seemed to enlighten Garcia and he handed over his phone number. Soon thereafter, Keith became the keyboardist for the Grateful Dead, but since Donna was not working as a musician at the time she didn't join the band right away, rather she joined a few months later.
Throughout her career with the Dead, Donna Jean provided back-up and lead vocals to many of the songs in the Grateful Dead repertoire. Garnering criticism from many Deadheads for missing notes and singing out of key, Donna Jean wasn't exactly a popular member of the group. However, the addition of a female singer gave the sound of the Grateful Dead more depth and some of her vocal contributions were certainly tasteful. Donna Jean toured and recorded with the Grateful Dead for eight years, from 1971 to her departure from the band in 1979. Donna was an alcoholic with a nasty temper that only seemed to emerge when she was drinking, something that no doubt contributed to the demise of her career with the Dead.
A year after she and Keith left the band, in 1980, the couple formed The Heart of Gold Band. The band would not last long, as Keith died tragically in a car accident soon after the band's first show. Donna Jean would eventually re-marry when she met another Bay Area musician, bass player David MacKay, and the two moved back to her hometown of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In 2009, Donna formed a new band, The Donna Jean Godchaux Band with Jeff Matson, also referred to as Donna Jean and the Tricksters, a seven-piece rock band featuring some of her early gospel and soul influences. When she's not out touring with the Donna Jean Godchaux Band she can be found recording music at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.