Donna De Lory

When singer, songwriter, and dancer Donna De Lory released her self-titled debut album in 1993, she was already known in the industry as a backing vocalist for the likes of Carole King, Carly Simon, Belinda Carlisle, and, most of all, Madonna. De Lory's second single, "Just a Dream," was written by Madonna (who sang harmony vocals) and became a Top Ten dance hit. De Lory soon formed a duo with cellist Cameron Stone called Bliss. Named after a quote by Joseph Campbell, their music was inspired by an appreciation of spiritual growth and self-awareness, and De Lory's subsequent releases negotiated adult contemporary pop, world music, and mantras and devotional chants. Influenced by the death of her father, producer/session musician Al De Lory, her eighth album, 2013's The Unchanging, offered a reflective, worldbeat-infused adult pop. She bridged contemporary pop and chanting on 2018's Here in Heaven. Born in Calabasas, California, in the mid-'60s, De Lory grew up in a musical family. Her great-grandfather was a professor of music, a violinist, and a singer. Her grandfather played upright bass and cello for the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra. Her mother was a singer and dancer, and her father, Al De Lory, played keyboards on recording sessions for Phil Spector and the Beach Boys, including on Pet Sounds. He also produced albums for the likes of Glen Campbell and the Lettermen. Donna's brother, Alan "A.D." De Lory, is a singer and songwriter. At the age of eight, Donna De Lory sang on children's albums for Walt Disney and could be heard on the tune "It's a Small World," featured on a ride at Disneyland and Disney World. She also sang on commercials for major fast-food, toy, and photography brands. Although she moved with her father to Nashville at the age of 16 following the death of her mother from breast cancer, she returned to Southern California three years later to pursue a career in music. De Lory's big break came when Madonna's manager, Patrick Leonard, heard a demo tape of her song "Open Your Heart" and hired her to sing and dance on Madonna's Who's That Girl tour in 1987. De Lory also toured and recorded as a backing vocalist for Belinda Carlisle in 1988 and worked with Selena, Julian Lennon, Carly Simon, Carole King, Kim Carnes, and Ray Parker, Jr. She subsequently appeared on Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour in 1990 and in her 1991 movie Truth or Dare, which was filmed during the Blonde Ambition tour. Continuing to work with Madonna well into the next decade, she joined The Girlie Show world tour in 1993. In the meantime, De Lory released the singles "Praying for Love" and "Just a Dream" from her self-titled debut album. "Praying for Love" went to number one in Japan, and "Just a Dream" became a Top Ten dance hit in the U.S. just before the full-length arrived on MCA Records in 1993. The following year, De Lory parted ways with MCA, eventually forming Bliss with Cameron Stone. Meanwhile, De Lory toured France with Mylène Farmer in 1996. Bliss' first album, Love Never Dies, was released on their own label, Dirty Bird, and initially sold only at their concerts. Reissued by the Secret Road label in 2000, it was renamed Bliss and credited to De Lory. A single from the album, "On and On," was remixed by Junior Vasquez and charted on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The singer/dancer rejoined Madonna for the Drowned World tour in 2001, and in 2002, De Lory issued the concert album Live & Acoustic as well as third studio album Songs 95, consisting of ten songs written in 1995. A year later, she delivered In the Glow, an album of music influenced by yoga devotional chants and appeared on Mac Quayle's "The Hurting," an electro-pop cover of the Tears for Fears song. De Lory dug even deeper into her love of Sanskrit mantras and chants with 2004's The Lover & the Beloved. That year, she also took part in Madonna's Re-Invention world tour. Two years later, she sang on Madonna's Confessions tour and offered up another solo album that mixed devotional and pop music, 2006's Sky Is Open. The like-minded Sanctuary followed in 2009. De Lory's eighth studio album was dedicated to her father. Titled The Unchanging, it featured an appearance from fellow Madonna backup dancer Niki Harris. She followed it with Universal Light: Remixes from the Unchanging in 2015. Live from the Kula Space appeared in 2016, and De Lory again bridged contemporary pop and chants on 2018's Here in Heaven. ~ Marcy Donelson & Craig Harris