“If you are playing from your heart and speaking the truth about your life and experiences, you will connect with listeners.”

Donna Herula: Cold Feet, …Hot Blues!

Hailed for her “superlative guitar prowess” (Living Blues Magazine), Donna Herula is an award-winning blues singer, songwriter, resonator slide guitarist, and Chicago Blues Hall of Fame inductee. She is the band leader of the Donna Herula Trio (an acoustic folk-blues group) and the Donna Herula Band (a 6-piece electric blues band). She is also a blues fingerstyle and slide guitar teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. In 2022, Donna won Independent Blues Awards for “Best Traditional Blues Artist” and “Best Acoustic Blues Album” for her 3rd album “Bang at the Door.” She also won “Best AAA/Alternative Song” at the International Acoustic Music Awards for the title track. Her songwriting and performances include a range of styles blending Mississippi Delta, Folk, Chicago Blues, Soul, Gospel, and New Orleans. Donna has been a regular performer at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago for the past 15 years and has opened for Buddy Guy multiple times. She has performed at many folk and blues festivals and venues in the US, Deep South, Europe and South Africa including the Chicago Blues Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, and Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland.

(Donna Herula / Photo by Robert Erving Porter III)

Her award-winning songs have been played internationally including on the BBC and SiriusXM – BB King’s Bluesville’s Top 15 Rack of Blues (most played songs), and her last album was on numerous “Best of” music lists, including Living Blues Magazine Top 50 Albums and IBBA Most Played Albums. Herula has taken that success, including her formidable resonator slide guitar talents and her distinctively personal songwriting, and created the eloquent music that overflows into her fourth and latest album, Cold Feet (2026). Herula’s sparkling guitar work throughout highlights eight sharply crafted originals and two stunning covers of classic blues. No matter what the style — Delta, fingerpicking, slide — she brings an effortless authenticity to her music.

Interview by Michael Limnios                     Archive: Donna Herula, 2021 Interview 

Special Thanks: Betsie Brown (Blind Raccoon)

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process? 

When I first started playing music, I thought of myself solely as a guitar player.  Now, I think of myself as a singer, songwriter, slide guitarist and band leader. 

Over the years, I have grown as I worked on developing my voice, guitar playing and songwriting. The first two of my four albums were purely covers of Delta, Country and Classic Blues songs (e.g., Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Willie Brown, Blind Willie McTell and Robert Nighthawk).  My last two albums, “Bang at the Door” and “Cold Feet,” consisted mostly of originals songs. For my fourth and most recent album, “Cold Feet,” I tapped into deep emotions to write beautiful and touching songs such as, “Wish I Could See You Again” and “Float to Heaven” which I am very proud of. I feel that I stretched myself vocally to sing songs in different contemporary blues styles that are more challenging to sing, such as the country soul song “Honey Darlin’ Baby Please.” As a guitar player, I also showcased my electric slide guitar prowess on songs such as Elmore James’, “Dust My Broom.”

Over the past 6 years, I have also grown into a bandleader of a large 6-piece blues band. I started off as a solo Delta Blues player, then to a duo, then a trio, then a 4-piece band and now progressed to a 6-piece band that includes keyboards and blues harmonica.  It has been a learning process and takes a lot of organization to manage a group of this size. But it’s been a lot of fun!

What has stayed the same about my music making process is my love and respect for the blues tradition. I also always put a lot of heart into my songwriting, guitar playing and singing.

What keeps a musician passionate over the years for the resonator and slide guitar?

I think teaching slide guitar continues to light my fire for the resonator. When I teach other people to play, I remember how much fun it was for me when I started playing and it makes me happy to see them experience that same joy. I teach hybrid (virtual and in-person) group slide guitar classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, and I also teach at various summer music camps across the US – and maybe one day I’ll teach slide guitar outside of the US. I think learning slide guitar is one of the most fun things a person can do in their lives. It was for me!

“I think it’s important to live a healthy lifestyle and take good care of your mental health to remain flexible and adapt to life’s changes. Being aware of stress and knowing how to manage it makes for a better quality of life.  I’m very fortunate for the opportunities music has given me, and I’m extremely grateful to the fans who made it possible.” (Donna Herula / Photo by Robert Erving Porter III)

What was the biggest challenge and the greatest reward when you decided to blend electric styles with elements of soul, gospel, and folk on this new record “Cold Feet”?

I was concerned that having such a variety of song styles may not fit or flow together on the album and that blues lovers may not like music styles beyond the blues, such as folk, soul and gospel. 

My fears were alleviated after we recorded the songs and developed a nice order and flow on the album that took listeners on a roller-coaster ride of emotions from humor and sorrow to inspiration and joy.

I was also very happy that we received so many great reviews as well as kind words from fans about how the songs impacted them. 

What moment changed your life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

Musically, seeing Eric Sardinas perform back in 1999 opened my eyes and ears to Delta Blues and slide guitar and led me down a path of blues exploration. 

The blues led me to meet interesting people and visit places that I had never seen before such as South Africa and Switzerland. Visiting both countries and playing at their blues festivals (in Durban and Lucerne) were particularly rewarding for me. 

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Have fun and enjoy the moment.  Even if you are only playing for a few people, play like you are playing in an amphitheater. Give the show and the audience all you have. There have been times in the past where one of the few people in an audience had provided fantastic opportunities. 

What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?

The new album is heavily weighted on emotion (authenticity, storytelling, emotional honesty and melody). I wanted listeners to relate to the songs, stories and the emotions being expressed. The album also very solid technically with exceptional singers and musicians that played instruments including acoustic and electric guitar, resonator, electric and upright bass, drums, organ, Wurlitzer, harmonica, violin, saxophone and percussion.

How can a band/musician truly turn the blues into a commercial and popular genre of music for the today's audience?

If you are playing from your heart and speaking the truth about your life and experiences, you will connect with listeners.

“What has stayed the same about my music making process is my love and respect for the blues tradition. I also always put a lot of heart into my songwriting, guitar playing and singing.” (Donna Herula / Photo by Robert Erving Porter III)

You’ve worked in many different settings, from clubs and studios to open air festivals in US, Europe and South Africa. How do you navigate between these different worlds?

I think it’s important to live a healthy lifestyle and take good care of your mental health to remain flexible and adapt to life’s changes. Being aware of stress and knowing how to manage it makes for a better quality of life. 

I’m very fortunate for the opportunities music has given me, and I’m extremely grateful to the fans who made it possible.

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