Check Out Donny Van Slee’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Donny Van Slee.

Donny, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It’s actually a crazy story about how I ended up in Nashville. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be one year into owning my own chiropractic practice. Yet here I am, playing weekends downtown on Broadway at the “World Famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge,” Kid Rocks Big A** Honky Tonk, Honky Tonk Central, and Rippy’s Honky Tonk.

I was finishing up chiropractic school in Florida (where I’m from) and decided to complete my internship in Castle Rock, CO. The internship was three months long, so I had to drive there to bring everything I needed. Well, I had to pass Nashville, TN to get there. And as a musician that was currently playing at tiki huts and breweries through college, I had to stop and see what the fuss was all about.

That’s when I saw Broadway for the first time. I’ll never forget my first time seeing it. So many neon lights, and so many live bands… my heart was pounding, and my mind was racing 100 miles an hour. Mind you, I come from a small town in Florida called Weeki Wachee. It’s on the central-west coast. We’re known for the Weeki Wachee Mermaid show. Google it, it’s pretty cool. It’s a live attraction that’s been around since the 40s. Super pretty place, right off the coast. But super small with minimal nightlife.

So, when I saw Broadway, I was going nuts. I literally had no idea something like this existed. Not to mention, it was a Monday night. There’s nothing past 9:00 PM on a Monday night in Weeki Wachee. My mind was blown.

To make a long story short, I get to Colorado and start sending a ton of emails out the all the venues on Broadway that I could find. Not sure why, but this guy named Uncle John decided to respond to my email who would later change my life.

When I finally finished my internship and it was time to drive back to Florida to graduate from chiropractic school, I met up with Uncle John for an audition. The audition experience is a whole story on its own but basically, he yelled out “you’re hired, play another one” after I performed my first song. So yeah, I did it! What a cool moment that was.

Fast Forward a whole year, I currently chase my music dreams on the weekends and practice as a full-time chiropractor during the week here in Nashville, TN.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Getting hired to perform on Broadway was just the beginning. I had to learn how to play over 100 songs, work for the crowd, run the tip bucket, and just become an entertainer. I was used to playing by myself in tiki huts on the coasts of Florida. I never in a million years thought I was going to be playing with multiple full-piece bands in downtown Nashville. Long story short, It was a huge culture shock but I got through it.

Moreover, I was struggling to find my sound once I relocated to Tennessee. Before moving to Nashville I enjoyed making beachy/groovy music. The artist from Hawaii named Jack Johnson was my biggest musical influence at the time. However, that type of genre wasn’t matching the music I was performing every weekend on Broadway.

Naturally, I started drifting farther away from that beachy vibe. Eventually, I discovered Zach Bryan’s music after having multiple people in my crowds constantly requesting his songs. His raspy voice doesn’t have that traditional country sound but his choice of instrumentation along with his lyrics fosters an alternative country sound that resonated with me. I felt lost for a whole year and his music helped me find my new country sound.

Finally, I miss my family every day. They’re hundreds of miles away while I’m pursuing my music career. It’s hard because I want to be an uncle to my niece and nephew but I’m just so far. That’s the biggest sacrifice I’m making in order to live out my dreams.

The music industry is different because there are no certifications like in the healthcare field. However, I love the raw sound of an acoustic guitar and a voice; so I would say that I specialize in that. The proudest moment of my music career was meeting Zach Bryan and him telling me that my single Spencer’s Song is a beautiful song. The whole story is posted on my Instagram page titled, “POV: When ZACH BRYAN starts singing your song”

Finally, I have my Sip on Me EP releasing in December! There’s songs on there that I wrote back in high school and owed it to myself to record them now that I made it to Nashville. Nevertheless, I wrote Sip on Me a couple weeks ago, so that song represents my new sound. I’m also excited for everyone to hear Detective Pain, a song on the EP that I wrote in chiropractor school as an extra credit assignment.

My dad coached my soccer teams and took me fishing and trail riding on our dirt bikes. I’m the oldest of three and love my brother and sister very much. I had a pretty blessed childhood. My dad is the one who bought my first guitar in 6th grade which led me down this journey. I love my family and visit them as much as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://donnyvanslee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnyvanslee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donnyvansleemusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/donnyvanslee
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/mrdonnyvanslee
• Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/donny-van-slee/1542518599
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/532FbMLuGynYoxyImsK2y1?si=LEtzAGFoQ2i7i6xntE7zug

Image Credits
Maurice Chase