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don bridges

An innovative songwriter and energetic musical performer for audiences of all ages, don bridges started writing songs in 1976 and continues to study or share the stage with many of the nations finest songwriters and musicians. In May 2001, don made the career change from part-time to full-time musician. He performed a total of 472 times in 2004 and appeared at 634 performances in 2005, then surpassed that with an amazing 718 shows in 2006. Through his special passion for childrens music, mister don has emerged as one of the mid-Atlantic regions best-loved family entertainers. He received the Washington Area Music Assocation Wammie award for Childrens Vocalist for both 2004 and 2005 and the Childrens Artist Wammie award for 2006. Now in his thirteenth year as a member of the Songwriters Assocation of Washington, don remains on the SAW Board for a sixth year, three of which were served as President of the organization.

DISCOGRAPHY:

Year: 2006. Title: Shooka-la-la! Artist: mister don. Description: Childrens music. Format: CD. Includes: 6 songs. Recognition: Childrens Artist Wammie award.

Year: 2004. Title: An Ardmore Afternoon. Artist: don bridges. Description: Contemporary Folk. Format: CD. Includes: 13 original songs. Recognition: Wammie nomination.

Year: 2003. Title: Alive & Kickin with mister don. Artist: don bridges. Description: Childrens music. Format: VHS. Includes: 17 songs. Recognition: Wammie nomination.

Year: 2001. Title: mister don. Artist: don bridges. Description: Childrens music. Format: CD. Includes: 25 songs. Recognition: Released too late for consideration for 2001 Wammies.

Year: 1997. Title: Totally for Kids. Artist: Bridges To Bliss. Description: Childrens music. Format: Cassette. Includes: 13 songs. Recognition: No Childrens Recording category in 1997 Wammies.

Year: 1996. Title: Kids' Songs! Artist: Bridges To Bliss. Description: Childrens music. Format: Cassette. Includes: 10 songs. Recognition: Wammie nomination.

Year: 1995. Title: How'm I Gonna Get a Drink of Water? Artist: don bridges. Description: Childrens music. Format: Cassette. Includes: 2 songs. Recognition: Wammie nomination.

Performance Venues

don has performed all over the Washington, D.C. Metro area and beyond:

Alexandria: Art on the Avenue, Arts Safari, Ben Brenman Park, Burke Library, Cameron Perks, Carlyle House, Chinquapin Recreation Center, Christmas in April Picnic, Del Ray Coffeehouse, Del Ray Street Festival, Family Fall Festival, First Night Alexandria, Generous George's, George Washington National Masonic Memorial, Laughing Lizard Lounge, Lunch Bunch Concerts, Music at Twilight Concerts, Old Town Arts & Crafts Fair, Red Cross Waterfront Festival, Scottish Christmas Walk, and St. Elmos Coffee Pub.

Arlington: Aladdins Lamp Bookstore, Brighton Gardens, Cassatts Cafe, Cowboy Cafe, Luna Park Grille, Molly Malones, Potomac Overlook Regional Park, and Upton Hill Regional Park.

Bowie: Center for the Performing Arts, Folk Art Studio Cafe, and Year of the Rabbit Coffee Pub.

Centreville: Border Cafe, Centreville Day, Fioras Ristorante, Jamies General Bean, and Red Rocks Cafe.

Clifton: Clifton Day, Ickology Month, Northern Virginia Summer KidFest, Noodles & Noggins, Town Meeting Hall, and Train Day.

D.C.: Adams-Morgan Day Festival, Art-o-matic, Foster Brothers Coffee House, Hard Rock Cafe, House of the Temple, Lisner Auditorium, Mayflower Hotel, Potters House, and Washington Folk Festival.

Fairfax: Fall Festival, Firehouse Grill, Sweet Life Cafe & Van Dyck Park.

Falls Church: Bangkok Blues, Broad Street Grill, First Fridays, Marks Pub, Stacys Coffee Parlor, Taste of Falls Church, Two Sisters Coffee, and Unity Club.

Frederick: Braddock Inn, Festival of the Arts, Market Street Cafe, and WestSide Cafe.

Greenbelt: Earth Day, Festival of the Song, Labor Day Festival, New Deal Cafe, and New Year Festival.

Manassas: Annaburg Manor, Bradys Irish Pub, Buckeye Steakhouse, Central Library, City Square Cafe, Cramer Center, Java Jacks, Jesspresso Coffee & Regional Library.

Other Venues: Austin Grill, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Beans in the Belfry, Berwyn Cafe, Borders Books & Music, Caribou Coffee, College Perk, Country Roads Folk Festival, Fairfax County Parks, Firehouse Grill, First Night Montgomery, Folk Club of Reston-Herndon, Great Falls National Park, Herndon Festival, Hyattsville Day, Inn Zone, Jammin Java, Java Mamma, Joes Movement Emporium, Luna C. Grille, Mad City Coffee, Marios House of Steak & Cheese, Mayorga Coffee Factory, McMahons Irish Pub, Moe's Southwest Grill, Montgomery County Parks, Montpelier Spring Festival, Moorenkos Ice Cream Cafe, Mountain Stage NewSong Festival, Nottoway Park, Occoquan Coffeehouse, Peaberrys Coffeehouse, the Pour House, Prince William County Libraries, Prince William Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Riverdale Farmers Market, Sangha, Silver Diner, Songcamp in the Mountains, Starbucks Coffee, Summer Intensive Songcamp, Sunrise Assisted Living, Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival, Takoma Park Folk Festival, Talianos, Totally 4 Kids, Virginia Wine Festival, Westfield Shoppingtowne, and many other libraries, schools, parks, childrens centers, churches, and senior centers. Whether his audience includes children, adults, seniors or families, don makes sure that everyone joins in the fun.

Awards and Affiliations

mister don received the 2006 Childrens Artist Wammie award from his musical peers in the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA). don has been honored seven times with Wammie nominations for Childrens Vocalist and received the award for both 2004 and 2005. don's singer-songwriter CD, An Ardmore Afternoon, received the 2004 Wammie nomination for Contemporary Folk Recording. His childrens music also has received three Wammie nominations for Childrens Recording. Articles on dons local appearances and recordings have been featured in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Centreville Times, the Frederick News-Post, the Greenbelt News Review, the Bowie Blade-News, the Gazette newspapers, SAW Notes, WAMA News, The Folk Club News, and Quirks, and his music has been played on both commercial and internet radio and commercial and cable television. His trio Bridges To Bliss, comprised of don, vocalist Bobbi Bliss, and the late keyboard player David M. Scales (an Army Colonel who lost his life in the 9-11-01 terrorist attack on the Pentagon), received thirteen Wammie nominations in the Childrens Music Category in the late 1990s. don has participated in a number of groups but now performs primarily either solo or with his band don bridges & Friends as a singer-songwriter and also as a solo childrens entertainer and worship leader.

As a songwriter, dons diverse styles include adult contemporary, bluegrass, blues, childrens, country, folk, gospel, novelty, pop, and rock. dons original and collaborative works have been honored with more than a dozen songwriting awards, including five Finalists (top five) and four Honorable Mention awards (top 15) in five different categories of the highly-respected Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, plus special recognition by the online songwriting contest site www.LyricsReview.com. Pat Pattison, Professor of Lyric Writing and Poetry at Berklee College of Music in Boston and author of three books on songwriting, has excerpts from an article written by don posted prominently on his web page. After three consecutive terms as President of the Songwriters Association of Washington (Jan. 2003-Jan. 2006), don remains on the Board of SAW and stays active in WAMA, the Folk Club of Reston-Herndon, Focus Music, the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance, and ASCAP, After almost a decade as a childrens worship leader at New Life Christian Church in Chantilly/Centreville, VA, don assumed responsibilities in September 2007 as the Childrens Minister and Worship Leader at Westmoreland Community Church in McLean, VA.

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