Donna Hightower Vanoutrive

Donna Lubertha Hightower was born on December 28, 1926 in Caruthersville, Missouri, to Carrie and Henry Hightower, Sr. She listened to the radio even though she never planned to have a singing career. Her early influence was Ella Fitzgerald, and later, Ella Mae Morse and Kay Starr. She married young, had two children—a son Bobby and a daughter, Judy.

She made her way to Chicago and was discovered doing the two things she loved best – cooking and singing. While working in a diner kitchen, Bob Tillman, a reporter from the “Chicago Defender” newspaper, asked the waitress to turn up the radio so he could hear the singer better. The waitress stated that it wasn’t a radio, “that’s just Lil’ Donna.” Impressed with the little girl with the great big voice, the reporter took Donna and was able to get her first paid booking at the Strand Hotel Lounge. Billed as “Little Donna Hightower,” she was initially encouraged to shorten her name but Donna said, “It’s got the same number of letters as Ella Fitzgerald,” and kept her name. She was signed to Decca Records in 1951, began writing songs and cut her first record, the classic blues number, “I Ain’t In The Mood.”

The next few years would find her recording for RPM records, and performing all over the country. She then decided to move to New York City. There, she worked at a publishing house recording demo records to promote the newest songs. Capitol released two albums, the critically acclaimed “Take One,” and “Gee Baby,” which helped to get her noticed overseas.

In 1959, Donna went to England and then to Paris for performance dates and ended up staying in Europe for the next thirty years. She lived in Madrid for over 20 years.

It was in Spain that her years of work in the music industry finally began to pay off. After winning a European song festival in 1970, Columbia Records noticed and offered her a recording contract. Donna then wrote the lyrics to her biggest hit, “This World Today is a Mess.” That record was issued internationally, selling more than a million copies, and became the song for which she was most closely associated.

Donna’s faith was a large part in her life. She had been baptized as a child, but she said she didn’t really experience the Lord until much later in life. In 1990, she said the Lord told her to move to Austin, Texas—and she did. She was active with the Austin Chapter of the Gospel Workshop of America, Riverbend Church, and the Calvary Baptist Church among others. Although she devoted most of her singing time to praising the Lord in song, she still occasionally recorded and performed jazz with many Austin musicians. In 2006, she was invited back to Spain and was the guest of honor at the IV Festival International de Jazz. She last sang publicly at Buda United Methodist Church in Buda, Texas the Sunday morning before she passed away.

Donna is survived by her two children—Bobby Hightower of California and Judy Sims of Gary, Indiana; two sisters—Mary Taylor-Fernandez and Evelyn Fields; a brother—Ray Hightower; a grandson—Jimmie Sims; two great grandsons—Jimmie Sims, Jr., and Isaiah Sims; many nieces and nephews; friends and countless fans around the world that have been touched. She was predeceased by her parents Carrie and Henry Hightower; and siblings Thelma Allen, Margaret Stokes, Martha Kyles, Geneva Fitzgerald and Henry Hightower, Jr.