Born Donna Charles in Cypress Island, Louisiana, and schooled in neighboring Breaux Bridge, Donna Angelle is a true multi-instrumentalist — she learned clarinet in her school band and went on to play keyboard, bass guitar, and accordion. Her early career ran through R&B: she played keyboards with Bobby Price and Cosmic Sky, then bass with Barbara Lynn and Archie Bell, before leading her own band, Chapter IV.
A serious auto accident sidetracked her career until 1994, when she formed a new band built around a blend of zydeco, hip hop, and soulful oldies. Producer Mike Lachney signed her within months; her first recording, Zydeco Soul, came out on cassette (c. 1995), and she moved to Floyd Soileau’s Maison de Soul for Old Man’s Sweetheart (c. 1998) — the first record to credit her backing band, the Zydeco Posse — followed by Down the Bayou (1999).
Her driving accordion sound pulls old-school hip hop and soul into the zydeco groove. Fans know “Catin,” “Rockin’ it Steady,” and the tribute anthem “A Man Like Boozoo,” written for Boozoo Chavis. She was voted Female Vocalist of the Year in 2003, and in 2007 she received C.R.E.O.L.E. Inc.’s Wilson “Boozoo” Chavis Heritage Award (per her artist bio).
Still active on the Louisiana circuit, Angelle has played Vermilionville’s Bal du Dimanche, the New Orleans Jazz Museum with the Jazz Foundation of America (April 2025), and French Quarter Festival’s 2026 lineup.
