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Tanya Donelly
Biography
A founding member of three of the most successful bands of the post-punk era, singer/songwriter Tanya Donelly was born July 14, 1966, in Newport, RI. At the age of 16, she and stepsister Kristin Hersh formed Throwing Muses, which in 1985 became the first American band ever signed to the influential British label 4AD; not only did the Muses' dreamy, swirling guitar sound prove highly influential on many of the alternative acts to emerge in their wake, but they also made any number of unprecedented advances into the male-dominated world of underground rock. The group was primarily Hersh's project, however, and in 1989 Donelly sidelined with Pixies bassist Kim Deal in the Breeders, appearing on their debut LP, Pod. While originally designed as a forum for both Donelly and Deal, the latter soon assumed control of the group, and by 1991 Donelly had exited both the Breeders and Throwing Muses to form her own band, Belly. After issuing a pair of well-received EPs, Belly released their 1993 full-length debut, Star -- a superb collection of luminous, fairy tale-like guitar pop songs -- and for the first time in her career, Donelly earned commercial success commensurate to her usual critical accolades; not only did the record go gold on the strength of the hit single "Feed the Tree," but the band even garnered a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
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