Donnie Demers
Encyclopedia
Donnie Demers is an American
songwriter
, pianist
and record producer who has traveled around the world performing with his brother Jimmy Demers
. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts
, Donnie first began playing the piano on a toy version of the instrument when he was just 4 years old. Continuing his interest throughout elementary school, Donnie ultimately taught himself how to play enough to facilitate his love for writing songs.
Born with muscular dystrophy
, Donnie Demers had his first taste of "show biz" during his apprenticeship as Poster child
for the Muscular Dystrophy Association
for the state of Massachusetts
when he was just 4 years old.
In 1982, Donnie Demers made his first National Television appearance on the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
". Along with his brother Jimmy, they performed an original song, "If We Fell in Love Again," receiving a standing ovation that prompted Jerry Lewis
to hold an unscheduled interview with the young composer in front of a live television audience of several million viewers. In 1983, producers of the Jerry Lewis Telethon invited Donnie to write a National Jingle to promote the annual Labor Day Broadcast. The result, "Labor Day Is America's Day (for MDA)" ran from 1983-1984 over television and radio broadcasts during pre-Telethon promotion.
In 1983, September 5, Donnie Demers received the honor of "September 5 - Donnie Demers Day" from his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts as proclaimed by the then-Mayor, Sara Robertson. The ceremony took place during the locally-televised portion of the telethon on WCVB-TV
Boston
and presented to his family by station anchor and local telethon host Natalie Jacobson
. Donnie was in Las Vegas performing for the National Segment of the telethon at Caesar's Palace and was unable to accept the award in person.
In 1992, Donnie's original song, "Second Chance" was featured in the film "Double Trouble" directed by John Paragon and starring David Paul, Peter Paul, Roddy McDowall
and David Carradine
. In the scene where David Jade is romancing his date in front of a crackling fire (David Paul plays a good cop opposite his twin brother Peter's role as the poster child for "TROUBLE"), it is Donnie's song that plays in the background.
On October 11, 2007, Donnie and his brother Jimmy were special guest artists at the Closing Ceremony of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games
at Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai, China where the brothers performed and premiered Donnie's original composition, "Benediction (Let The Best of You Go Free)" to an audience of over 65,000 people in attendance.
In 2008, Donnie Demers wrote the words and music to several of the songs on the Concord Music Group
Record Label release of the debut album "[ Dream a Little]" by his brother Jimmy Demers. Among those songs, "It's a Lonely World" is featured on the Sirius radio show of 'Best-Selling Author' and motivational speaker, Deepak Chopra
. Along with composing, playing piano and arranging many of the songs on "Dream a Little," Donnie also co-executive produced and designed the albums packaging as well.
In February 2009, Donnie Demers (along with brother Jimmy Demers) performed "Benediction (Let the Best of You Go Free)" at the 2009 Opening Ceremony of the Winter Special Olympics World Games
in Boise, Idaho
. A special "second lyric" was penned for this occasion:
Additionally, they were guest performers at the Closing Ceremony of the same Winter Games.
Also in February 2009, Pop Superstar and former American Idol
Judge, Paula Abdul
hosted "An evening with Jimmy Demers" at the Bel Air, California hotspot, Vibrato (co-owned by Herb Alpert
). Mr. Alpert and his wife Lani Hall
, Billie Dee Williams
and former mega supermodel Cheryl Tiegs
were among numerous Hollywood A-listers who joined Donnie & Jimmy as they performed the songs of Donnie Demers to a standing room only crowd.
On July 23, 2009, Jimmy and Donnie Demers joined forces for a one night only performance in New York City at Feinstein's at The Loews Regency Hotel http://feinsteinsattheregency.com/ to a sold out crowd. This marked the duo's return to the New York Stage from a near ten year absence where they last performed at the famed Oakroom in the Algonquin Hotel
back in 1997. The Demers brothers once again returned to Feinstein's in January 2010, where they were the 2010 Premier act of the Feinstein's 2010 Schedule.
In April 2010, Donnie performed at the historical Sheldonian Theater in Oxford, England, with his brother Jimmy Demers
, for The Skoll World Forum Awards, where they both received a standing ovation for their performance of Donnie's original song, "Benediction."
On June 12, 2010, at the request of Diane Meyer Simon
, (environment activist and co-founder of Global Green USA
), Donnie Demers (along with brother Jimmy Demers) once again found themselves performing Donnie's inspirational original song, "Benediction," at the 14th annual Global Green USA Millennium Awards held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and record producer who has traveled around the world performing with his brother Jimmy Demers
Jimmy Demers
Jimmy Demers is an American singer/songwriter, best known as "the voice" of the "Always Coca Cola" ad campaign. He is also a contributor to The Huffington Post....
. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Donnie first began playing the piano on a toy version of the instrument when he was just 4 years old. Continuing his interest throughout elementary school, Donnie ultimately taught himself how to play enough to facilitate his love for writing songs.
Born with muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue.In the 1860s, descriptions of boys who...
, Donnie Demers had his first taste of "show biz" during his apprenticeship as Poster child
Poster child
A poster child is a child afflicted by some disease or deformity whose picture is used on posters or other media as part of a campaign to raise money or enlist volunteers for a cause or organization...
for the Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is an American organization which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public...
for the state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
when he was just 4 years old.
In 1982, Donnie Demers made his first National Television appearance on the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
The MDA Labor Day Telethon is an annual telethon in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association . The first MDA telethon was during the Thanksgiving Day weekend of 1952 and titled Party for MDA. It has been held annually since 1966...
". Along with his brother Jimmy, they performed an original song, "If We Fell in Love Again," receiving a standing ovation that prompted Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
to hold an unscheduled interview with the young composer in front of a live television audience of several million viewers. In 1983, producers of the Jerry Lewis Telethon invited Donnie to write a National Jingle to promote the annual Labor Day Broadcast. The result, "Labor Day Is America's Day (for MDA)" ran from 1983-1984 over television and radio broadcasts during pre-Telethon promotion.
In 1983, September 5, Donnie Demers received the honor of "September 5 - Donnie Demers Day" from his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts as proclaimed by the then-Mayor, Sara Robertson. The ceremony took place during the locally-televised portion of the telethon on WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Hearst Television and affiliated with the ABC Television Network. WCVB-TV's studios and transmitter are co-located in Needham, Massachusetts. WCVB is also one of six Boston television stations seen in Canada by...
Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and presented to his family by station anchor and local telethon host Natalie Jacobson
Natalie Jacobson
Natalie Jacobson was for a quarter-century a well-regarded and popular television newscaster with WCVB-TV in Boston, Massachusetts....
. Donnie was in Las Vegas performing for the National Segment of the telethon at Caesar's Palace and was unable to accept the award in person.
In 1992, Donnie's original song, "Second Chance" was featured in the film "Double Trouble" directed by John Paragon and starring David Paul, Peter Paul, Roddy McDowall
Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
and David Carradine
David Carradine
David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
. In the scene where David Jade is romancing his date in front of a crackling fire (David Paul plays a good cop opposite his twin brother Peter's role as the poster child for "TROUBLE"), it is Donnie's song that plays in the background.
On October 11, 2007, Donnie and his brother Jimmy were special guest artists at the Closing Ceremony of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games
2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games
The 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games were held in Shanghai, China.- Events :* Aquatics* Athletics* Badminton* Basketball* Bocce* Bowling* Cycling* Equestrian* Floor Hockey* Football * Golf* Gymnastics* Judo* Kayaking...
at Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai, China where the brothers performed and premiered Donnie's original composition, "Benediction (Let The Best of You Go Free)" to an audience of over 65,000 people in attendance.
In 2008, Donnie Demers wrote the words and music to several of the songs on the Concord Music Group
Concord Music Group
Concord Music Group is a record company owned by Village Roadshow formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. On December 18, 2006, Concord announced the re-launch of the soul label Stax;...
Record Label release of the debut album "[ Dream a Little]" by his brother Jimmy Demers. Among those songs, "It's a Lonely World" is featured on the Sirius radio show of 'Best-Selling Author' and motivational speaker, Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as an endocrinologist and later shifted his focus to alternative medicine. Chopra now runs his own medical center, with a focus on...
. Along with composing, playing piano and arranging many of the songs on "Dream a Little," Donnie also co-executive produced and designed the albums packaging as well.
In February 2009, Donnie Demers (along with brother Jimmy Demers) performed "Benediction (Let the Best of You Go Free)" at the 2009 Opening Ceremony of the Winter Special Olympics World Games
Special Olympics World Games
The Special Olympics World Games are an international sporting competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities, organized by Special Olympics....
in Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
. A special "second lyric" was penned for this occasion:
- Find your voice and then be heard. Listen well, hear every word. The way to truth is honesty, it's there for you and it's there for me. See your dreams and make them real, something that your soul can feel. Reach out for what can someday be and then rise, rise, rise above your dreams...and let the best of you go free!
Additionally, they were guest performers at the Closing Ceremony of the same Winter Games.
Also in February 2009, Pop Superstar and former American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
Judge, Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
hosted "An evening with Jimmy Demers" at the Bel Air, California hotspot, Vibrato (co-owned by Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
). Mr. Alpert and his wife Lani Hall
Lani Hall
Lani Hall is an American singer and the wife of Herb Alpert.-Music career:Her first public appearances occurred in Old Town Chicago in early 1966. At one of those performances, she was heard by Brazilian Bossa Nova pianist/bandleader Sérgio Mendes, who happened to be on tour in Chicago...
, Billie Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
and former mega supermodel Cheryl Tiegs
Cheryl Tiegs
Cheryl Rae Tiegs is an American model and actress.- Early years :Tiegs was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota but raised in Alhambra, California, and she graduated from Alhambra High School in 1965. She also attended the California State University, Los Angeles and became a little sister to the Sigma...
were among numerous Hollywood A-listers who joined Donnie & Jimmy as they performed the songs of Donnie Demers to a standing room only crowd.
On July 23, 2009, Jimmy and Donnie Demers joined forces for a one night only performance in New York City at Feinstein's at The Loews Regency Hotel http://feinsteinsattheregency.com/ to a sold out crowd. This marked the duo's return to the New York Stage from a near ten year absence where they last performed at the famed Oakroom in the Algonquin Hotel
Algonquin Hotel
The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan . The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark....
back in 1997. The Demers brothers once again returned to Feinstein's in January 2010, where they were the 2010 Premier act of the Feinstein's 2010 Schedule.
In April 2010, Donnie performed at the historical Sheldonian Theater in Oxford, England, with his brother Jimmy Demers
Jimmy Demers
Jimmy Demers is an American singer/songwriter, best known as "the voice" of the "Always Coca Cola" ad campaign. He is also a contributor to The Huffington Post....
, for The Skoll World Forum Awards, where they both received a standing ovation for their performance of Donnie's original song, "Benediction."
On June 12, 2010, at the request of Diane Meyer Simon
Diane Meyer Simon
Diane Meyer Simon is an environment activist, founder and leader of Global Green USA, member of the Green Cross International's Honorary Board, and politician....
, (environment activist and co-founder of Global Green USA
Global Green USA
Global Green USA is the U.S. arm of Green Cross International. It is one of 30 national offices with over 70 professional staff worldwide. Global Green USA is a national environmental organization.-References:*, Global Green USA Website...
), Donnie Demers (along with brother Jimmy Demers) once again found themselves performing Donnie's inspirational original song, "Benediction," at the 14th annual Global Green USA Millennium Awards held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.