Biography
Born in Canada, guitarist and composer Donna Grantis gained widest recognition for her role as a high-energy soloist alongside Prince in both 3rdEyeGirl and the New Power Generation. Fluent across funk, soul, jazz-fusion, electric blues, and hard rock, she regularly exchanged solos with the Purple One during live performances. Prince personally invited her into the NPG in 2012; the ensuing years took her across the U.K., Europe, and North America, including appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival and a private event at the White House for the Obama family. Parallel to that association, Grantis has fronted her own projects since 2010 while contributing to recordings by Red Light Riot, Meena, Shakura S'Aida, and Bobby Dean Blackburn.
She grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, on the edge of Toronto. Classic rock captured her imagination early, prompting her to begin playing guitar before age ten; among her initial heroes were Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Angus Young, and Jimi Hendrix. At fourteen she received her first electric instrument, and later earned a jazz-studies scholarship to McGill University in Montreal. Following graduation she settled in Toronto, working as a session and stage musician with area artists until 2010, when she joined Shakura S'Aida’s band the Solrawkestra as guitarist, co-writer, and musical director. That same year the group joined the Ruf Records Blues Caravan Tour alongside Coco Montoya. Grantis also served as music director for the CBC and launched the Donna Grantis Electric Band, a fusion-rock trio completed by drummer Roger Travassos and bassist Steve Zsirai; their debut album, Suites, appeared on Diamond Gem Records in 2012.
Prince encountered her music online and summoned her to Paisley Park in November 2012 for an audition with 3rdEyeGirl. Grantis relocated from Toronto to Minneapolis and spent the next four years performing with both 3rdEyeGirl and the NPG, a period that concluded with Prince’s death. During those years she composed the title track for Plectrumelectrum. After Prince’s passing, she and her husband spent time in Los Angeles and New York before returning to Minneapolis, where she assembled a jazz-fusion quintet featuring bassist Cody McKinney, drummer J.T. Bates, keyboardist Bryan Nichols, and percussionist Suphala. The group made its concert debut at The Dakota in August 2017—the same Minneapolis venue where 3rdEyeGirl had played its first show. Four years earlier, after a 3rdEyeGirl performance, Grantis had met Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready; the two connected immediately, leading to onstage collaborations during encores on consecutive nights. McCready later contributed to her quintet’s first single, the 2018 Diamond Gem/eOne release “Thrashformer” b/w “Violetta.” The full-length Diamonds & Dynamite, which incorporated those tracks, arrived in March 2019 and was followed by a North American tour.
She grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, on the edge of Toronto. Classic rock captured her imagination early, prompting her to begin playing guitar before age ten; among her initial heroes were Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Angus Young, and Jimi Hendrix. At fourteen she received her first electric instrument, and later earned a jazz-studies scholarship to McGill University in Montreal. Following graduation she settled in Toronto, working as a session and stage musician with area artists until 2010, when she joined Shakura S'Aida’s band the Solrawkestra as guitarist, co-writer, and musical director. That same year the group joined the Ruf Records Blues Caravan Tour alongside Coco Montoya. Grantis also served as music director for the CBC and launched the Donna Grantis Electric Band, a fusion-rock trio completed by drummer Roger Travassos and bassist Steve Zsirai; their debut album, Suites, appeared on Diamond Gem Records in 2012.
Prince encountered her music online and summoned her to Paisley Park in November 2012 for an audition with 3rdEyeGirl. Grantis relocated from Toronto to Minneapolis and spent the next four years performing with both 3rdEyeGirl and the NPG, a period that concluded with Prince’s death. During those years she composed the title track for Plectrumelectrum. After Prince’s passing, she and her husband spent time in Los Angeles and New York before returning to Minneapolis, where she assembled a jazz-fusion quintet featuring bassist Cody McKinney, drummer J.T. Bates, keyboardist Bryan Nichols, and percussionist Suphala. The group made its concert debut at The Dakota in August 2017—the same Minneapolis venue where 3rdEyeGirl had played its first show. Four years earlier, after a 3rdEyeGirl performance, Grantis had met Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready; the two connected immediately, leading to onstage collaborations during encores on consecutive nights. McCready later contributed to her quintet’s first single, the 2018 Diamond Gem/eOne release “Thrashformer” b/w “Violetta.” The full-length Diamonds & Dynamite, which incorporated those tracks, arrived in March 2019 and was followed by a North American tour.
Albums
Singles
