Tanya Donelly: Biography, Facts and Career
Who is Tanya Donelly? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

Tanya Donelly (born July 14, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England. She came to prominence as a co-founder of the band Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersh. Donelly went on to co-form the alternative rock band The Breeders alongside Kim Deal in 1989, before leaving to front her own band Belly in 1991. By the late 1990s, she settled into a solo recording career, working largely with musicians connected to the Boston music scene. Donelly was nominated for a Grammy in the mid-1990s as lead vocalist and songwriter for Belly, when she scored a national radio and music television hit with her composition "Feed the Tree". Belly recorded on Sire/Reprise Records and 4AD Records; Donelly's solo works have been released on Warner Bros. Records and 4AD. Over the years, she has listed several musical influences. In one interview, she named her guitar playing influences as Marc Ribot, the Beatles, and former bandmate Hersh. More recently, she mentioned Leonard Cohen as a songwriting hero, citing her then-current listening favorites as Lucinda Williams and Joan Wasser, and listing Boston-based groups like the Dambuilders, Pixies, and Count Zero as past favorites. Although Donelly mainly performs her own original songs, she has in recent years added covers of songs by Robyn Hitchcock, Nina Simone, the Beatles, and Pixies to her repertoire.
Quick facts about Tanya Donelly
- Full name: Tanya Donelly
- Born: 1966-07-14
- Nationality: United States
- Known as: Musician
- Wikidata ID: Q434464
Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Tanya Donelly?
Tanya Donelly (born July 14, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England.
What nationality is Tanya Donelly?
Tanya Donelly is United States.
When was Tanya Donelly born?
Tanya Donelly was born on 1966-07-14.



