Don Bridges, SAW Information Director

don bridges, having been involved with SAW for over 12 years, currently serves as the SAW Information Director, which is a fancy title for picking up and delivering the snail mail. He also books SAW’s twice-a-month Olney showcase at Caribou Coffee and hosts the Olney open mic on the 3rd Friday of each month. Coming off a three-year stint as SAW President, don remains available for free critiques on how the other Board members are doing in their current positions.

He writes in a variety of styles – children’s, folk, country, gospel, novelty, inspirational, bluegrass, blues, soft rock -- and has even tried his hand at hip-hop. A full-time musician since May 2001, don has steadily increased his performance statistics, topping out at a whopping 634 live appearances during 2005, including 119 shows for adults and seniors and 515 gigs for children and families. The annual total is expected to rise even higher in 2006.

For the grownups, don frequently performs with an ensemble known as “don bridges & Friends,” which may include SAW Board members Michelle Murray, Loralyn Coles or Ron Goad, multi-instrumentalist T.M. Hanna, lead guitarist Les Hatley, vocalist Cindy Ross or violinist Randy Latimer, as well as others from time to time. For the wee ones, “mister don” is a well-known commodity in the Mid-Atlantic region and has been honored with the Washington Area Music Association WAMMIE award for Children’s Vocalist for 2004 and 2005.

Between 1995 and 2001, don was part of a trio of performing SAW members known as Bridges To Bliss, which also included Bobbi Bliss and David M. Scales, until David was killed during the terrorist attack on The Pentagon on September 11, 2001. don, Bobbi, and David’s family will always remain grateful that SAW has created a student scholarship program in David’s memory. don’s songwriting credits include four category finalists and several honorable mention awards in four or five different categories of the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.

He currently offers three CDs for sale: “An Ardmore Afternoon,” which received a 2004 Wammie nomination for Contemporary Folk Recording; “mister don,” a 2001 release which includes 25 children’s songs, and “The Official Bootleg Version of the Shooka-la-la Sampler,” released in April 2006.

don’s favorite color is blue and his favorite activity is attending Paul Reisler’s annual Summer Intensive Songcamp. Due to his over-booked performance calendar, don spends most of his life in his car and is thus virtually inaccessible via email. The best way to reach him is by phone: 703-449-0817. His website is www.donbridgesongs.com.