Don Ashley Turlington
Don Ashley Turlington is an author and musician born in 1972 in Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated from Saint Joseph's College of Maine[1] in Standish, Maine in 2000 and received his master's degree from Western New Mexico University. Later Saint Joseph's would name him as one of their most notable alumni. He currently resides in Saint Augustine, Florida with his wife Laura and their two adopted daughters, Kasenia and Meliza.
Writing career
Turlington‘s first book, called "Sakhalin to Santa",[2] is about adopting a child from Russia. He was inspired to write the book after he was contracted to write the sound track for a short film of the same name produced by the International Adoption Contact Group in August 2007. The book was published by International Adoption Contact, LLC in August 2008. It is a descriptive tale of what it took to adopt his first daughter Kasenia from Sakhalin, Russia in 2005 and the tribulations many endure when adopting internationally.
After writing "Sakhalin to Santa", Turlington was contracted to write another book, "Guatemalan Fajitas",[3] which was published in November 2010 by BVC Press. "Guatemalan Fajitas" invites the reader to understand what Don and his family went through when adopting his second daughter Meliza from Guatemala in 2008.
His third book, and first work of fiction, is called “The Passage Fairies”. This book was inspired by some of the experiences of his daughter, Kasenia, when she first moved to the United States from Russia. After it was self-published in November 2010, Turlington was commissioned to create a series around the book.
Music career
Turlington is signed to record label Toby 1-2 Records[4] and creates music under the name Ballet Wednesday. The name Ballet Wednesday was imagined when he was writing and composing his first album, “January”,[5] in 2008. He often spent Wednesdays waiting for his daughter Kasenia in a bar next to the studio where she attended ballet classes. "January" was released in February 2010.
His second album, “A Farolito X-mas”,[6] was released in late September 2010.[7]
His music is internet-based and, although he does sell full CDs, the main focus is on singles sold on iTunes and Napster. Turlington is completely self-taught and his music has been influenced by artists ranging from George Winston to Jan Hammer. The music recorded on January and A Farlito X-Mas was recorded solely in Turlington’s home studio using keyboards and electronic synthesizers.
Turlington, collaborating with a guitarist named Gregg Voss, formed Hacienda Tortuga and released their first album Saint Augustine Nights in 2011.
Guitarist Greg Voss is from the band Snapper Jackson in which he is the lead singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist. Turlington met Voss while he was a roadie for his band in 1994. Other members of Snapper Jackson include Josh Zahn (lead guitar) and Brian Barth (drums).
Under the name Ballet Wednesday, Turtlington recently released his third album, "Farther South",[8] through Toby 1-2 Records on March 27, 2012.
References
- ↑ http://www.sjcme.edu/ school homepage
- ↑ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-sakhalin-to-santa-da-turlington/1113541360
- ↑ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guatemalan-fajitas-don-ashley-turlington/1113673054
- ↑ "Record Label Information". Songcastmusic.com. 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/january/id382375372
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/a-farolito-christmas/id394873090
- ↑ "Record Label Site". Songcastmusic.com. 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/farther-south/id514512039