"Jammin'" JD Dohnal was born and raised in the frozen tundra of WI and then headed to Minneapolis, MN where he was a guitar major at Music Tech of Minneapolis (now named McNally Smith School of Music).
After being featured on two compilation CDs that showcased some of the state's top writers, he moved to Nashville, TN so he could truly pursue songwriting.
JD writes in a variety of styles but mainly focuses on the country market. He takes pride in coming up with clever hooks, double entendre story lines, and songs that tug at the heart. His song "Falling" (which he co-wrote with Dave Tough) was used in the 2009 Warner Bros movie "Observe and Report" (starring Seth Rogen), which hit theaters nationwide April 10th. It was an honor for his song to be among others by artists such as Bob Dylan, Queen, The Little River Band, and The Yardbirds. His song "Back To Her Roots" has been used for the hit CBS show "CSI". Other songs of his have been licensed for TV and advertising as well. JD is a Grand Prize winner in the 2009 John Lennon Songwriting Contest and a finalist in the International Songwriting Contest with the song "Beatles Without John" (co-written with Dave Tough). He was also the First Place winner in the 2008 USA Songwriting Competition and was a Grand Prize winner in the 2004 Nashville Song Search contest with the song "Month of Mondays" (which he co-wrote with Mark Schaffel). JD's songs have been recorded by several independent artists. He works with several publishers in Nashville, LA, and Canada including doing work-for-hire songwriting and producing for Universal Music Group. He also has his own publishing company set-up, Midnight Karma Music. The songs on this page are only a small sample of his diverse catalog. If you're an artist looking for material, don't hesitate to contact JD to see if he might have something in his song arsenal that may be suitable for your project.
When he's not writing lyrics on napkins, singing into his answering machine, or cheering for the Packers, JD loves to be on stage. He's been on the same bill as such notable acts as The Cars, Rick Springfield, Craig Morgan, Ambrosia, Daryle Singletary, and John Ford Coley. He is the founder/bassist/manager of "Top Tier"--a top-notch wedding/corporate band that travels frequently. In Top Tier's free time he also plays bass and manages a rock cover band called The Ex-Men that plays the coolest hits from the past 3 decades. He also lends his 6-string bass skills as a regular fill-in with Bueller (all 80's rock/pop), along with other country, pop, and rock artists who call on him to step in when needed. He takes his music seriously, but not himself. He was born to be on stage, and is known for his high-energy, crazy, and often humorous stage antics. Whether it's doing splits off a drum riser, dancing on a tabletop, or doing the pogo while rockin' out, JD is always sure to entertain.
