Shon Donny was born October 22, 1936, on a rainy/Sunny afternoon day.
Those days people used to be very superstitious, and the expression was; When it is Sunny and Rainy at the same time, is because Zoembie/Zombie is beating his wife with the funchie stick!
Those decades, a vroemoen(Doula) used to help the parents, from 4 months up to delivery time, to deliver the babies.
A doula named Maria Gein, a 60 year old woman then, helped Miss Patricia Mercelina to deliver Donny Mercelina. Patricia Mercelina (Chia) daughter of Herado Mercelina(Yatie Grandi di Sabana Baka), Donny’s mother and grandfather, and his father’s name was Hipólito Ocalia r, e pintor di banda Ceru Grandi.
His father was a known painter and musician. He used to have a band named Banda Strijden.
Shon Donny grew up with all the instruments of his father at home. Because of his will and curiosity, he used to practice on all the instruments. That’s how he learned to play mainly the Bongo, and also guitar, Harmonica, Accordion/Bandoneón, Tambora, Guiro, Marimba and Marimbula.
A Life destined for music
When his father realized that he used to touch his instruments without permission, he asked Donny: Why are you touching the instruments without my permission?
Donny answered; Actually, he was practicing only the Bongo, because he really liked the instrument.
His father decided to try him out in his band, and that is how he started to play in his father’s band when he was 12 years old. During Tambù season, which is the end of the year, Shon Donny’s family used to get in a truck and drive around to different Tambù parties. One day in a Tambù party next to where he lives, he heard the virtuoso Gustaf Doran (Ta di Djudju)play the Tambù rhythm on the Bari (drum).
He was so impressed. The impact of how impressive Ta di Djudju played the Bari, made him practice the Bari to become as good as Ta di Djudju.
When Shon Donny turned 17 years old, at a Tambù party where Shon Cola was singing, he took the courage to ask to play the Bari. While he was playing, Ta di Djudju asked; who is playing the Bari?
As soon as Shon Donny finished playing the Bari, Ta di Djudju went to him and asked him; where did you learn to play the Bari like that? Shon Donny replied; I was so impressed by the way you play sir, that is why I was practicing all your patterns.
After that performance, Shon Cola invited him to join the band. He became the third Tambulero of the band. Tambulero is the name you get when you are a specialist on the instruments of Tambù and the Chapi (The Hoe). Shon Cola used to have two Tambulero. When one play the Bari, the other one plays the Chapi. Donny Mercelina became the third Tambulero.
When Shon Donny turned 19 years old, he also became a singer of the Shon Cola Tambu group.
When Shon Donny turned 20 years old, he started his own quartet band named Flor De Quinta, to play popular music.
In his own band he played the instruments Bandoneón, Harmonica, Dominican Tambora, Guira, Marimba, Maracas, Copper Wiri and also sang.