Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From '' Freedom ''
Label: dB Productions Inc β DB552013
Format: CD, CD-ROM, Album, Stereo
Country: USA, Canada & Europe
Released: 2013
Tracklist
01. Missed Opportunity
02. Freedom
03. Open Road
04. Liquid Glass
05. Trouble In Paradise
06. Rocking Chair
07. Malibu Canyon
08. Rebecca (She Said Yes)
09. Rainy Sunday
10. Family
11. Greensleeves (What Child Is This)
Songwriter β Donnie Barren
Β© 2013 Donnie Barren Holtzinger
β 2013 Donnie Barren Holtzinger
π€ [ARTIST INFO]
Donnie Barren played lead guitar for the Los Angeles rock band "City Lights" in the late 70's and early 80's, writing and singing songs for the group's single ("Action/Back Off Babe") and EP ("Blackout"). Some of the more fun gigs were at the Whiskey a Go-Go, Starwood, Gazzarri's, and the Troubadour, where City Lights headlined or shared the stage with bands like Dokken, RATT, Poison, Snow, X, Oingo Boingo (Danny Elfman's band), Joshua, and Dubrow (formerly Quiet Riot).
Donnie ventured out on his own in 1982, releasing the single "I Love My Cat's Meow/Falling In Love" in March 1983 (acting as musician, singer/songwriter, producer and promo-man). The tune was well received, being played on over 15 Southern California radio stations during its 1st month and garnering college radio coverage across the USA and in Germany.
"Cat's Meow" hit no.1 on LA's KXLU, entered KROQ's "Rodney on the Roq's" Top 10 in April (at no.7) and moved to no.1 for all of May and June. At the time, KROQ (FM 106.7 in Pasadena, CA) was the no.1 Album Oriented Rock (AOR) station in LA and was regarded as the new music trend-setter across the US. For perspective, Nena's "99 Balloons" (CBS Records) held the no.1 position on "Rodney on the Roq's" Top 10 the following month, July of 1983. This was long before other AOR stations added the German song to their play lists, ultimately making "99 Balloons" a national Top 40 Hit.
Unfortunately, just as Cat's Meow was climbing the charts, Donnie's distribution partner (Faulty Products, a division of IRS/A&M Records) ran out of money and stopped promoting its stable of artists (groups like the Bangles, Dead Kennedys & DOA). Looking back, it's ironic that Donnie signed up with a label called "Faulty Products", but they were considered one of the best "new music" distributors at the time. If they had put some promotion support behind the single, the song could have had a strong national showing.
Undeterred, Donnie continued to record and release original tracks throughout the 80s while gaining a deeper appreciation for the business side of music. He ultimately took a break to finish school (earning an MBA from Harvard) and then dove into the business world (albeit not the music biz), working at Procter and Gamble and Microsoft.
Years later, Donnie returned to his passion, re-releasing parts of his '80s catalog, producing a fresh collection of rock instrumentals (under his full name, Donnie Barren Holtzinger), and writing/producing songs for sync. His music now fuels TV shows, films, sports arenas, video games, and ad campaigns β with placements on HBO, Hulu, Netflix, The CW, the WNBA, Sonyβs MLB The Show, and brands like Amazon and Toyota.
Some people have asked: "Donnie who?" When Donnie was younger, he thought his last name was too long for a musician, so he opted to use his middle name. Now, many years the wiser, Donnie goes by either Donnie Barren or Don Holtzinger (or Donnie Barren Holtzinger). So, for those people that knew Donnie Barren (or "dB" for short), we'd like to introduce you to Don Holtzinger.
Drop Donnie a line on Facebook (@donholtzinger) or Instagram (@donniebarren). I know he'd like to hear from you.
π΅ [SONG INFO]
''Greensleeves/What Child is This?'' has an odd origin.
While they have the same melody, lyrically Greensleeves is a love song and What Child is This? is a song about the birth of Christ.
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationers' Company in September 1580, and the tune is found in several late 16th-century and early 17th-century sources.
"What Child Is This?" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of "Greensleeves" in 1871. Although written in Great Britain, the carol today is more popular in the United States than its country of origin.
~more info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensleeves and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Child_Is_This%3F
π [LINKS]
donniebarren.com
open.spotify.com/artist/5s72rFnWfMlfz4HlsHm4JQ
youtube.com/channel/UCtnDM74D4qaW993CgczeLuQ
facebook.com/donniebarrenholtzinger
Available on bandcamp:
donniebarrenholtzinger.bandcamp.com/album/freedom
and Apple Music:
music.apple.com/us/album/freedom/751944146
#donniebarren
#greensleeves
#whatchildisthis
#rockversion
From '' Freedom ''
Label: dB Productions Inc β DB552013
Format: CD, CD-ROM, Album, Stereo
Country: USA, Canada & Europe
Released: 2013
Tracklist
01. Missed Opportunity
02. Freedom
03. Open Road
04. Liquid Glass
05. Trouble In Paradise
06. Rocking Chair
07. Malibu Canyon
08. Rebecca (She Said Yes)
09. Rainy Sunday
10. Family
11. Greensleeves (What Child Is This)
Songwriter β Donnie Barren
Β© 2013 Donnie Barren Holtzinger
β 2013 Donnie Barren Holtzinger
π€ [ARTIST INFO]
Donnie Barren played lead guitar for the Los Angeles rock band "City Lights" in the late 70's and early 80's, writing and singing songs for the group's single ("Action/Back Off Babe") and EP ("Blackout"). Some of the more fun gigs were at the Whiskey a Go-Go, Starwood, Gazzarri's, and the Troubadour, where City Lights headlined or shared the stage with bands like Dokken, RATT, Poison, Snow, X, Oingo Boingo (Danny Elfman's band), Joshua, and Dubrow (formerly Quiet Riot).
Donnie ventured out on his own in 1982, releasing the single "I Love My Cat's Meow/Falling In Love" in March 1983 (acting as musician, singer/songwriter, producer and promo-man). The tune was well received, being played on over 15 Southern California radio stations during its 1st month and garnering college radio coverage across the USA and in Germany.
"Cat's Meow" hit no.1 on LA's KXLU, entered KROQ's "Rodney on the Roq's" Top 10 in April (at no.7) and moved to no.1 for all of May and June. At the time, KROQ (FM 106.7 in Pasadena, CA) was the no.1 Album Oriented Rock (AOR) station in LA and was regarded as the new music trend-setter across the US. For perspective, Nena's "99 Balloons" (CBS Records) held the no.1 position on "Rodney on the Roq's" Top 10 the following month, July of 1983. This was long before other AOR stations added the German song to their play lists, ultimately making "99 Balloons" a national Top 40 Hit.
Unfortunately, just as Cat's Meow was climbing the charts, Donnie's distribution partner (Faulty Products, a division of IRS/A&M Records) ran out of money and stopped promoting its stable of artists (groups like the Bangles, Dead Kennedys & DOA). Looking back, it's ironic that Donnie signed up with a label called "Faulty Products", but they were considered one of the best "new music" distributors at the time. If they had put some promotion support behind the single, the song could have had a strong national showing.
Undeterred, Donnie continued to record and release original tracks throughout the 80s while gaining a deeper appreciation for the business side of music. He ultimately took a break to finish school (earning an MBA from Harvard) and then dove into the business world (albeit not the music biz), working at Procter and Gamble and Microsoft.
Years later, Donnie returned to his passion, re-releasing parts of his '80s catalog, producing a fresh collection of rock instrumentals (under his full name, Donnie Barren Holtzinger), and writing/producing songs for sync. His music now fuels TV shows, films, sports arenas, video games, and ad campaigns β with placements on HBO, Hulu, Netflix, The CW, the WNBA, Sonyβs MLB The Show, and brands like Amazon and Toyota.
Some people have asked: "Donnie who?" When Donnie was younger, he thought his last name was too long for a musician, so he opted to use his middle name. Now, many years the wiser, Donnie goes by either Donnie Barren or Don Holtzinger (or Donnie Barren Holtzinger). So, for those people that knew Donnie Barren (or "dB" for short), we'd like to introduce you to Don Holtzinger.
Drop Donnie a line on Facebook (@donholtzinger) or Instagram (@donniebarren). I know he'd like to hear from you.
π΅ [SONG INFO]
''Greensleeves/What Child is This?'' has an odd origin.
While they have the same melody, lyrically Greensleeves is a love song and What Child is This? is a song about the birth of Christ.
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationers' Company in September 1580, and the tune is found in several late 16th-century and early 17th-century sources.
"What Child Is This?" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of "Greensleeves" in 1871. Although written in Great Britain, the carol today is more popular in the United States than its country of origin.
~more info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensleeves and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Child_Is_This%3F
π [LINKS]
donniebarren.com
open.spotify.com/artist/5s72rFnWfMlfz4HlsHm4JQ
youtube.com/channel/UCtnDM74D4qaW993CgczeLuQ
facebook.com/donniebarrenholtzinger
Available on bandcamp:
donniebarrenholtzinger.bandcamp.com/album/freedom
and Apple Music:
music.apple.com/us/album/freedom/751944146
#donniebarren
#greensleeves
#whatchildisthis
#rockversion
