Donny Rod

Donnie's Singing Solo Show features "The Donny Rod Show" as his special Salute to Rod Stewart. With his uncanny looks, personality, and sound of Rod Stewart make you feel like you are watching the real guy.

Donnie will go back and sing songs from the earlier years with Rod and the Jeff Beck Group and Faces to the diversity of singing the songs from his “Great American Song Books” Donnie has performed on stage all over the country, from large concert halls to smaller venues. Donnie not just sings Rod music but will sing as a solo artist as well, his array of musical talent is unmatched .

As a seasoned veteran his diversity to singing anything from Classic Rock to the Old Standards, like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole to todays talented Michael Buble. He also tours and works with “ The Legend Brothers Show” a tribute to the superstars show, that features our artists impersonating , Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers , Dolly ,Johnny Cash, Kenny Chesney,Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison , Patsy Cline, Janet Lee, Selene, and more just to name a few.

Donnie Stroup, as Donny Rod, is a Michigan native who grew up in the Metro Detroit area.  His roots in singing are found as a young teenager singing in his family’s small local church, were he sang traditional Christian songs. He also sang in his high school choir and select chorale ensemble. Donnie gravitated as a youngster listening to rock and blues. Some of the artists that influenced him are Rockers ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart. Blues artists like Louis Armstrong, Stevie Ray Vaughn capture his attention too.  Some legendary singers also are a part of that inspiration like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tom Jones and the Rock and Roll King, Elvis.

He started out in his professional music career as a high school senior where he and others formed their first rock band called, “The Best of Us”.  This group featured Donnie as lead vocal, Jerry Kenny on lead guitar, Steve Voight on Bass Guitar, and Jeff (Foss) Craft on Drums. The band was hired to play at local parties, their own high school dances and their first paying “real gig” at Ratties Animal Farm in Fraser, Michigan.

After each of the band members went their own way after high school, he ventured out looking for another band. The word around town was that a local band was in need of a lead vocalist.  Ironically, just down the road of his rural Macomb Township home, was the home of the lead guitarist for this band. Soon he met with Bobby (Eldorado) Duncan (Guitarist and Vocals) and formed the group “Champagne”.  The two of them added Rick Eschenburg as Bass Guitarist, Michael Pfeffer on Drums and Joe Mitchell on Rhythm Guitar to make things complete.

“Champagne” was one of Detroit areas hottest rock bands, playing most of the major rock clubs and concert halls in the Detroit area. They were interviewed by several of the local newspapers. In the Macomb Daily it was stated in an Oct interview, they quoted “If there’s a note of tentativeness on the future, it comes from the Rod Stewart-Type in this quintet, lead singer Don Stroup”.  Ironically, even some 35 years earlier, his audience thought his antics resembled the real Rod.

Not long after this group formed, they went to the studio to record their first 45 record and demo track. The record received airplay on W4 and WABX. Stroup, with his band Champagne, performed alongside big ticket bands such as Steppenwolf, Mitch Ryder, Herman’s Hermits, Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown, and too many to mention.

After being well established, Duncan and Stroup had an idea to promote, and organize, an outside rock concert in the back acreage of the family’s Stroup Farm, where at that time he lived. For this event, they hired friends and relatives to help with ticket sales, security, and crowd control. On July 21, 1979, “Stroup Stock” as they called the event took place. It was estimated they had close to a thousand in attendance. The festival started at noon and ended sometime after midnight. Five bands performed throughout the day ending with the headliner “Champagne”.

Not long after the spring of 1981, band members of Champagne decided to hire another lead singer.  Donnie’s bubble burst and he was not sure what direction to go in his musical career. This was an opportunity for him to venture into a more diverse direction. Donnie received news that there were auditions in the Detroit area for the position of Master of Ceremony for Dance Revues.  A prerequisite of this position was to be able to dance, sing and act.  He was hired on and continued to perform for several years.

In 1999 the tool shop where he was employed folded. Being a guy that always kept himself fit and liked helping people do the same; he decided to pursue a career in Personal Fitness Training. After some schooling, he became certified and insured and started working in local fitness centers and which led to opening his own business called “The Fitness Expert Personal Training and Wellness”.