Faith. Family. Real Life.

At the heart of The Derbys is a story that feels increasingly rare today: we're a husband, wife, and daughter who didn't just survive hard seasons together — we turned them into songs that help people heal.

In a culture that constantly celebrates overnight success, we hope we represent something deeper: the beauty of staying together when life falls apart.

WHO WE ARE:

We're Don, Lauren, and Ella — a family from Tennessee who makes family-friendly Christian music that weaves in a little country and gospel. And at nearly every show, and all over social media, people ask us the same question:

"Where can we get your music?"

We're currently working to finally record and release it — and we'd love for you to be part of the story. But first, here's how we got here, and why we hope it matters to your family too.

FROM LOSING THE FARM TO FINDING PURPOSE:

I (Don) grew up on country music, hard work, and dirt roads — farming, family, faith. I started writing songs young, long before anyone was listening. It was how I held on.

And I held on hard. Life on the farm was relentless, and when I was thirteen, a drought left the ground so dry the tractor wheels dropped right into the cracks. We lost the farm that summer — everything we'd built, gone.

We relocated to Oklahoma, and that brought a different kind of struggle. Overnight I went from a tiny country school to one bigger than my whole hometown — a farm kid lost in a sea of strangers, certain I didn't belong. So I wrote. Through every hard season, songwriting was the one thing I never lost.

The rule before Nashville was simple — earn a degree first. So I did, saved every dollar, and drove to Tennessee to answer the calling that had carried me through so many tough seasons of life.

THE TRIAL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING:

The best thing I ever chose was family. I married Lauren, and together we had Ella — who picked up the fiddle when she was barely three.

Then Lauren got sick. She had hardly been sick a day in her life, so it blindsided all of us. For years we walked through fear, exhaustion, hospital rooms, and prayers whispered at 2 a.m. — chasing answers from doctor after doctor — until she was finally diagnosed with severe Lyme disease. What followed were years of treatment, central lines, and medications, along with medical debt that piled up fast.

The hardest part was that we didn't even know what we'd been up against. We'd been living in black mold without realizing it — and only discovered it when we pulled a pair of Lauren's shoes from the back of her closet, ones she hadn't worn in months, and found them covered in mold. Our doctor told us the mold had hit Lauren's immune system so hard that it let the Lyme take hold; without it, she may never have gotten sick at all.

Those moments stripped everything down to what actually mattered. And through all of it, our faith is what held us together.

SONGS WRITTEN FROM SCARS, NOT STRATEGY:

Somehow, in the middle of all of it, music remained. Real music — written from scars instead of strategy.

And the music began to change. The faith that was carrying us through, found its way into everything I wrote — country was giving way to songs of faith. I wasn't just writing about hope; I was writing about the only thing holding us together.

That's where Ella comes in. By seven, she was playing the fiddle like a seasoned adult — a raw, almost unexplainable gift that leaves a room speechless, and still amazes us to this day. But Ella didn't just inherit our family's love for music — she became the voice that breathed life back into it. With youthful honesty, melodies, and harmonies, she turned my stories into something multi-generational. It started in late-night jam sessions and grew from there: people kept asking to see the two of us together, until every show became a family show.

When you watch us, you're not just watching performers. You're watching family.

A STORY SO MANY FAMILIES QUIETLY CARRY:

Our story resonates because it reflects what so many families carry: loss, generational struggles, financial hardship, fear, faith, forgiveness, and the decision to keep showing up anyway.

That's why our shows work just as powerfully in churches as they do at fairs, family nights, community festivals, and country venues. We're not trying to be edgy for attention or controversial for clicks. We're creating safe, meaningful entertainment families can experience together — the kind where you don't just leave remembering a song. You leave remembering hope.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP:

That question — "Where can we get your music?" — is the one we hear most. And the honest answer has been that we haven't been able to afford to make it. It's never been easier to release a song — and never been harder to survive as an artist or to record one the right way. We've been working day jobs to chase down the medical debt, and there's been no time and no money left over to get these songs out into the world.

That's where you come in.

WHERE YOUR GIFT GOES:

Every dollar goes straight to the work of getting this music made and into your home:

Recording 15 brand-new songs (studio time, musicians, mixing and mastering): $30,000

Sharing the music (social content and photos so families can find it): $8,000

The team that keeps it sustainable (development and management): $5,000

Reaching new families (marketing, ads, and platform costs): $2,000

Our goal: $45,000

We've already begun raising support, and $45,000 closes the gap to make this happen.

WE'LL BRING YOU WITH US:

This isn't a one-time ask and a goodbye. As the songs come to life, we'll share the journey with you — updates and milestones along the way, so you can watch exactly what your generosity is building.

And we never want your kindness to go unnoticed. As a small thank-you, we're putting together handmade keepsakes for those who give — including handwritten lyrics from the very songs you're helping us record. Little gifts from our family to yours, and a way to keep you close to the music you helped make possible.

WILL YOU STAND WITH US?

We're not asking you to fund a dream that only matters to us. We believe these are songs for your family too — for the long, hard seasons, the very ones we've been living.

If our story has moved you, there are two ways to be part of what comes next:

Give — any amount brings these songs closer to finished.

Share — send this to one family who needs encouragement. Sharing helps as much as giving.

Thank you for being part of our story. We can't do this without you — and we'd be honored to have you with us.

"He hath put a new song in my mouth." — Psalm 40:3

With love,

Don, Lauren, and Ella — The Derbys