Dana moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1985 and formed blackgirls,[1] described by the Chicago Reader as a "dark art-folk trio,"[2] with Eugenia Lee Johnson and Hollis Brown.
In his Spin magazine review of Speechless, Tony Fletcher noted, "…hints of absolute greatness within, most noticeably on "Queen Anne," a ballad in which Dana Kletter's vocals lean towards the sultry peaks of Nico and Marianne Faithfull…" [4] The band came to the attention of American auteur producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention, Pink Floyd, REM).
[6] Kletter went on to form the four piece alternative rock band Dish,[7] "An intriguing mix of guitar-driven garage-rock and more mannered, piano-based pop introspection…".
Interscope Vice President, Tom Whalley, told Billboard magazine that "the high quality of songwriting in Dish and the sound of Dana's voice are two things that set this band apart.
Dear Enemy, released in 1998, garnered much praise on both sides of the Atlantic, from The Times ("an early contender for album of the year"), Mojo ("extraordinary and riveting"), New York Times ("The songs reveal a sensibility like nothing else in pop: private, dreamlike and heartfelt, as enigmatic and touching as Joseph Cornell's boxes"), San Francisco Chronicle ("gemlike"), but the sisters made no plans for a follow-up recording.
[12] Kletter has sung backing vocals[13] and played piano on Hole's[14] Live Through This, Mike Johnson's[15] Year of Mondays, Michael Hurley's Sweetkorn[16] The Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America, and on other recordings by Linda Thompson, Angels of Epistemology,[17] Damon and Naomi (ex-Galaxie 500) and Hobex.