Donna Lubertha Hightower[nb 1] (December 28, 1926 – August 19, 2013) was an American R&B, soul and jazz singer and songwriter, who recorded and released albums for the Decca and Capitol labels.

She listened to singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, but never planned to have a singing career and by the age of 23 had been married, had two children, and divorced.

She also recorded solo, and her most successful record, "This World Today Is A Mess" ("Este Mundo es un Conflicto"), which she co-wrote, was an international hit — though not in the US, where it was not released, or in the UK — in 1972, reportedly selling 130,000 copies in Germany,[9] 800,000 in France[10] and over one million copies worldwide.

[2][5] Hightower is also known for the song "If You Hold My Hand", which was later sampled for the UK 2007 hit single "Handsfree" by Sonny J.

[5] In 2008, Sonny J released a remixed version of Hightower's song "If You Hold My Hand" entitled "Handsfree".