Nashville, Alaska
50 Years Old
Songwriter

writer profile >

""The way the hammer shapes the hand," Jackson Browne"

BIOGRAPHY

Dean Madonia was born and raised Kalamazoo Michigan. Dean is both a musician, and a visual artist, and has been playing piano professionally since age 8 when he began to perform during his musician father's breaks at the local Ramada Inn piano bar. Picking up the guitar at age 13, Dean performed his originals in various coffeehouses and bars throughout high-school and while attending Central Michigan University. At Central, Dean starred for two seasons in a local PBS children's television show Acorns and Oak-trees , where he was required to write and perform a song live each week for an audience consisting mostly of faculty children.

Moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the eighties, Dean performed and recorded with over 40 original and cover bands and opened for such diverse acts as: New Grass Revival, Steve Vai, Dee Dee Ramone, Company B, Dottie West, The Romantics, and Ygnwie Malmsteen . In the 90's, Dean's original band, Third Wish/Wyscan released a three song self- titled EP as Third wish. After a name change they released a full length CD also titled Third Wish which was distributed through jazz/fusion guitarist Bon Lozaga's label, Lo Lo Records . On completion of that CD, Dean left Wyscan to record and release his first solo CD, Deep Sky which was released in 1998 to excellent reviews.

Dean began to concentrate more on writing while working in Jon Secada's production studio Heaven Studios with ProTools guru and producer Charles Dye and "Dove" award-winning songwriter Tom McWilliams. There he wrote, recorded and produced for different music projects, signing four songs with Tom under single song contracts with Emilio Estefan's company, Foreign Imported Publishing .

Dean has been making trips to Nashville to write and perform since 1999, and finally settled there in 2002 where he has made a living playing music, performing as a solo act, with his band, and with many Nashville stars including Julie Roberts, Gary Allan and Billy Currington.

Dean's song "Honor Is Ours," co-written with Keith Ridenour and Scott Avery, will be on the soundtrack for the movie "Foodfight!" this summer.

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LEVEL

professional

Contact

Management: NA
Publishing: Soft Monkey Music ASCAP
Label: Soft Monkey Music
Booking: Dean madonia
Administrative: Nancy Eckert

P.R.O.

ASCAP

INSTRUMENTS

b3 organ / bass / bongos / congas / drums / acoustic guitar / electric guitar / keyboard / percussion / piano / tambourine

INFLUENCES

I was inspired by my parent music first - Dad's Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Martino, Booker T. and the MGs, and many classical recordings, Mom's Joan Baez, Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary. The radio was my best friend: 70's am pop, 80's fm rock, 90's alt. I really started figuring out what I liked by the time I was in my teens, but my tastes continue to evolve. I like Pre-glam Elton John, Paul Simon, The Beatles, Eagles, James Taylor, Jackson Brown, Neil Diamond, Jimmy Webb, Billy Joel, Paul Williams, Carole King, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristoferson,Jim Croce, Angela Kaset, Don Henry, Steve Seskin, Hugh Prestwood, Craig Carothers, Kansas, Journey, Yes, ELP, Kevin Gilbert, Tom Waites, Leonard Cohen, John Prine, Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden, Blind Melon. I have a guilty-pleasure-weakness for prog/rock bands like: Yes, U.K., King Crimson, old Genesis, Asia, Kansas, Styx, etc. My main inspiration and focus now comes from writer/producers like Phil Collins, Desmond Child, Glen Ballard, Norman Whitfield, Phil Spector (not the shooting part though), Brian Eno, Kara DioGuardi, John Shanks, Rivers Rutherford...

DAY JOB

Dueling Pianos (I travel coast to coast every weekend)

I AM INTERESTED IN

in co writing online
in co writing in person
in networking with songwriters
in pitching songs to artist
in pitching songs to tv
in getting a publishing deal

I WRITE:

It's my second job

I Also Write:
by myself
with others
for myself
for others

I Prefer To Write:
lyrics
melody
music

experience >

SONG CUTS

"You," - Trent Jeffcoat (co-writer/producer) "The Long Way Around," Trent Jeffcoat (co-writer/producer) "Tennesse," Tim Dugger co-writer)

SONG PLACEMENTS

"Honor Is Ours" - The Swampdaddy's - in the movie "Foodfight!" 2009

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