Alyssa Bonagura

Alyssa Bonagura
Birth name Alyssa Baillie Bonagura
Born April 1, 1988
Nashville, US
Genres Singer Songwriter, Country, Pop
Occupation(s) Singer songwriter, musician, producer, audio engineer
Instruments Guitar, Piano, Bass, Mandolin, Accordion, Dulcimer
Years active 1998 – present
Associated acts Baillie & the Boys, Tyler Bryant, Aerosmith, Jessie James Decker, Jo Dee Messina, Jedd Hughes, Jeffrey Steele, Kenny Rogers, Sarah Jarosz, Vince Gill, Delbert McClinton, Small Town Pistols, The Wilkinsons
Website alyssabonagura.com

Alyssa Bonagura (born April 1, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter.

Early life and career

Alyssa Bonagura is from Franklin, Tennessee. She is the daughter of singers Michael Bonagura and Kathie Baillie of Baillie & the Boys.[1] She has been singing since the age of 2 and is a multi-instrumentalist.[2] At the age of 11 she was asked by Kenny Rogers to sing a duet with him on his Christmas album Christmas From The Heart. She was awarded the Sennheiser Scholarship which allowed her to graduate from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts with a degree in sound technology in 2009.[3] She performed back up vocals in "That Old Glass Case" on her mother's 2006 album Love's Funny That Way. While studying in England from 2006 to 2009, she became a temporary member of Pete Wylie and The Mighty Wah! and played at such events as the 2007 Queens Variety Show in Liverpool, England at the Empire Theatre, and Knowsley Hall Music Festival alongside acts such as The Who, The Coral, and The Thrills. She performed at the 2008 European Capital of Culture event, Liverpool: the Musical – the event which inaugurated Liverpool's new Echo Arena with Ringo Starr.

In 2010, Bonagura signed with Rondor Music International (A division of Universal Music) as a songwriter and has successfully written songs for Raquel Castro's debut single "Diary".[4] In 2011, Sarah Jarosz released a single that she co-wrote with Bonagura called "Run Away." She's also co-written the song "Keeping Secrets" with Tyler Ward on his 2012 album Hello. Love. Heartbreak. and "Like U" for Kaya Jones former member of The Pussycat Dolls on her Release album.

She has produced artists including Jo Dee Messina and Jessie James. Alyssa co-wrote, produced, and was featured on the song Unbreakable,[5] the first song Messina has released since her split from a major label. Jessie James' version of Bonagura's song "Nothing More To Say" was featured on Perez Hilton's blog site in 2010.[6]

In 2012, her song "I Make My Own Sunshine" was used in a Lowe's commercial. Her debut album Love Hard was released on October 30, 2012.[7]

Alyssa has opened as a solo artist for Jason Mraz, Mike Posner, and Paramore.

Discography

Albums

Singles

As a writer

Year Artist Album Song
2014 Jessie James Decker' Comin' Home (19 Recordings) "Rain on the Roof of This Car"
"Diary"
"Momma Wrote You A Lullaby"
Jo Dee Messina "Me" (Dreambound) "Not Dead Yet"
"He's Messed Up"
Tyler Hilton Indian Summer "I Want To Be in Love So Bad"
Morgan Evans (Australian Country Artist) Morgan Evans (Self Titled) (Warner Music Australasia) "Tornado"
"I Wanna Go"
"Best of Me"
"Best I Never had"
2013 Tyler Ward Hello. Love. Heartbreak.(EP) Sony Music Entertainment "Keeping Secrets"
Jo Dee Messina iTunes Single "Unbreakable"
Sarah Jarosz Build Me Up From Bones (Sugar Hill Records) "Gone Too Soon"
2012 Chelsea Basham (Australian Country Artist) Single "I Make My Own Sunshine"
2011 Sarah Jarosz Follow Me Down (Sugar Hill Records) "Run Away"
Isabelle Boulay "Les grands espaces" (Disques Chic Musique) "All I Want Is Love"
Jessie James Decker "Unreleased Single " (Featured on Perez Hilton's Website) "Nothing More To Say"

References

  1. Sean Spillane (April 6, 2007). "Baillie comes home". Connecticut Post.
  2. Lori Shaw-Cohen (January 12, 2003). "Direction gives wings to teens' goals". The Tennessean. p. W.7.
  3. Evans, Jim (December 9, 2008). "With a little help from Sennheiser". L&Si Online. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  4. Gamboa, Glenn (February 2, 2012). "A super Sunday for Raquel Castro". Newsday. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  5. "MESSINA MAKES MUSIC WITH TWITTER".
  6. "Listen To This: Christina Aguilera Should Have Recorded THIS!". Perezhilton.com. June 29, 2010.
  7. Music News Desk (October 22, 2012). "Singer-Songwriter Alyssa Bonagura's Debut Album to Be Released, 10/30". Love Hard. TalkTunesworld online. Retrieved November 16, 2012. The album includes the song "I Make My Own Sunshine," which received national attention when it was used in a Lowe's commercial earlier this year.

External links