Dean Madonia

Whether you are booking me for a concert, a pub, a wedding reception, a fundraiser, a holiday party - indoors or outdoors - you can expect me to be on time (or early), professional, and to do what is required to make the event a success. I have played coast to coast and around the world, on cruise ships, 5 star resorts, local pubs, biker bars, at wedding receptions and fundraisers... it does not matter what the situation is
I have played in every conceivable venue and can always figure something out, no matter how demanding the environment may be.
I have new, professional PA and lighting equipment to suit any occasion (up to 300 people or more with enough warning/budget). Equipment list provided upon request.

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. He has released 10 CDs to date.

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. A song that Dean co-produced and co-wrote, "Honor Is Ours" was featured on the soundtrack for the animated film "Foodfight!" from Threshold Entertainment. The song "Just Like Love" from his side-project "Pretty Little Horses" was in the film "The Stream," and the song "(I Called Her) Tennessee" was recorded by Tim Dugger on Curb Records and reached #40 on the Music Row Chart.

I require a source of power for PA and lights. I prefer for the the client to provide a stage for corporate/wedding gigs.

If the job is more than 2 hours away or concludes after midnight, client will provide a hotel room.