Alyssa Bonagura Explained

Alyssa Bonagura
Birth Date:1 April 1988
Birth Place:Franklin, Tennessee, U.S.
Genre:Country, pop
Occupation:Singer-songwriter, musician, producer, audio engineer
Instrument:Guitar, piano, bass, mandolin, accordion, dulcimer
Years Active:1998–present

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 10, 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 for 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.

She has produced artists including Jo Dee Messina and Jessie James Decker. Bonagura 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]

Penned by Bonagura, her father Michael, and Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, the single, "This Christmas", is the title-track of Nelson's album and marks their first return on a Billboard chart in more than 20 years. "This Christmas" debuted at #22 on the Adult Contemporary chart on December 12, 2015.[8] [9]

On March 13, 2016, Bonagura performed with bandmate Ruby Stewart at the CMC Rocks festival in Queensland, Australia. Billing themselves as The Sisterhood, the two had been working together for a year after Rod Stewart told them, "you two should start a band, your voices are good together." The two performed a one-hour set with backing by the Morgan Evans band.[10]

Discography

Albums

Singles

As a writer and producer

YearArtistAlbumSong
2021Jessie James DeckerThe Woman I've Become (EP)"I Need A Man"
2019The SisterhoodN/A"Get Up and Go"
"Bullet"
Jessie James Decker"Roots And Wings"
2017Southern Girl City Lights (Epic)"Another Dumb Love Song"
"Girl Like Me"
"Flip My Hair"
Gold (Epic)"Gold"
2016Steven TylerWe're All Somebody from Somewhere (Dot Records)"I Make My Own Sunshine"
2015Jana KramerThirty One (Warner Bros. Records)"Circles"
Jessie James DeckerN/A"Lights Down Low"
2014Comin' Home (19 Recordings)"Rain on the Roof of This Car"
"Diary"
"Momma Wrote You A Lullaby"
Jo Dee MessinaMe (Dreambound)"Not Dead Yet"
"He's Messed Up"
Tyler HiltonIndian Summer (Hooptie Tune Records)"I Want To Be in Love So Bad"
Morgan EvansMorgan Evans (Warner Music Australasia)"Tornado"
"I Wanna Go"
"Best of Me"
"Best I Never Had"
2013Tyler WardHello. Love. Heartbreak. (Sony Music Entertainment)"Keeping Secrets"
Jo Dee MessinaN/A"Unbreakable"
Sarah JaroszBuild Me Up From Bones (Sugar Hill Records)"Gone Too Soon"
2012Chelsea BashamN/A"I Make My Own Sunshine"
2011Sarah JaroszFollow Me Down (Sugar Hill Records)"Run Away"
Isabelle BoulayLes grands espaces (Disques Chic Musique)"All I Want Is Love"
Jessie James DeckerN/A"Nothing More To Say"

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Baillie comes home. Connecticut Post. April 6, 2007. Sean Spillane.
  2. News: Direction gives wings to teens' goals. The Tennessean. January 12, 2003. Lori Shaw-Cohen. W.7.
  3. Web site: Evans. Jim. With a little help from Sennheiser. L&Si Online. May 20, 2012. December 9, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20150419150913/http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/story/With-a-little-help-from-Sennheiser/F35L8O. April 19, 2015. dead. mdy-all.
  4. News: Gamboa. Glenn. A super Sunday for Raquel Castro. May 20, 2012. Newsday. February 2, 2012.
  5. Web site: MESSINA MAKES MUSIC WITH TWITTER.
  6. Web site: Listen To This: Christina Aguilera Should Have Recorded THIS!. Perezhilton.com. June 29, 2010.
  7. Web site: Singer-Songwriter Alyssa Bonagura's Debut Album to Be Released, 10/30. Love Hard. TalkTunesworld online. November 16, 2012. Music News Desk. October 22, 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..
  8. News: Trust . Gary . Matthew & Gunnar Nelson Return to Billboard's Charts After 20 Years . . December 3, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160803071112/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6785562/matthew-gunnar-nelson-this-christmas-billboards-charts . August 3, 2016 . live . August 24, 2016.
  9. News: Stephen L. Betts. Matthew and Gunnar Nelson Ready 'This Christmas' Holiday Album. January 6, 2016. Rolling Stone. https://web.archive.org/web/20160106080517/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/matthew-and-gunnar-nelson-ready-this-christmas-holiday-album-20151116. January 6, 2016.
  10. Web site: Darren Cartwrigh. Rod Stewart's daughter plays CMC Rocks. Yahoo.com. Seven News. March 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160311163355/https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/31067849/rod-stewarts-daughter-plays-cmc-rocks/. March 11, 2016. Australia. March 10, 2016.
  11. Web site: Alyssa Bonagura Takes Listeners on a "Road Less Traveled" with Exclusive iTunes release . 23 September 2016 . PLA Media . October 6, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161009161242/http://www.plamedia.com/alyssa-bonagura-takes-listeners-road-less-traveled-exclusive-itunes-release/ . October 9, 2016 . dead . mdy-all .
  12. Web site: Tiffany . Goldstein . Alyssa Bonagura Proves That Distance Can't Come Between Love in "Other Side of the World" . https://web.archive.org/web/20220819171406/https://www.cmt.com/news/jwc0y7/alyssa-bonagura-proves-that-distance-cant-come-between-love-in-other-side-of-the-world . dead . August 19, 2022 . CMT . 23 June 2022 . 18 February 2024.
  13. Web site: CMT : Videos : Alyssa Bonagura : Rebel. https://web.archive.org/web/20160926013440/http://www.cmt.com/videos/alyssa-bonagura/1547920/rebel.jhtml. dead. September 26, 2016. Country Music Television. September 20, 2016.