Agona Hardison www.agonahardison.com
Agona Hardison is a Boston based singer songwriter who fuses rock, blues and
country to create her own soulful brand of modern pop music. Art Critic Steve Morse
From The Boston Globe said to "Remember her name...beguiling melodies, smoothly affecting vocals that you don't soon forget". Agona is a true product of her artistic family. Her father is a painter and sculptor. Her mother Leonda was an Epic
Label recording artist in the late 1960's. Agona sang all throughout High School, propelling her to enter and win the Miss Teen of Massachusetts title. Since graduating from UMass/Amherst in 1992, Agona has written, recorded and performed with some of the music industry's best.
The independent release of her debut CD "Going Home" (Produced by David Porter) in 1995 was in front of a sold out crowd at the Cambridge "House of Blues".
Agona was a featured guest on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, broadcast from Boston University and was selected as a finalist in Musician's Magazine's Best
Unsigned Artist Competition". During 1996-1998 Agona was personally managed by
Keith Garde, former co-manager to Aerosmith, and spent time writing with hit
Songwriter Jamie Kyle (Faith Hill), Jimmy Scott (Bonnie Raitt) and Gary Nicholson
(Delbert McClinton). During this time she recorded 6 songs with Grammy Award winning Producer, New York based Jeff Bova. This project included Mike Mangini from "Extreme" and recent producer for Joss Stone. Agona and her band opened up for Oasis in Providence in front of 3,000 music fans, were featured at the Somerville Theater's "Women in Rock, Folk and Blues" Festival, and went on to tour New England collages. Agona sung backup vocals on tour for the Irish band The Commitments (RCA). In 1997 Agona recorded a second full length CD with David Porter, including songs co-written with NY's Grammy Winning Songwriter/Diane Scanlon.
In 1998 until 2000 Agona was lead vocalist in the 6 piece all women New York City band Antigone Rising. With Diane Scanlon producing, Agona sang lead vocals on the CD "Snapshot" which was favorably mentioned in Billboard Magazine. With Antigone Rising, Agona performed at the "Lilith Fair" on the Village Stage and joined with Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls and Natalie Merchant on the Main stage in front of a 20,000 person audience. Agona's performances with Antigone Rising include singing live from the Rockefeller Center on NBC's NY "Today Show" and performing a sold out show at New York's prestigious "The Bottom Line" as part of the "Nightbird" series with WFUV. New York's Good Times Magazine says "Lead singer Agona Hardison put he audience under her spell while exuding sexual vitality, soulful intelligence and just the right amount of stage swagger...destined for the big time soon".
2005 finds Agona married, balancing music and motherhood, with two young sons under the age of 3. Signing in 2001 with TV/Film Music Publisher, Barbara Jordan from Heavy Hitters Music, enables Agona to successfully gear her focus towards writing and recording for network television placements. Over the past few years Agona's music has been heard throughout major daytime and prime time programming. Agona has become a frequently featured artist on ABC's "One Life to Live and "All My Children". Her song "Take Me Down" drew such response from daytime viewers that a Soap Opera Digest article informs their readers of her. Recent collaborations resulting in TV exposure include Boston based Producer Crit Harmon (Lori McKenna, Mary Gauthier) and co-writing with NY Musician/Producer Terry Silverlight brought forth 12 atmospheric pop songs. These songs can be heard on Agona's new CD "When Love Calls" now available at www.agonahardison.com
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.agonahardison.comTrack List:
1. From the First Day
2. Her Own Life
3. Make Room In My Heart
4. Miracle
5. Never Be Lonely
6. Shedding Skin
7. Sweet Lie
8. The Real Me
9. There I Go Again
10. These Walls
11. When Love Calls
12. Anchor Me
Other Genres:
