About the Artist

Dana Maragos returns to Hey Nonny with a full band featuring Unimaginable Things (Sept2024), her 4th studio release. She’ll be joined by a core team of stellar musicians, revered regionally, nationally and internationally — Brian Wilkie, producer, guitar and pedal steel guitar master, John Abbey on bass, Gerald Dowd on drums and Laurence Nugent, flute and whistles.
Unimaginable songs are acoustic guitar-based roots and a blend of old and new folk with textures of pedal steel guitar, traces rock with electric, lap steel guitar, Hammond B3 and acoustic layers of guitars, mandolin and Dobro. Sharp lyrics will draw you into conversations and stories.

About: Her grandmother bought her a $25 guitar in Chicago’s Old Town when she was 6 years old. She spent her early years in south Chicago, singing and playing at a teenage neighbor’s vibrantly acoustic bathroom, learning how to apply eyeliner (after all, it was the 60’s) and playing Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Eric Andersen songs. She began writing poems in 2nd grade for her mother and wrote her first song at 14. After graduating from Libertyville High School and U of I, and as a stint as the GM at WPGU-FM, she worked as a cable tv “gypsy” living in the south, northeast and west before moving back to Chicago. A southside Chicago native, she lives on the city’s north side. Church choir is part of her routine.​

Dana is grateful to the radio stations and the exquisite hosts on local radio stations that have featured her releases and continuously support local artists — Greg Easterling, host of “American Backroads” on WDCB-90.0FM; Tom Jackson, host of  “Somebody Else’s Troubles” on WLUW-88.7FM; Ron Lewis, host of “The Folk Show” on WNUR 89.3FM and Lilli Kuczma, host of “Folk Festival” on WDCB-90.9 FM.