Information/Write-up
Madonna Tassi, born Madonna Hagerty and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, grew up as the youngest of fifteen children in a large, musical Irish-Canadian family where singing was simply part of daily life. Music filled the house from morning to night, from 1920s and 1930s ballads to Beatles records, Celtic tunes, classic pop, and opera; her mother played piano, her father was a tenor, and every sibling joined in. By age five she was performing publicly as part of the Hagerty Family group, and before long she was standing on the kitchen table with a Coke bottle microphone singing along with the records that shaped her developing voice. Barbra Streisand was an early inspiration, and the power and clarity of her own vocal profile emerged early.
By thirteen she was fronting her own band, performing steadily in clubs across Newfoundland, and by eighteen she had moved into professional studio work. After relocating to Ontario she entered Toronto’s thriving commercial recording scene, becoming one of the city’s most in-demand jingle and session singers through the 1980s and 1990s. Her voice was heard nationally on radio and television spots, and she became known for her ability to anchor a commercial vocal in under thirty seconds with precision and personality. Her first nationally broadcast single, “My Heart’s An Open Invitation,” introduced her as a solo performer, while her supporting vocal work for Canadian artists such as Marie Bottrell, Lea Bach, the Mersey Brothers, and Dallas Harms placed her squarely inside the Canadian country and adult contemporary world.
During this period she also became a fixture at major sporting events, performing national anthems before crowds of tens of thousands at professional basketball, hockey, and football games. The poise she developed as a live singer carried naturally into her studio work. In Hamilton and later in Grimsby she built a recording partnership with producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist Tony Pulsone, who became both her musical collaborator and husband. Together they established Destiny Music Productions, a small but active jingle and production studio that handled commercial work while shaping Tassi’s evolving sound. She often described their creative process as planting “a seed” of melody or lyric that Pulsone would expand and frame into a full arrangement.
In the early 1990s she began releasing singles under her married name and professional stage name, Madonna Tassi. Spin Records issued her debut 45, pairing “Needing A Night Like This,” co-written by Deborah Allen, with “No Chains,” a high-energy dance-pop track written by Steve Hogg of the Ian Thomas Band. The single showcased her ability to move fluidly between styles, from smooth country-crossover performances to uptempo pop. At the same time she recorded “We Care About Us,” a duet with Jamie Warren that climbed RPM’s country chart and brought her additional national exposure.
Her later work broadened her identity beyond country and adult-contemporary music. Under the performing name Princess Madonna she embraced a more theatrical pop sound, incorporating everything from Mario Lanza ballads to modern dance production. She and Pulsone reinterpreted mid-century standards with contemporary arrangements, including a club-styled reimagining of “Be My Love,” while also drawing from her Newfoundland roots on the seasonal album Christmas on Casey Street. The breadth of her influences—from Led Zeppelin to Celtic music to classic pop crooners—shaped a modern style anchored by her unmistakable vocal strength.
In 2005 she signed with IMMI Records of Knoxville, Tennessee, and released Man of My Dreams, a 13-song album produced by Antonio Pulsone with additional production from Grammy-winning Nashville veteran Norro Wilson. The record blended original material with interpretations of classic country and pop standards, including “Break It to Me Gently,” “Where the Boys Are,” “True Love Ways,” and “Paper Roses.” Five of the album’s tracks were written by Tassi herself, most notably “My Mother,” a self-penned tribute released in time for Mother’s Day that became a signature song for her in Canada and abroad. The album received enthusiastic reviews from country outlets, with Atlantic Seabreeze praising her emotional delivery and awarding the release a five-star rating.
Tassi continued to divide her time between Canada and the United States, performing at concerts, charity events, and studio sessions while running Destiny Music Productions with Pulsone. Their later projects, including the album Red Gold, blended classic repertoire with contemporary electronic textures, reflecting her lifelong fascination with connecting older musical eras to new audiences.
Madonna Tassi has built a versatile career that spans family-band beginnings, Toronto session work, national anthem performances, and major-label country and pop recordings. Her voice has taken her from Newfoundland stages to Nashville studios, reflecting both her range and her deep musical roots.
-Robert Williston
Written by Deborah Allen - Strvzick - Vanhoy (Needing a Night Like This); and Steve Hogg (No Chains)
Produced at Hutt-Biggs Productions
PROMO SHEET:
SPIN Records
An Independent Canadian Record Label
Madonna Tassi
An attractive voice, an attractive lady ... introducing Madonna Tassi !
Madonna, now living in Hamilton, Ontario, started her music career singing supporting vocals for such Canadian artists as Marie Bottrell, Lea Bach, the Mersey Brothers and Dallas Harms. Her background in touring groups, local and nationally syndicated television programs, theatre productions and extensive radio / jingle work gives her a solid grounding as a dynamic singer/performer. Madonna’s 45 release on Spin Records marks her debut as a solo artist.
To display the strength of Madonna's voice in a range of styles, Spin Records has recorded two songs. The A side, " Needing A Night Like This ", co-written by Deborah Allen ( Baby I Lied ), is a smooth, accessible composition that would be at home on either country/crossover or adult contemporary playlists. "No Chains", the flip side, is a high energy, pop/dance piece written by Steve Hogg (Ian Thomas Band, Ronnie Hawkins Band). The A side is two parts MAPL, the B side four parts.
Have a listen to Madonna Tassi ! We hope you'll find a side that suits your format. Please fill out the enclosed Reply Card, we'd appreciate the help in tracking the success of her single.
Thanks very much,
Doug Biggs,
Spin Records
p.s. Spin Records HBP245 "We Care About Us", a duet Madonna sings with Jamie Warren, is receiving terrific broadcaster support, playlisted on over fifty stations and rising up RPM’s country 50 chart, presently at 34 (June 3).
Watch for Spin Records HBP445, Becky Barrie - Foreverafter/Take This Hand, another June release.
Spin Records
300 Trillium Dr. #9, Kitchener, Ont. Canada N2E 2K6
519-893-1172
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