Dana Maragos – Unimaginable Things (Dana Maragos, 2025)
Dana Maragos released Unimaginable Things nationwide on December 12, 2025. The album first came out as a local Chicago release in late 2024.
Unimaginable Things is Maragos’s fourth studio album and contains eight classy new songs. The project is dedicated to the memory of her brother, Danny Maragos (1960–2023).
The record draws on conversations, personal stories, and reflections on struggle and resilience. Musically, the songs lean on acoustic guitar and meld enticing and evocative folk and Americana featuring pedal steel guitar, mandolin, dobro, electric guitar, and a spare Hammond b3.
Maragos co-produced and recorded the album primarily at John Abbey’s Kingsize Sound Labs in Chicago alongside multi-instrumentalist Brian Wilkie. Her writing uses metaphor and vivid detail, shaped within a close-knit creative community of friends, musicians, and fellow songwriters.
Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Maragos began playing guitar at age six after her grandmother bought her a $25 instrument in Old Town. She learned from a teenager in her neighborhood and spent her childhood singing harmony with her sister. Early influences included Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Eric Andersen. She also wrote poetry as a child and started singing in church choir at age four, a practice she continues today.
Maragos wrote her first song at fourteen, attended Libertyville High School, sang in choirs, played in jazz band, and later graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Her career in cable television eventually brought her back to Chicago, where live performance became central to her musical path.
Her first widely shared original, “Changing,” was written during a late-night walk across the Franklin Avenue bridge downtown, after which she began performing at open mics. Building connections within Chicago’s live music scene remains a key part of her work.
Name note: Dana is pronounced “Donna,” and her last name is pronounced “MARE-ah-GOSE.” She lives on Chicago’s North Side, is married to George, and has two sons.
Author: Ryan Emmert
