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HeartSong Music is a joint endeavor created by recording artists Joseph Akins and Unita. "HeartSong Music is an independent record label created so that we, as artists, would have another avenue of sharing our music. Our goal is to create music that inspires, that gives joy, and reflects the healing light of music that touches the heart."
"Thank you for your talent, for your skill in giving what we wanted, and for doing so much more - you captured what the movie was about, and your music told the story." - GEORGE BOYD AND LANE BRADBURY, PRODUCERS; RABUN GAP FILMS
"This music is a beautiful creation...it breathes joy and peace. The musicanship is superb." -DALTON ROBERTS, SONGWRITER & WRITER FOR CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS
"This is music that you feel deep inside, and that touches the lives of others." - C. CHASTAIN, ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION, SE TENNESSEE CHAPTER
"Mrs. Reagan sends you both her warmest best wishes and good luck on your endeavor. It is wonderful that you donate a portion of the sales to the Alzheimer's Association." - LIBBY BRADY, ASSISTANT TO NANCY REAGAN
Unita's professional music career began in her hometown of Aiken, S.C. at age 12, when she learned to play the guitar, and began playing and singing in local talent shows and other events. Unita also studied piano, and started writing songs by the time she was in high school. Unita grew up in a musical family. Her father, John Belk, was a chemist and a part time musician and singer who played with many jazz bands around the Southeast. Her Uncle, Joe Belk, was a well known musician who played with the Charlotte Symphony and greats such as Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. At age 17, Unita moved to Atlanta and earned a business degree in Public Relations.While attending college, Unita performed as a folksinger in Underground Atlanta and various events and private clubs.
In the years following, while Unita continued writing songs and performing, she became involved in the production end of the entertainment industry. After working behind the scenes in film and television production, Unita owned and operated a talent agency that cast her actors in movies and television. Unita then moved on to become an advertising executive and writer for a national magazine, where she did celebrity interviews, music and book reviews, and had several of her poems published. Eventually Unita moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee where she met her future partner and husband, Joseph Akins. After discovering they could write beautiful music together, they formed their independent record label, HeartSong Music. Often compared to songstress Enya, Unita has been featured as lyricist, musician and vocalist on various recordings, including Bringers of the Dawn and Angels and Ecstasy with International recording artist Herb Ernst, and Joseph's recording of original music, Keys to the Heart. Unita's debut album, Through the Veils was originally released in 1997 and has been played on radio stations & sold many CDs internationally. The duo are planning a re-mixed, re-release for the 10th anniversary in 2007. Unita and Joseph have produced, composed and recorded several independent film soundtracks and are currently working on the film soundtrack for an upcoming feature film scheduled for production this summer in Atlanta, Georgia. Unita's other interests include being a movie buff and herb gardening, and she is a published author who has written a children's book and writes poems and short stories. Unita is also a Realtor in Murfreesboro, TN only minutes from Nashville, where she and Joseph are currently living with their Siamese wonder cat, Mr. Applebee.
A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Joseph's professional music career began playing saxophone in his father's band at age twelve. Joseph's father, Calvin Akins, who was a carpenter, played the guitar in his own country band for many years around the Chattanooga area. While performing with his father, Joseph later began playing the sax in the High School band and studying classical piano. At age seventeen, Joseph decided to join a rock and roll band called Blaze and tour the road in a High School bus. At the age of 21, while attending college, he recorded his first solo album of original music called "All Your Dreams", where he also played all of the instruments.
At age 25, Joseph received his Bachelor degrees from the University of Tennesse in jazz and electronic music. This earned him a Jazz Teaching Fellowship from Radford University in Virginia where he received a Master's degree in music while playing in local jazz clubs. His educational background also includes studies with great jazz educators such as Jerry Coker and Donald Brown. His musical influences range from Mozart to Coltrane.
Continuing to teach and perform, Joseph moved back to his hometown of Chattanooga where he was on the faculty at Chattanooga State. After forming HeartSong Music with his music partner and wife Unita, he released an album titled, Keys to the Heart, which features his original piano compositions and Unita's lyrics and vocals on several pieces. Joseph then co-produced and is featured on Unita's debut album, Through The Veils. Joseph now lives with Unita in Murfreesboro, TN and is a professor at Middle Tennessee State University where he teaches in the Department of Recording Industry. As of Feb. '06 he has received his Doctorate from TSU. He is currently working on a new album of original piano compositions and working with Unita on an upcoming feature film music soundtrack. Joseph's other interests include yoga and collecting interesting musical instruments.
Joseph and Unita like to perform every chance they get for events such as weddings, conventions, private parties and charitable events. A portion of the proceeds from sales of their CDs and other sources go to charities such as the Alzheimer's Association, The American Heart Association, and Make A Wish.
FOR MORE INFO ON PROJECTS AND UPDATES, GO TO "OTHER MUSIC AND PROJECTS".
