Dallas Songwriters Hall of Fame 2024 will feature young Rising Stars, DSA members and BYO band performing songs by our 2024 inductees at Love and War in Texas on Saturday, April 20. Doors open at 6pm, show begins at 7pm,
Each year Dallas Songwriters Assoc. holds our annual "Dallas Songwriters Hall of Fame" in which we recognize, honor and induct those iconic singer, songwriters, musicians and industry persons who have roots in North Texas.
As part of our Rising Star Youth Program, we invite young "Rising Stars from local schools of music to join our DSA members backed up by the BYO BAND on the big stage to perform one of our inductees songs (as listed below). The event will be held Saturday April 20, 2024 at LOVE & WAR PLANO, TEXAS.
The call went out to local schools of music last fall for young performers 18 years of age or under with talent and stage presence.
Hopefuls submitted a link with recent MP4 to HOF program director BobbyMontgomery. They also submitted the song that they wanted to perform from the list below. Performers were determined by the end of January 2024. What a great opportunity to see a showcase the young talent we have in North Texas! Also, DSA members will present the performers.
We are so lucky to have the very talented Sue Schiltz from the BYO Band as our Music Director again this year. The Rising Stars are working with her to prepare to perform with the band.
Again this year, Barbara McMillen will MC the program with help from presenters Michael Brandenberger, Harry Hewlett, Keith Dodson, Troy Inslee, Alexis Tapp, and Bobby Montgomery.
Here is the link to the YouTube video: DSA HALL OF FAME - 2024 Hall of Fame will be on April 20th at Love and War-
2024
Inductees: Michael Aday (Meat Loaf), Tom Douglas, Nora Jones, Erykca Badu, Billy Joe Shaver, Buck Owens, Miranda Lambert, KNON, Jack Calmes, Chuck Rainey
Here are inductees and their most popular songs.
Tom Douglas - Presented by Brando
The House That Built Me - performed by Kenzie Hutcheson
Little Rock - performed by Wayne Willingham
I Got a Car
Thomas Stevenson Douglas is an American country music songwriter that has written Top 10 Billboard Country hits for John Michael Montgomery, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and others.
Tom graduated from Oglethorpe University in 1975, and from Georgia State University in 1977 with an MBA. He worked in Atlanta for a time selling advertising but decided to quit his job to pursue his calling in songwriting. At the age of 27, Douglas opened a small publishing company with two of his friends and moved to Nashville to pursue music for four years. During his time in Nashville, he met his wife, Katie, with whom he decided to move to Dallas to work in commercial real estate, including at the Hank Dickerson Company where the current DSA president, Michael Brandenberger, met Tom and worked with him on occasion. Tom was a member of the Dallas Songwriters Association during the 90's.
Tom lived in Dallas for 13 years where he would raise 3 children, but in 1993, after revisiting songwriting as a hobby, Douglas attended a songwriters’ seminar in Austin and he played his song “Little Rock” for producer/publisher Paul Worley, who decided to take some of Tom's songs back to Nashville with him. One of his first cuts, "Little Rock," recorded by Collin Raye, made it to the country top ten in 1994, peaking at #2. "Little Rock" was nominated for Song of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1994,[ and received a "Million-Air" award from Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) for receiving one million spins on country radio. Douglas then signed with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in June 1994, and returned to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997.
Douglas topped the charts again in 1998 with his second number-one hit, “The Gift”, as recorded by and co-written with Jim Brickman. In 2001, Douglas started co-writing for Tim McGraw, and wrote the Number One singles "Grown Men Don't Cry" and "Southern Voice," as well as the Top Five songs "My Little Girl" (which also became the end title for the Fox film, “Flicka” in 2006) and "Let It Go." He co-wrote on McGraw's 2015 album Damn Country Music As well. He also co-wrote Martina McBride's "Love's the Only House," as well as Antebellum’s Number One "I Run to You." In 2009 Tom received the rare Triple Play Award, in which he had three number one hits in a year. These included Lady Antebellum's “I Run To You”, followed by Tim McGraw's “Southern Voice” and Miranda Lambert's “The House That Built Me”.
Billy Joe Shaver - Presented by Harry
Georgia On a Fast Train - performed by Bella Raper
Old Chunk of Coal -performed by Rio King
Black Rose
Billy Joe was born in1939 in Corsicana, Tx and raised in a nightclub by his single mother. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade to pick cotton, and at seventeen he entered the Navy. Upon release he returned to Texas, and while working in a lumber mill to earn a living for his new wife and son, he lost two fingers in a mill accident. Despite that, he learned how to play the guitar.
When he set out hitchhiking to Los Angeles, he couldn’t get a ride west, so he crossed to the other side of the rode and went east, eventually winding up in Nashville. When he was able to get a job as a songwriter for $50 a week, he caught the attention of Waylon Jennings, who filled his next album (Honky Tonk Heroes) with Billy Joe’s songs.
His most notable songs are: Honky Tonk Heroes, Live Forever, Tramp on Your Street, and Old Chunk of Coal. He’s had songs recorded by Elvis Presley, Kris Kristofferson, David Allen Coe, Waylon Jennings, The Highwaymen, Willie Nelson, Patty Douglas, and Joe Ely. Old Chunk of Coal,” was recorded by John Anderson’s and reached number 4 on Billboard’s “Hot Country Singles.” In 2019 received the Poet’s Award from the Academy of Country Music.
His son, Eddy, who was a guitar virtuoso died in 2000 at the age of 38. Billy Joe had a heart attack the following year but survived to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and he was inducted in into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2007 he shot a man outside a bar in Lorena, but was acquitted in 2010 with support of Willie Nelson and Robert Duvall. In 1999 he was in the movie The Apostle opposite the actor Robert Duvall. Billy Joe died October 28, 2020 in Waco, Tx.
Nora Jones - Presented by Barbe
Chasing Pirates
Thinking About You
What Am I To You
Sunrise
Don’t Know Why - performed by Taylor Aline
Come Away With Me - performed by Dylan George
Norah Jones was born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar on March 30, 1979, in Manhattan, New York City, to American concert producer Sue Jones and Indian Bengali musician Ravi Shankar. After her parents separated in 1986, Jones lived with her mother, growing up in Grapevine, Texas where she was listening to her mothers records of Bill Evans and Billie Holiday, As a child, Jones began singing in church and also took piano and voice lessons. She attended Grapevine Middle School and Grapevine High School before transferring to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. Her music took its first form early on in the local Methodist Church where she regularly sang solos. While in high school, she sang in the school choir, participated in band, and played the alto saxophone. She attended Interlochen Center for the Arts during the summers. While at high school, she won the Down Beat Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist (twice, in 1996 and 1997) and Best Original Composition (1996). At the age of 16, with both parents' consent, she officially changed her name to Norah Jones.
Jones attended the University of North Texas (UNT), where she majored in jazz piano and sang with the UNT Jazz Singers. During this time, she had a chance meeting with future collaborator Jesse Harris. In 1999, Jones left Texas for New York City. Less than a year later, she started a band with Harris, and her recordings with them were bestsellers.
In 2002, Jones launched her solo music career with the release of Come Away with Me, which was a fusion of jazz with country, blues, folk and pop. It was certified diamond, selling over 27 million copies. The record earned Jones five Grammy Awards, including the Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist, making her the first Indian-American person of South Asian descent to win that many Grammy awards.[6] Her subsequent studio albums—Feels Like Home (2004), Not Too Late (2007), and The Fall (2009)—all gained platinum status, selling over a million copies each. They were also generally well received by critics.[8] Jones's fifth studio album, Little Broken Hearts, was released on April 27, 2012; her sixth, Day Breaks, was released on October 7, 2016. Her seventh studio album, Pick Me Up Off the Floor, was released on June 12, 2020. Jones made her feature film debut as an actress in My Blueberry Nights, which was released in 2007.
She has won several awards for her music and, as of 2023, had sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000s decade. She has won nine Grammy Awards and was ranked 60th on Billboard magazine's artists of the 2000s decade chart.
Jones is currently on a world tour with her band in support of her new album release, Visions.
Buck Owens - Presented by Keith
I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail - performed by Claire Causey and Junia Rodriguez
Love’s Gonna Live Here - performed by Sue Schiltz
Texas Connections:
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. was born August 12, 1929 on his family’s farm outside of Sherman, Texas – about 50 miles north of Dallas. The family had a mule they used on the farm named “Buck”. When young Alvis was 3 or 4 years old, he came into the house one day and announced that his name was also Buck. The name stuck, and Buck Owens is how we know and love him today. Later, the family moved to Garland, Texas where his father worked on a dairy farm. Buck went to first through third grade in Garland.
Surviving the dust bowl:
Life for the Owens family was hard. In addition to a severe economic depression gripping the country, the central plains of the United States were experiencing severe drought – causing the great “Dust Bowl”. One thing that kept them going was the family’s love of music. His mother played the piano and taught the children gospel music through the Baptist Church.
In 1935, the family moved to Mesa, Arizona. Buck continued his education, but he didn’t really care for formal schoolwork. He found that he could satisfy many school requirements by singing or acting in school plays, which he did as often as he could.
Buck quit school in the ninth grade to help out on his family’s farm and launch a career in music. He had learned to play guitar, mandolin, horns and drums. He obtained an electric steel guitar and his father converted an old radio into an amplifier for him. Though the family was skeptical of their son’s musical ambitions, they supported him nonetheless. He began playing in bars – passing the hat – and also playing on local radio.
Bakersfield:
In the late 1940s, Buck started working as a truck driver. Some of his trips took him to Bakersfield, California – a haven for dust bowl refugees with a budding music scene. He and his first wife moved there in 1951. Soon, he was traveling to Hollywood to work as a session player, recording with Tennessee Ernie Ford, Wanda Jackson, Tommy Duncan, etc. He released his first solo single – a rockabilly number called “Hot Dog” – under the pseudonym “Corky Jones” so that being associated with rock and roll would not tarnish his budding country music career. Eventually, he would release numerous country songs that became hits and established himself as one of the great founders of what became known as the “Bakersfield Sound”.
Success and Accolades:
Buck has released 39 studio albums, 9 live albums, and 97 singles. Twenty One of those singles (such as “Act Naturally”, “Love’s Gonna Live Here”, “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail”, and “The Streets of Bakersfield”) were number one country hits in the USA. Buck was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He was named as #12 in CMT’s Greatest Men in Country Music in 2003. In addition to being a member of the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, he is now a member of the Dallas Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. US Highway 82 in his birthplace of Sherman, Texas is named the “Buck Owens Freeway”.
Miranda Lambert - Presented by Troy
Gunpowder and Lead - performed by Vada Burns and Taylor Aline
Famous In a Small Town - performed by Chloee Ray
Keeper of the Flame
Born in Longview and raised in the piney woods of Lindale, Texas, it didn’t take long for Miranda Lambert to make her mark on the country music scene. By 16, she appeared in the Johnie High Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas. Miranda resisted the pop version of country music and asked her father to teach her guitar so that she could write her own songs. Her next milestone was a third-place finish at the Nashville Star talent show.
In 2003, she signed with Epic records. In the summer of 2004, Miranda released her initial album, titled “Kerosene”. That album produced four Top 40 singles, including a Top 20 for the title track. After several successful albums, she performed at the 2010 CMA show after which, she accepted her “Female Artist of the Year” award. During the 2010’s decade, Miranda continued her country superstar status. She joined with Ashley Monroe and Angeleena Presley to form the all-girl band, “Pistol Annies”. They made several albums together, while Miranda continued to release solo works as well.
She has also enjoyed successful business ventures. She was the first female artist to open her own bar on lower Broadway in Nashville, has her own boots and clothing line, a brand of wine and the Pink Pistol Boutique in her hometown of Lindale. Miranda also founded MuttNation with her Mom, which helps with animal rescue and adoption. Please congratulate Miranda Lambert as a member of the Dallas Songwriters Hall of Fame!
Erykah Badu - Presented by Barbe
Didn’t Cha Know, Window Seat, Appletree, Cleva
Back In The Day - performed by Taylor Aline - was a single release in 2003 from Badu's third album, Worldwide Underground.
On and On - performed by M’Lynn Musgrove - was the lead single from Badu's debut studio album, Baduizm (1997). It was written by her with JaBorn Jamal. A neo soul song, it features teachings of the Five-Percent Nation in its lyrics. A commercial success, it spent two weeks atop the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, while peaking at number 12 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Critically acclaimed, the song won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in 1998.
Eyikah Badu was born Erica Abi Wright in 1971 in Dallas, Tx. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Badu went on to study theater at Grambling State University. She left the university in 1993 to focus on music. She taught drama and dance to children at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut album Baduizm (1997), placed her at the forefront of the neo soul movement, earning her the nickname "Queen of Neo Soul" by music critics. Her career took off when she opened a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth, leading to record label executive signing her to Kedar Entertainment.
Her first album, Baduizm, was released in February 1997. The album was certified triple platinum by the (RIAA). Also released later the same year, her first live album was certified double platinum. Her second studio album, Mama's Gun, released in 2000 was certified platinum and Badu's third album, Worldwide Underground, released in 2003 was certified gold. Badu's fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released in 2008 and the 5th New Amerykah Part Two was released in 2010. Both were critically and commercially acclaimed. Two of her singles that reached the Billboard Hot 100 were "Bag Lady" peaking at #6 and "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" peaking at #9.
Badu's voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday and she is recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. She was a core member of the Soulquarians. As an actress, she has played a number of supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D. She also has appeared in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975.
Throughout 2024, the Grammy Award-winning Dallas-based neo-soul musician and her hometown public transportation agency will team up for a collaboration in which DART will dedicate three of its buses and two of its light rail trains to Badu's honor. After being formally rolled out for use in February, these buses and rail cars will feature images of Badu, along with artwork designed by the fashion icon, as they move about and carry passengers throughout the city.
Michael Aday (Meat Loaf) - Presented by Alexis
I’ll do Anything for Love
Whatever Happened to Saturday Night
Paradise By the Dashboard Light
Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad - performed by M'Lynn and Pam Musgrove
Hot Patootie Bless My Soul - performed by Pam Musgrove
Meat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday in 1947 in Dallas, Texas, where he grew up, often in the care of his grandmother, who made sure he regularly attended church services and bible studies. First attending Lubbock Christian College, he ended up at North Texas State University but left school in 1967 for Los Angeles where he started his first band, opening for Van Morrison and Them. He later described his early days in the music industry as being treated like a "circus clown”. After his first band split, he found work in musical theater with a new stage production called Hair which eventually led him to off Broadway work, ultimately earning him enough recognition to land a part in The Rocky Horror Picture Show stage production and then on to the screen version which developed a cult following, grossing more than $112 million over 30 years.
Meat Loaf built on this success with songwriter, Jim Steinman. The 1977 gold, then platinum landmark album, Bat Out of Hell, featured hits "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad." The album, which also included, “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth” and “Bat Out of Hell”, has since gone on to sell more than 43 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time, and raising our local guy to multi-platinum star status. After a rift with his writer, Meat Load fell into a drug habit, and his second album proved to be a disappointment. Several albums later, Meat Loaf turned things around by renewing his partnership with Steinman. 1993’s Bat Out of Hell II, a highly anticipated release, was a monster hit, anchored by the popular single "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)” and went on to sell more than 15 million copies, spurring more tours and albums.
Along his musical journey, Meat Loaf had some success with his other bands that toured with greats like Richie Havens, the Who, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Todd Rundgren, and Rare Earth. Meat Loaf also recorded lead vocals on a Ted Nugent album, Free For All, was in a Broadway musical production called Rockabye Hamlet, and was understudy for John Belushi in National Lampoon where he met his duet-partner, Ellen Foley. He also appeared on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest in 1978, showed more of his acting talents with appearances in 65 films, including Wayne's World and Fight Club, and recorded several more Steinman albums.
Meat Loaf was an interesting guy with a long, illustrious career that spanned nearly six decades and moved millions of albums, and left us some colorful stories and songs. He and his second wife, Deborah Gillespie, split their time between Texas and Los Angeles, and she made a brief appearance in his 2007 documentary, “Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise”. In 2022, surrounded by his wife, daughters, and close friends, Meatloaf, who suffered health issues, passed away.
MUSIC INDUSTRY INDUCTEES
KNON - Dave Chaos accepting - Presented by Barbe
A radio station that has supported local music for over 40 years, KNON is a non-profit, listener-supported community radio station, deriving its main source of income from on-air pledge drives and from underwriting or sponsorships by local small businesses.
KNON went on air on July 30, 1983 with 10,000 watts of power. In March 1990, KNON raised it’s power to 55,000 watts. The signal covers a radius of approximately 60 miles from Cedar Hill extending from McKinney, to Hillsboro and Corsicana, and from Ft. Worth to Greenville.
KNON is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the most diverse programming in Texas. The volunteer disc jockeys play their own music or conduct talk shows during specifically targeted programs. Each music format has its own unique demographics.
KNON was chosen as the Best Radio Station in Dallas by both The Dallas Observer and D-Magazine – an unprecedented honor for the Station and all of its dedicated volunteers. Dallas Songwriters recognizes the station as a community treasure for playing local music.
Accepting the award is KNON’s Station Manager, Dave Chaos, who has been at the station since 1987 and station manager for more than 20 years. He is the DJ of the Thursday Blend radio program every Thursday morning at 7am. Dave plays a little bit of all of the great music heard throughout the broadcast week featuring al genres and there’s always new music in the mix, no top 40, just the best of the bottom billion including local recording artists.
Jack Calmes - SHOWCO - Presented by Alexis
Jack Calmes grew up in Highland Park, attending school with early bandmates, Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs, with whom he played local venues and school events. After graduating from SMU, where he studied engineering, technology and business, he teamed up with
Dallasite, Angus Wynne, whom he had met in a record store in 1963. Together, they created the music concert-touring service, SHOWCO, promoting tours for Dylan, Ike & Tina Turner, Righteous Brothers, Janis Joplin, the Doors, and other greats.
In ‘67, Jack married Dallas actress, Morgan Fairchild, a union which only lasted six years, but brought a splash for a moment in the Dallas news. During that time, Jack continued to build Showco into the world’s largest concert sound and tech company, building its own boards. Showco later added lighting with an advanced, automated system controlled from a central panel, as well as being first to use lasers in a concert and also to mount those lasers upon towers, and these Showco innovations still prevail. Early alumni included greats: Elvis, the Kinks, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Bread, and the Carpenters.
In ‘68, Angus sold his interest in Showco, and he and Jack opened a Greenville Avenue club called Soul City where they featured performances by groups: Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Fats Domino, Little Richard, and others, with Jack often joining them on stage. It was during this time, legendary bluesman, Freddy King, hired Jack as his manager. In ‘69, Jack and Angus organized the first Texas International Pop Festival in Dallas, providing Jack with opportunity to add Freddie to that star-studded line-up, along with Led Zeppelin, Chicago, Janis Joplin, B.B. King, Canned Heat, and Santana, and ultimately, Freddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The festival was not a financial success, however, according to my husband, Choya, it was pretty epic, and I enjoyed being present for its 50th anniversary, seeing Chicago return to the stage and sounding as amazing as ever. Jack also managed other musical artists, produced a TV documentary for the Who and a concert film for the Rolling Stones, and around ’88-89, Jack toured the world with Led Zeppelin. On the tech front, Jack was awarded 2 US patents for his company, Syncrolite, which became the lighting-standard of measure for his development of the first digital multiplex (DMX) advanced lighting system, used at such events as the Olympics, the Superbowl, and for the Golden Gate Bridge.
In 1980, Calmes founded perhaps the last and best of an endangered breed, his 16-piece soul-blues-R&B group, Forever Fabulous Chickenhawks Showband and All-Star Revue, a powerhouse band plus a horn-section like those we enjoyed back in the 60’s and 70’s. Bragging rights include the groups collective 10 Grammys, but they also joked that, as a group, they had a cumulative weight gain of 1-metric ton gained since the 70’s. Seriously, though, the group produced 5 albums and provided as lively a show as their humorous name would indicate. I first saw them perform at the 8-O bar in the Quadrangle, and it was during this time that I signed a contract with Jack to produce my second EP at January Sound, not only helping to form my musical history with well-produced work, but also by influencing me with a significant stage-worthy, name-change to Alexis Alexander. Jack was a kind gentleman with a warm smile who loved to help others such as was shown by his sold-out, annual, Chickenhawk fund-raiser, benefitting children’s cancer, and held at House of Blues.
In ’89, Jack “Cadillac” Calmes married his true love, Susie Coniglio, and they lived in Dallas until his death at age 71. He was survived by Susie, a daughter, and 2 grandkids. I spoke with Susie recently, and she mentioned she still receives a royalty check for Jack’s instrumental, “Lost Train” for its use in TV and movies. Jack lived for music and not only gave birth to an industry, but brought people together from all over the country, and ultimately the world.
LOCAL LIVING LEGEND
Chuck Rainey - Presented by Bobby Montgomery
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1940. Once referred to as America's hardest working Bass player having played on more than 1,000 albums. Originally trained as trumpet at Lane College in Jackson. After returning from military service and college he learned to play guitar in the early 60's and eventually bass guitar.
He moved to New York City in the 60's where he began a distinguished career as a studio sideman. He is without a doubt the most recorded bass player in recorded music history.
Chuck recorded and toured with many of the great artists during the 60's and 70's including: King Curtis, Etta James, Sam Cook, Jackie Wilson, Harry Bellefonte, The Supremes, Labella, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and Quincy Jones, also participated in King Curtis All Stars as well as the second Beatle tour in the US.
He can also be heard playing on Musical Themes and the source songs of many motion pictures, TV series and Sitcoms. He has also been a composer, arranger, producer and author in his career. He has been awarded 17 Gold or Platinum records. Contributing greatly to the success of Rhythm, Pop, Jazz Fusion and Rock.
2024 DSA Hall of Fame Backing Band is from the BYO Musicians Network non-profit.
BYO Musicians Network is a Texas nonprofit corporation and networking organization comprised of business professionals who are also talented musicians. BYO Musician’s Mission includes using members’ musical talents to support charitable causes. Their support of a 2023 fundraising event for Music Meets Medicine resulted in the charity raising over $30,000. Or, in the words of BYO President Len Musgrove, BYO is comprised of “musicians with a business problem!”
Sue Schildt – Bandleader, Guitar, Vocals
Sue was born in Fargo, North Dakota. While growing up in Minnesota, was active in numerous musical groups. After moving to Texas for college and graduate school at TCU and SMU, her attention turned to her financial services career and raising a family. She is glad to again focus on music, and excited to be working with DSA and BYO!
Pamela Musgrove - Vocals
Pam is a Tulsa native who has been straddling the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas for the past 36 years. She received her BFA in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma and moved to Texas in 1986. For the last three decades, Pam has fronted several Dallas cover bands with her husband, Len. Pam’s bands 10 Degrees, The Blenders and The MalFUNKtions have played in Dallas’s West End and Deep Ellum, opened for Leon Russell at the Richardson Wildflower Festival and played at corporate parties in every high rise, hotel, and country club in Dallas. Versatility is Pam’s middle name. She has sung backup for the rock band Foreigner on their “I Want to Know What Love Is” tour and has performed “Dona Nobis Pacem” with a national choir at Carnegie Hall in NYC. Weddings, funerals and intimate gatherings, Pam does not disappoint. She is thrilled to be a part of the DSA and BYO Musicians!
Len Musgrove – BYO President, Keyboards
Originally from Tulsa, OK, Len studied law at the University of Oklahoma. Len moved to the DFW area many years ago where he practices law by day.
Paul Stancil - Guitar
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Paul has been playing and singing in bands since high school. After 25 years as a practicing lawyer and then law professor, Paul and his family moved back home to Texas two years ago. When he’s not busy representing clients as part of the Texas contingent of law firm Steptoe, LLP, Paul can generally be found writing songs or looking for folks to play and sing with. He’s excited to be working with DSA and loves being part of BYO.
Mike Huddleston, Saxophone
Mike is a graduate of Texas A & M and SMU’s Dedman School of Law. He currently practices law with Munsch Hardt in Dallas, focusing on commercial insurance, risk management, litigation management and appeals.
Joe Hevey, Drums
Joseph N. Hevey Jr (Joe) started playing drums at 8 years old on a makeshift set comprised of pots, pans and whatever else he could find to beat on. At age 10 he started his professional training with the lead percussionist of the RI philharmonic. Joe studied under George Geer until he turned 15, when he studied under George Barron, a well-known jazz session drummer. He then attended Berklee College of Music in 1969 and 1970, where he studied under internationally known jazz artist Alan Dawson. Joe played in a number of touring bands, then shifted his career to business, where he had success as a commercial real estate mortgage banker. Joe retained his musical interest throughout and he semiretired retired in 2021 and now lives, works and continues to play music in the Dallas area.
Jeff Clark, Guitar
Originally from Erie, PA, Jeff studied Industrial Engineering and played ice hockey at the University of Pittsburgh. He currently works as a vice president at Goldman Sachs in their Global Markets division.
Gregg Ballew - Bass
Originally from Gainesville, Texas, Gregg played in rock and dance bands before graduating from Baylor and UT Austin. After a career in the financial services industry, he joined UT Dallas as a Professor of Practice and leader of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance. He re-discovered his musical interests through BYO Musicians and currently enjoys participating in a variety of music projects.
Dallas Songwriters Members Performers
Wayne Willingham Wayne stepped away from the music industry to work in a tech job. After a 20 year self-imposed exile and four albums, Wayne is reestablished as a performer and recording artist having recently completed his 5th album and toured the east coast and south in support. The voice clearer, the guitar work impeccable, the songs more insightful. Pandemic be damned, the show goes on. Wayne is back performing original songs and covers and has a program for seniors. Wayne won DSA’s Vern Dailey Song of the Year Award in 2022 for his song, “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda.” See the DSA Songwriter Spotlight on Wayne with performance and interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyqsbP1HvHc For more info: https://www.waynewillingham.com
Rio King
Born in Wichita Falls and spending his teen years in Dallas, Rio went to Lubbock’s Texas Tech to go to college, raise a family and, as it turned out, start a band, “The Techniques”, Playing rock and roll throughout West Texas and New Mexico, they scored a regional hit single, “Dream Theme”, recorded by the famous Norman Petty at his Clovis, NM studio. Switching to Texas music, Rio later became a Songwriter Finalist for two years at Rod Kennedy’s Kerrville Folk Festival. The past several years he’s continued his songwriting, garnering awards from DSA, including Songwriter of the Year in 2015 and enjoyed performing solo and sitting in with local bands in the Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin areas. https://www.facebook.com/riokingtexas. https://www.rioking.com/
M’Lynn Musgrove
studied at the prestegious Booker T. Washington High School for the visual and performing arts and her achievements include being the youngest semifinalist in the B.W. Stevenson Memorial Singer-Songwriter Competition at Poor David's Pub, participating in the L.A. Grammy Summer Program at USC. She has been accepted into multiple prestigious music programs, and won numerous awards, including the DSA 2023 Song Contest Grand Prize. Her music has gained traction globally, with songs trending in London and France. She has recently been working and learning the ropes about radio podcasting More info about her : https://mlynnmusic.com/home
See the DSA Songwriter Spotlight on Youtube with interview and performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkTko_VFNec.
Dallas Songwriters 2024 Hall of Fame Rising Star Bios
Taylor Alyne
(pronounced “Ah-lean”)
Taylor is 16 years old and attends Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Taylor has been part of Kids Who Rock for several years, recording her first original song in 2019! Taylor has been performing on stage from a very early age and now performs in a group called “Duo Darlin’”. She was part of the Hall of Fame in 2021, 2023 and is excited to perform in 2024.
Tayah Bell
(rhymes with “Hey-ah”)
At 14 years old, Tayah has infectious energy as a dynamic hip-hop dancer, having competed on the international stage of World of Dance in Los Angeles! She has particularly enjoyed her time volunteering the last 2 summers at the renowned Chicks Who Rock Summer Camp. Tayah has trained with amazing directors and coaches both locally & in California.
Lavada Barnes
Lavada, 16 years old, attends Flower Mound High School. She has studied voice and songwriting at Chicks Who Rock camp. She was a Hall of Fame Rising Star in 2022 and 2023. She is the sister of fellow Rising Star Junia Rodriguez and mother, Regan Rodriguez is a piano teacher.
Claire Causey
Claire is 12 years old and attends Edge Middle School in Nevada, TX. She has studied voice & songwriting at Kids Who Rock since 2021 and will be attending Chicks Who Rock camp for the fourth time this summer. Claire is now taking guitar lessons. She was also a Rising Star at the 2022 and 2023 Hall of Fame events
Dylan George
Dylan, age 17, is junior at The Hockaday in Dallas. She is active in musical theater, dance, acting and voice. She recently performed the Anne Boleyn role in her high school’s production of the musical “Six.”
Kenzie Hutcheson Kenzie is 14 and attends Warren Middle School in Forney where she is a freshman cheerleader.. She has played roles in theater productions including, Willy Wonka, It’s A Wonderful Life , Annie and Hankerin’ Hillbillies, She is active in volleyball and she performs on TikTok singing duets with her sister, Hailey.
Chloee Rae
Chloee is a 16-year-old sophomore at Blue Ridge High school. Originally from West Texas, she planted roots in DFW 6 years ago to further her music career. She met Taylor Alyne and joined the pop girls group The MicroChicks. Chloee first met Patty from Kids Who Rock when the Micro Chicks competed in Platinum’s Got Talent 5 years ago. Patty was a judge and once Chloee met her, she knew she wanted to be involved with the Kids Who Rock community.
Bella Raper
Bella is 17 and a junior at The Hockaday School. She is interested in music, photography, & design and volunteers through Girl Scouts. She loves to sing and considers her voice her instrument. She was born in New Orleans and her family believes some of that New Orleans soul was infused in her!
Junia Rodriguez
Junia is 10 years old and has studied voice and songwriting for four years at Kids Who Rock. Junia has writes her own songs and was a Hall of Fame Rising Star in 2022 and 2023. Junia is the sister of fellow Rising Star Vada Barnes.
