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,
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”.
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.
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”.
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!
Our next inductee is Erika Badu. She 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.
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.
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. it extends from McKinney, Hillsboro, 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. The program variety can be seen on our schedule.
Each music format has its own unique demographics, but the one thing that the entire KNON audience shares is that they listen to KNON, rather than just using it for background noise.
Throughout the years, KNON has received awards for its unique programming. 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 for KNON is Dave Chaos has been the station manager for over 20 years,
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.