Dallas Songwriters Hall of Fame 2026 Saturday, May 9 at Love and War in Texas

 DSA Hall of Fame 2026 Nominees:

The Dallas Songwriters Association will induct Pat Boone, Ronnie Dawson, Jeanie C. Riley, RayWiley Hubbard, Liz Rose and Sara Hickman into the Dallas Songwriters Hall of Fame on May 8, 2026 at Love and War in Texas. Young singers from the local schools of music  and DSA members will perform with the Rising Star Band directed by Patti Allen Driver.

Here is a look at the inductees and songs scheduled to be performed:

RONNIE DAWSON 

Ronnie Dawson (1939–2003), known as “The Blond Bomber,” was a pioneering rockabilly artist rooted in Dallas, Texas. He got his start performing on Dallas’s Big D Jamboree and recording locally before touring nationally in the late 1950s. Though early hits brought only regional success, Dawson became a key figure in the North Texas music scene, later working as a session musician on hits like “Hey! Baby.”
He is best known for “Rockin’ Bones,” “Action Packed,” and “Monkey Beat,” songs that later fueled a rockabilly revival and gained international attention. In the 1980s and ’90s, Dawson’s career resurged, leading to extensive touring in Europe and a new global fan base.
He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1998, solidifying his legacy as one of Dallas’s most influential early rock ’n’ roll artists.

     Monkey Beat  - Rio King
    Mack Attack  - Eden Taylor  & Rising Star Band

SARA HICKMAN 

Sara Hickman is a Texas singer-songwriter and visual artist whose career was shaped in North Texas. After growing up in Houston, she earned a degree from the University of North Texas and launched her music career in Dallas, where she built a strong regional following as a recording artist and performer.
Hickman is best known for songs like “I Couldn’t Help Myself,” “All I Have to Say,” and “Two Different Worlds,” which highlight her warm vocals and introspective songwriting style. Her work in North Texas helped establish her as a respected voice in the Texas music scene before she later moved to Central Texas.
She was named Official Texas State Musician in 2010, recognizing her lasting impact on the state’s musical and cultural landscape.
 She has been awarded the Humana "Women Helping Women" award for her generous work with such organizations as Safe Place, Habitat for Humanity, House the Homeless, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Race for the Cure, and many other animal and human rights organizations.[7] She was also made an honorary member of the National Association of Music Therapy because of her work in that area. 

    Each Other’s Angels - Lavada Barnes
    Couldn’t Help Myself - Taylor Alyne

RAY WYLIE HUBBARD 

Ray Wylie Hubbard is a legendary Texas singer-songwriter and a pioneering force in the outlaw country movement. Born in Soper, Oklahoma, he moved to Oak Cliff in Dallas as a child, attended W.H. Adamson High School, and later studied at the University of North Texas in Denton—where his North Texas roots helped shape his gritty, independent songwriting style.
He first gained national attention with “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother,” an outlaw-country anthem made famous by Jerry Jeff Walker. Hubbard is also celebrated for fan favorites “Snake Farm” and “Choctaw Bingo,” songs that showcase his sharp wit and unmistakable Texas storytelling voice.
With a career spanning five decades, Hubbard remains one of North Texas’s most influential musical voices, helping define the rebellious spirit of Texas outlaw country alongside Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
Hubbard received the "Songwriter of the Year" award at the 2018 at the Austin Music Awards

    Three Days Straight  - El Blake
    Redneck Mother -Rising Stars Band - Chuck
    Wild Side of Texas  -Rising Stars Band - Larry

JEANIE C. RILEY 

Jeannie C. Riley (born 1945 in Anson, Texas) is a Texas country and gospel singer who rose to international fame in the late 1960s. She built her early career performing across the Texas circuit, including North Texas and Dallas–Fort Worth venues, before breaking through nationally with her signature hit “Harper Valley P.T.A.”
Released in 1968, the song topped both the Billboard Country and Pop charts, making Riley one of the first female artists to achieve major crossover success. It earned her the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and the Country Music Association Single of the Year, firmly establishing her place in country music history.
Her most popular songs include “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” “The Girl Most Likely,” and “There Never Was a Time,” along with later favorites like “Good Enough to Be Your Wife.” After her early success, Riley shifted toward gospel music following a religious conversion, continuing a long career rooted in the Texas country tradition that shaped her voice and style.

   Harper Valley PTA  - Junia Rodriguez & Rising Star Band               
 The Girl Most Likely  - Lilly Jemison & Rising Star Band

LIZ ROSE

Liz Rose (born 1957) is a Grammy-winning songwriter with deep North Texas roots, born in Dallas and raised in Irving. She began her songwriting career later in life but quickly rose to prominence through her collaborations with Taylor Swift.
Rose co-wrote some of Swift’s biggest hits, including “You Belong with Me,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and “All Too Well,” helping define modern country-pop. She won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song for “White Horse” and earned multiple Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year.
Also a member of the acclaimed songwriting trio The Love Junkies, Rose won CMA Song of the Year for “Girl Crush.” Her North Texas upbringing remains a key part of her musical foundation and storytelling voice.

    Fearless - Clair Causey & Rising Star Band
    White Horse - Josey Haynes & Rising Star Band
    You Belong With Me - Chloe Rae & Rising Star Band

PAT BOONE - 

Pat Boone is an American pop and gospel singer whose primary North Texas connection is through Denton, where he studied and began his early career in the mid-1950s at what was then North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas).
While attending UNT from 1954–1955, Boone performed as a featured soloist with Floyd Graham’s Aces of Collegeland and began his broadcasting career hosting local WBAP-Channel 5 programs in Fort Worth, including Barn Dance and Teen Times. He also lived in Denton with his wife Shirley, where they started their family. This North Texas period served as the launchpad for his national breakout before he moved to New York in 1955.
Boone later became one of the top recording artists of the 1950s with hits such as “Ain’t That a Shame,” “Love Letters in the Sand,” and “April Love.” He also expanded into film and television, becoming a major crossover entertainment figure.
His ties to North Texas remain significant: he opened the Pat Boone Country Inn in Denton (1958–1961), was inducted into the Denton Arts Walk of Fame, and received the UNT Presidential Medal of Honor in 2022. His 1962 film State Fair was also filmed at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, further linking his career to the region.

Love Letters In The Sand - Michael Brandenberger & Rising Star Band
Ain’t That A Shame - Patty & Rising Star Band