It may be Mariah season, but the other “All I Want For Christmas Is You” comes from the pipes of Dallas native Lisa Layne. She grew up in Oak Cliff, and in 1986, she answered a newspaper ad from the Louisiana-based band Vince Vance and the Valiants, seeking female singers. She performed with the band for five years and hit the jackpot with a Christmas classic. (More)
THE BACK STORY
Then what happened? That’s not the only Christmas classic with Dallas ties. A Dallas guy wrote the annoying-but-lovable “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.” (More)
Blue blazers: Here’s what St. Mark’s School of Texas looked like in the 1960s. (More)
Urban archeology: Barry and Geyden Sage set out to unearth the long-lost history of their neighborhood, and in the process, they found a lost piece of Dallas history. (More)
REMEMBERING CHARLEY PRIDE
Charley Pride wasn’t born in Dallas, but he got here as soon as he could. The former Negro Leagues baseball player broke the Country Music Association’s color line, winning its entertainer of the year award in 1971. That’s the same year his “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” hit No. 1 on the country charts and became his signature song. Pride died in 2020 in Dallas from complications of COVID-19, a month after attending the CMA awards in Nashville, where he was given a lifetime achievement award. He was 86. Pride was also part-owner of the Texas Rangers, and former President George W. Bush called him “a fine gentleman with a great voice.” (More)
