Dallas music once rivaled Nashville. North Texas record label wants it back on the map

In the 1950s, Dallas was on its way to becoming a country music hub that could rival Nashville, but the death of recording engineer Jim Beck in 1956 brought that idea to an end. Decades later, State Fair Records — a Dallas-based record label with an Americana flare — is reviving the vision to put the North Texas music scene on the map.

Started by Dallas musicians Paul Williams, Scott Davis and Trey Johnson in 2014, State Fair Records was created to help foster the North Texas music community.

Nine years later, the label has kept the momentum going, promoting artists during the State Fair of Texas and showcases like South by Southwest in Austin and AMERICANAFEST in Nashville.

Sales and distribution manager Jeff Ryan said State Fair Records’ hands-on approach is what drew him to work for the company two and a half years ago.

“When I joined that was really the mantra of like, we’re not just trying to sign an artist, put out their record, get some promotion to them, put them on tour and sell records,” he said. “We’re not just trying to put out records, we’re trying to build this artistic and musical community.”

Who was Dallas recording artist Jim Beck?

Beck, born in Marshall, Texas, in 1916, served as a radio engineer in the United States Army during World War II before he was discharged due to an injury, according to the Texas State Historical Association. After he was discharged, Beck opened a recording studio in Dallas.

Beck’s recording studio — equipped with the latest technological advancements of the time — allowed Dallas to rival Nashville as the country music industry recording hub in the 1950s, according to the historical association.

Artists from Shreveport, Louisiana; Nashville and Los Angeles were attracted to the demo recording sound quality produced at Beck’s studio. Beck contributed to the early careers of country music legends like Ray Price and Lefty Frizzell, according to the historical association. He later worked with talents like Marty Robbins, Roy Orbison and artists from other genres like Fats Domino and Buddy Holly.

Beck died in 1956 after inhaling carbon tetrachloride while cleaning his recording machine without ventilation. With no one able to run the recording machinery, Beck’s studio was never the same, and the music scene drifted away from North Texas.

How has State Fair Records impacted the North Texas music scene?

Over 50 years later, the vision behind State Fair Records draws similarities to the legacy Beck left behind.

Operations Manager Courtney Wright said the mission to promote local music goes beyond State Fair Records artists. Events and showcases give them a chance to bring in artists outside the label.

“I personally love being an encouragement to the DFW musicians, and not just ours specifically,” she said. “That’s a way that we can kind of like reach beyond what we’re just doing internally as a label is giving a lot of these artists opportunities to play the State Fair of Texas or do some of these residencies and make a little dough, or be a part of our showcases so we can showcase more of DFW talent just beyond our specific artists.”

Everyone at the label has their job titles, but everyone does as much as they can in a variety of roles, Ryan said. Both he and Wright travel around Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton to go to shows in the area and form relationships with local artists.

John Pedigo — a songwriter, musician and producer with State Fair Records — said everyone in the Dallas-Fort Worth music scene is working toward the same goal and they look out for each other.

Pedigo, a Dallas native, has worked with artists like “Sexy After Dark” singer Joshua Ray Walker and has an Americana band called John Pedigo’s Magic Pilsner.

While success stories have come out of Dallas-Fort Worth — think Ray Walker, Leon Bridges, Norah Jones — the area is still not recognized as a music hub. Pedigo said North Texas music has great potential that is one successful ad campaign from becoming fully realized.

“I do think that if people put time behind it and actual promotion behind things, I think it’s all ripe for the picking,” he said. “I think anybody can make happen what they want to make happen, especially here because it’s an open canvas in a way.”

Dallas-based singer-songwriter Nathan Mongol Wells, who has worked with Pedigo, said the Dallas-Fort Worth area did not have a solid music infrastructure until State Fair Records came on the scene.

Because the local scene is less established compared to Austin or Nashville, Wells said it gives artists the opportunity to operate on their own terms and there’s less expectation to fit into a mold.

“In some ways I think having that expectation makes it harder to branch out, whereas there’s not that expectation in Dallas,” he said. “It can be anything.”

How does State Fair Records find local talent?

State Fair Records has artists spanning genres across the board — jazz, soul, R&B, pop, rock — although in recent years, the music has leaned more Americana. While the label is not particular on the genre of music, Ryan said they prioritize quality and artist diversity over quantity.

Attending shows is the preferred way for Wright and Ryan to scope out local talent.

“You get to know a lot of the community just by being immersed in it and involved, whether you’re attending shows or playing shows, or both,” Ryan said.

Wright, who does the artist booking for the State Fair of Texas, said there’s not a specific process for finding new talent, although a lot of it is word of mouth, recommendations by artists who already work with the label or people who play the State Fair of Texas.

Another way to get a foot in the door is by inviting label staff out to a show rather than submit a recording.

“Being in the scene, or, like, going to shows and being out there that really just connects us to talent that we want to work with,” Wright said. “It’s always just better to witness it face to face or see them live rather than just through an email that we read.”