SONG - The Mac Davis Center for Songwriting Imitative Enters Strategic Planning Stage

Date: 2-20-2024

LUBBOCK, TX – SONG (Songwriters of the Next Generation) - the Mac Davis Center for Songwriting, is a cultural initiative dedicated to advancing the art of songwriting and honoring the legacy of the revered music star, songwriter, and actor, Mac Davis.

SONG - The Mac Davis Center for Songwriting seeks to establish SONG in Lubbock, Nashville, and Los Angeles as learning and entertainment hubs for songwriters, musicians, and music enthusiasts of all ages. The Lubbock cultural campus will become a landmark that celebrates the life and contributions of Mac Davis, while amplifying the well-established musical heritage of West Texas which produced Mac Davis, Jimmy Dean, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings and many more. Inspired by Mac Davis, that campus will feature the SONG Experience, reinforcing the storytelling power of songs and the Song Painter Stage – A Listening Room. SONG will also establish the International Songwriting Academy campuses in all three cities as premier training sites for songsmiths at all levels of accomplishment. As a result, SONG ultimately will become a mecca for the global songwriting community.

Through the power of song, SONG will inspire generations to come, ensuring that Mac Davis' legacy and the art of songwriting remain vibrant and influential on a national scale. It is a place where stories are penned, narratives are performed, and songs resonate as timeless vessels for the stories that define us as a nation.

The project’s vision encompasses the following key objectives:

1. Cultural Enrichment and National Influence

2. Economic Growth and Creative Prosperity

3. Educational Excellence and National Legacy

Last September, the non-profit’s board of directors held meetings with representatives from Chalk Consulting, LLC to chart a unique path toward the creation of this exceptional center. Leadership in Lubbock and throughout the music industry met with members of the board of directors to set the stage for the forthcoming steps.

Phoebe Chalk-Wadsworth, Ed.D., and Michael Bassoff of Chalk Consulting, LLC will commence discussions with individuals, corporations, and foundations at both local and national levels to communicate the vision and gather feedback on the project. One-on-one interviews, interactions with focus groups, and an online survey will provide the crucial insights required for the Board of Directors of SONG - The Mac Davis Center for Songwriting to pave the way forward.

SONG Board of Directors

Don Caldwell, Vice President, Lubbock, TX

Cami Caldwell, Lubbock, TX

Lisë Davis, Franklin, TN

Dan Hays, Franklin, TN

Phyllis S. Jones-Beasley, President, Lubbock, TX

David Langston, Secretary, Lubbock, TX

Marc McDougal, Treasurer, Lubbock, TX

Ainsley Nelson, Lubbock, TX

Mark Tillinger, Franklin, TN

Chalk Consulting, LLC - Consultants: Dr. Phoebe Chalk-Wadsworth & Michael Bassoff

WWW.SONG.ORG

Fox Tucson Theatre clears big hurdle in expansion plans

Date: 01-04-2023

Fox Theatre Foundation this week took a major leap forward with plans to expand the historic Fox Tucson Theatre to include more lobby space and room for events, dining and entertainment.

The foundation in late December closed purchase deals on several adjacent properties on North Stone Avenue that will add 20,000 square feet to the Fox; the theater’s actual footprint, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will remain intact.

The foundation acquired the theater and the adjacent Arizona Star Building from Rio Nuevo for $100 and spent $2.74 million to buy 1 W. Congress St., which was home until last spring of Bruegger’s Bagels, and four other mostly empty storefronts along North Stone Avenue to the Bank of America Building at 33 N. Stone, near East Pennington Street. The only occupied space at 27 N. Stone is home to Rae’s Place Downtown Market, whose lease expires in May. The other spaces at 13, 17 and 25 N. Stone, which housed a cookie café, distilling testing room and Southwest boutique, have been mostly vacant for several years.