Texas Music Awards Show
On March 23, 2007, Tony Davis dropped Dean off on Hwy. 59 in Texarkana, Texas, and then Dean, hitchhiked his way to
located at 108 N. Legion St. in Linden, Texas where he spoke to
and
got himself booked to perform there during the August 4, 2007 - First
Saturday Show from 9-9:30pm. On March 22, 2007, Dean wrote his song:
The Good Lord Knows
As a child I would daydream
Of interviews full of questions for me
And a feature spot on TV
And radio show where I'd sing
CHORUS:
How far can I go?
There's only one who knows
The good Lord knows
CHORUS
As long as I have my strength
And a dedicated mind to do so
I'll stay positive and focused
And go anywhere I wanna go
CHORUS
CHORUS
I made a wise decision
Lookin' back I'd say quite some time ago
That when good or bad things happen
I'll leave my life in His hands and go with the flow
CHORUS
CHORUS
©2007 Dean Strickland
On March 22, 2007, Dean
walked to the Texarkana Gazette and posed for a for photo shoot with
Staff Photographer, Evan Lewis. Dean performed as
scheduled at the Frosty Mug on March 21, 2007, and then got himself
booked to perform there again on July 25, 2007. Evan Lewis, Staff Photographer for the Texarkana Gazette
photographed Dean on the night of March 20, 2007 during his performance
at Doyle's Place. Mr Davis also got Dean an audition at The Frosty Mug
located at 1209 E Broad St. in Texarkana, Arkansas. That night Freddy and
Vicky Von of
photographed Dean, also posed with Dean for photographs.

ABOVE:
Photos of Dean Strickland at the country jam at Doyle's Place in
Texarkana, Arkansas on March 20, 2007 taken by Freddy and Vicky Von,
and Brandy Coker
Mr Davis got Dean an arrangement to perform that
evening during the country jam at Doyle's Place located at 110 East
36th St. in Texarkana, Arkansas, and Dean, got himself booked to
perform there again on July 26, 2007 at 8pm. On March 19, 2007, Dean gave an interview over his
cell phone to Shalina Ramirez of the Paris News. On March 20, 2007,
Dean walked to the
located
at 315 Pine St. in Texarkana, Texas and spoke to Features writer,
Anthony (Tony) Davis. Then from Wichita Falls, Texas, Dean hitchhiked
to Texarkana, Texas. On
March 15, 2007, Dean performed as scheduled at Old Town Saloon in
Wichita Falls, Texas. On March
15, 2007, over the telephone, Dean spoke to Steve Lamb, Owner of The
Bean Patch located at 212 Hwy. 60 W in Panhandle, Texas and got
himself booked to perform there on June 29 & 30, 2007 at 9pm. From Montague, Texas, Dean hitchhiked to Wichita Falls,
Texas for his gig at the Old Town Saloon on March 15, 2007. Then Dean made his way from Fort
Worth, Texas to Montague, Texas where he performed as scheduled at the
Midway Club. On March 9, 2007, Dean performed as scheduled
at Sundance Square in Fort Worth. On March 8, 2007, Dean performed as scheduled at Love & War
in Texas in Plano, Texas. On March 8, 2007, Dean received a phone call from Raymond Hair, President of the AFM Local 72 who booked Dean to perform at the
in
downtown Fort Worth as a Strolling musician on April 22, 2007 from
4-7pm. Dean's photograph and story was published in the March 8, 2007 issue of The Shopper.
The Shopper write up on Dean Strickland
Dean's story, and two of his songs were
published both in newsprint and on the World Wide Web
March 8, 2007 issue of the Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
write up on Dean Strickland
Also on March 6, 2007,
Dean did an over the phone interview with Mario Tarradell/Staff Critic
for the Dallas Morning News. On March 6, 2007, Dean received a
phone call from Mike Kennedy, Administrator of the AFM Local 72, who
booked Dean to perform at Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth as a
Strolling musician on June 22, 2007 from 6-9pm. On March 3, 2007, Dean received a phone call from Lou, Owner of the
Midway Club in Montague, Texas and got booked to perform their on March
11, 2007 from 9:00pm. till 1:00am. Dean's story was
published in the March 2007 issue of the Buddy Magazine in the BLAH
BLAH section by Bellicose Bullfeather.
The Buddy Magazine write up on Dean Strickland
From El Paso, Texas, Dean hitchiked to D/FW for his shows on March
8, 2007 at Love & War in Texas in Plano, Texas, and on March 9,
2007 at Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas. On
February 23, 2007 at the Starbucks where he performed, Dean gave an
interview to Raquel Garcia, student writer, and did a photo shoot with
Kent Sanchez, student photographer for the Stampede, the newspaper of
Burges High School in El Paso, Texas

ABOVE: Photo of Raquel Garcia and Dean Strickland in El Paso, Texas on February 23, 2007 taken by Kent
Sanchez
Dean's story, and
picture appeared inside and on the cover of the February 22, 2007 issue
of the El Paso Times.
The El Paso Times write up on Dean Strickland
On February 23, 2007, Dean performed as
scheduled at Starbucks Coffee in El Paso, Texas. On February 22, 2007, Dean
walked into the El Paso Southwest Professional Musicians Association
AFM Local 466 located at 1440 Jettie Ray Way, and talked with Secretary
- Treasurer, Joe W. Smith. On February 20, 2007, Dean recorded his song
"The Commitment" at El Adobe Recording Studios located at 5301 El Paso
dr. which was engineered by Ted Kelley. From South Padre Island, Texas, Dean hitchhiked to El Paso, Texas for
his show at Starbucks Coffee Company located at 6669 Gateway Blvd. on
February 23, 2007 at 8pm. On February
17, 2007, Dean received a free Gold Membership at www.mytexasmusic.com. On February 15, 2007, Dean gave a telephone interview
to Victor Martinez, Features Editor for the El Paso Times. Dean
performed as scheduled at the SKKY Bar & Lounge on February 13, 14
& 15, 2007.
Thank
you, Nora and Joe Vasquez of Driscoll, Texas for buying me a Greyhound
Bus ticket from Kingsville, Texas to Brownsville, Texas on February 11,
2007.
Dean then got himself booked to perform at the Drop Zone Cafe & Bar
on April 28, 2007 at 11:00am. After that, Dean started back his
hitchhiking journey in South Texas. Sergeant Campos then took Dean to the Drop Zone Cafe
& Bar located at 1804 E. Carson St. (@ Walters To Fort Sam Houston)
in San Antonio, Texas and introduced him to Sergeant Major Ed Fernandez
and his wife Hope for whom Dean performed his song "The Commitment". After walking about five miles south on
I-35, Dean was offered a ride by Ysidro U. Campos of Fort Worth, Texas
and a member of the Alamo Silver Wings Airborne Association in San
Antonio, Texas. The next
morning, Dean began hitchhiking his way to South Padre Island, Texas
for his gigs at the SKKY Bar & Lounge on February 13, 14 & 15,
2007 from 9:30pm. to close. After performing
as scheduled at the Troubadour Saloon, Dean walked across the street
and performed at Geisha Sushi & Grill and got himself booked to
perform there again on May 4th & 5th, 2007 from 5-7pm. After that, Dean hitchhiked his way to Austin, Texas for his gig at
the Troubadour Saloon on February 9, 2007 from 8-9pm. At El Charro T.
restaurant, Dean's picture was taken by Melissa McCaghren, Photographer
for the Brenham Banner-Press, and it was published on the front page of
the February 8, 2007 issue.
The Banner-Press write up on Dean Strickland
On February 7, 2007, Dean was walking west on Hwy. 290 going to
Austin, Texas and was given a ride by Claudia Rodrigez who said she was
going to her mother's restuarant, El Charro T. in Brenham, Texas, and
then later that evening, Dean performed at El Charro T. located at 3015
Highway 290 W in Brenham during the Wild Women Wednesday party with
Kellie Outlaw and Jenny James of KTEX 106.1. On February 5, 2007, Dean hitchhiked his way out of South Padre
Island, Texas headed for Austin, and while catching a ride from a
couple of people that were going to Houston, Texas, he sat in the back
seat of their truck and wrote his song:
The Commitment
Sad former brother-in-law
It's such a shame
How common place
Single parenting is these days
Your first mistake
Was letting work get in the way
The long hours you kept
Gave her time to stray
Imagine what could've been
Had you been with her to say
CHORUS:
I’ve made all these commitments
To running this old business
That you probably think I’ve forgotten
What’s most important in my life
The commitment I made
To spend it with you my wife
There’s an old similar story
I probably should’ve told you before
You see, my father was a real hard worker
He spent his days and nights doing chores
But wiser than the new generation
He knew when enough was enough
And he never forgot or left lonesome
The only woman he ever loved
He'd say to her
CHORUS
Now, the long nights I spend
In the honky tonks and clubs
Doesn’t give me much time for nothin’
Except singin’ ‘bout love, and lost love
But I’ve made myself a promise
When I find that one special girl
I’ll find time to be there for her
So we can share our worlds
I won’t forget to say
CHORUS
©2007 Dean Strickland
Dean's picture and story appeared inside and on the cover of the
February 4, 2007 issue of the South Padre Island, Texas, Island Breeze.
The Island Breeze write up on Dean Strickland
On February 2, 2007, Dean performed as scheduled at the SKKY Bar & Lounge at South Padre Island, Texas
where his performance of "It Takes A Cowboy Like Me" was recorded on video by Theresa Najera.

(Click video still above to watch performance)
ABOVE:
Video still of Dean Strickland at SKKY Bar & Lounge in South Padre
Island, Texas on February 2, 2007 taken by Theresa Najera
On February 2, 2007, Dean posed for a photo
shoot on the beach of South Padre Island, Texas and gave an interview
to Theresa Najera, reporter/photographer for the Island Breeze.
ABOVE: Photo of Dean Strickland on the beach at South Padre Island, Texas on February 2, 2007 taken by Theresa Najera
On February 1, 2006, Dean performed as
scheduled during the grand opening of the SKKY Bar & Lounge in
South Padre Island, Texas. Also
on February 1, 2007, Dean recorded his song "It Takes A Cowboy Like Me"
at the Estudios Audio Grabaciones Centellas located at San Carlos Y
Francisco Villa in Matamoros, Tams, Mexico which was engineered and
mixed by Francisco Gonzalez. On February 1, 2007, Dean and Miguel Gallegos of
recorded a
and disclaimer for the
and
Valley Proud Environmental Council
On
January 30, 2007, through e-mail, Dean got himself booked to perform at
Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth on March 9, 2007 from 6-9pm. as
a Strolling musician. On January 29, 2007, Dean confirmed through
e-mail, his booking as a guest speaker in a seminar called "Making A
Living In Music" in Los Angeles, California hosted by
www.songnet.info
On
January 29, 2007, Dean walked into the SKKY Bar & Lounge located at
5908 Padre Blvd. in South Padre Island, Texas and did a live audition
for General Manager, Brandon Helton who then booked Dean to perform on
February 1 , 2, 13, 14 & 15, 2007, also on April 19 & 20, 2007
from 9:30pm. to close.
Thank
you, Keven Andrson of Fort Worth, Texas for buying me a Greyhound Bus
ticket from Fort Worth, Texas to Brownsville, Texas on January 27, 2007.
With more than two weeks until his next gig in Austin, Texas,
Dean decided to hitchhike to the Lower Rio Grande Valley to try and
book himself a show. He hitchhiked out of Wichita Falls, Texas and made
it as far as Fort Worth, Texas when Kevin Anderson recognized Dean from
his story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and offered him a ride. Afterward that same night, Dean
got himself booked to perform again at the Old Town Saloon in Wichita
Falls, Texas on March 15, 2007 and again on April 12, 2007 from 9:30pm.
to close. Dean performed as scheduled at the
Old Town Saloon on January 25, 2007. On January 25,
2007, Dean communicated with Wrecks Bell, owner of the Old Quarter
Acoustic Cafe in Galveston, Texas and got himself booked to perform
there on May 11, 2007 from 9-10pm. On January 24, 2007, a
trucker named Belinda Brown picked Dean up on Hwy 287 and gave him a
ride to Wichita Falls, and she referred him to call her brother Neal
Brown who she said plans music in Luckenbach, Texas. Using his cellular phone, Dean called Love & War in Texas
located at 601 E Plano Pkwy. in Plano, Texas on January 23, 2007, and
got himself booked to perform there on March 8, 2007 from 6-8pm. Dean,
hitchhiked his way to Wichita Falls, Texas. Then Dean, hitchhiked his
way to Bowie, Texas where he picked up a copy of his story in the
January 19, 2007 issue of the Times Record News.
The Times Record News write up on Dean Strickland
On January 17, 2007, Dean walked to the Bryan Public Library located at
201 E. 26th St. Bryan, Texas and made copies of the microfilm
containing his story that was published in the Region section of the
October 5, 2006 issue of the Eagle newspaper.
Thank
you, Les Thomas and the Central Baptist Church located at 1991 FM 158
College Station, Texas for putting me up at the Comfort Suites Hotel
located at 2313 Texas Avenue South in College Station, Texas on January
15 & 16, 2007.
After
that, Dean hitchhiked out of Galveston, Texas headed to Wichita Falls,
Texas for his January 25, 2007 gig from 9:30 to close at The Old Town
Saloon. On January 12, 2007, Dean performed as scheduled and
unexpectedly doing a song-swap at The Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in
Galveston, Texas with
Matt Harlan
On January 11, 2007, Dean gave an over the
phone interview to Lana Sweeten Shults, Entertainment Editor for the
Times Record News. Dean performed
during the open mic nights at The Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe, on both
January 10 & 11, 2006. On January 10, 2007, Dean hitchhiked from Houston, Texas to
Galveston, Texas for his gig at The Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe located
at 413 20th St., on January 12, 2007, from 9-9:30pm. On January 9, 2007, Dean walked into
the American Federation of Musicians Local 65-699 located at 609
Chenevert, Houston, Texas 77003, and spoke with Office Assistant, Steve
Begnoche. On January 7, 2007, Dean performed as scheduled at The Last
Concert Cafe in Houston, Texas. Dean was asked back again to Houston to perform on Nights
Sounds on KPFT 90.1FM, and so he got himself booked again for May 16,
2007. David Fahl
performed also during that time on Pat & Rosie's Night Sounds on
KPFT. 90.1FM. At 2am on January 6, 2007, Dean performed, and talked about his songs,
and places he's been on the radio show "Nightsounds" with Pat &
Rosie on KPFT 90.1 FM. Dean performed his songs, "The Perfect Place",
"I Love Texas (It's My Home)", "With You Step By Step", "It Takes A
Cowboy Like Me", "Why Did Classic Country Music Have To Die?", "With A
Smile On My Face" and "Your Inspirational To Me".
On December 31, 2006, Dean's story
appeared in the
Texas National Press

ABOVE: Photo of Dean Stricklad walking to the KPFT 90.1FM studio in Houston, Texas on January 6, 2007 taken by Dave Diaz

ABOVE: Photo of Dean Stricklad and David Fahl at the KPFT 90.1FM studio in Houston, Texas on January 6, 2007 taken by Dave Diaz
On December 30, 2006, Dean hitchhiked from Austin, Texas to
Houston, Texas to perform as scheduled at KPFT 90.1FM Nightsounds with
Pat and Rosie on January 6, 2007 at 2am., also at The Last Concert Cafe
on January 7, 2007 from 6-7pm. On December 28 & 29, 2006, while in Austin, Texas, Dean wrote his
song:
It Takes A Cowboy Like Me
Who am I?
I was asked recently
I'm the man you might see outside one night
Sleeping on the cold damp street
What am I thinking?
Another question posed to me
I'm so thankful for all of God's loving gifts
I've gladly and humbly received
Not everyone is cut out to do these things
To grab life by the horns
And take charge of your destiny
It takes a cowboy like me
To strike out and chase a poor man's dream
Stomping one boot heel in front of the other
Even when the weather's forecast is stormy
Riches come to me from within
When it seems I just can't win
I say let 'em love me or loath me
Everyone anyway I can't please
To live like I do
It takes a cowboy like me
©2007 Dean Strickland
Though Mr. Monahan was unavailable, he called Dean on the phone on
December 29, 2006. Dean performed as scheduled from 8-10pm. on December
29, 2006 at Geisha Sushi. On
December 27, 2006, Dean walked to the Office of the Governor Texas
Music Office in hopes of meeting Casey J. Monahan, Director, since Dean
was referred to Mr. Monahan by Mike Muniz, Director of Latin Organizing
AFM. On December 26,
2006, Dean hitchhiked to Austin, Texas for his booked show at Geisha
Sushi on 6th st. in Austin, Texas on December, 29 2006 from 8-10pm. Dean spent the 2006 Christmas Holiday in both Bowie,
Texas and Fort Worth, Texas with family and friends. Then Dean walked into the Midway Club located at 10275
State Highway 59 N in Montague, Texas and asked the owner, Lou for a
gig in the future. On December 15, 2006 while in Bowie, Texas, Dean
received an email booking him to perform at the Troubadour Saloon at
503 E 6th Street (6th and Neches) in Austin, Texas on February 9, 2007
from 8-9pm. On December 10, 2006,
Dean hitchhiked from Amarillo, Texas to Abilene, Texas to continue
filming his documentary, and Eyakem Gulilat continued filming Dean
until he hitchhiked out of Abilene, Texas on his way to Bowie, Texas on
December 12, 2006. Also on December 9, 2006,
Dean walked to the Amarillo Police Department and filed an Assault
charge against Bo Salling (case # 06-152468). On December 9, 2006, Dean recorded his song "Why Did Classic
Country Music Have To Die?" at A.M.P. recording studio in Amarillo,
Texas engineered and mixed by Drew Holder.
The Amarillo Globe News write up on Dean Strickland
From Abilene, Texas, Dean hitchhiked to Amarillo, Texas where
footage for his documentary was shot on December 7, 8 & 9, 2006 in
both Amarillo, Texas and Panhandle, Texas. On December 4, 2006, Dean walked into KTAB Newsclips located at 100
Chesnut, Ste. 204 in Abilene, Texas, and picked up a copy of the
Dean Strickland Story on KTAB 10-01-06

(Click video still above to watch
newsclip)
ABOVE: Video still of Dean Strickland in Abilene, Texas on September 27, 2006 taken by Eyakem Gulilat
Then from San Antonio, Texas, Dean hitchhiked to
Abilene, Texas and met with photographer Eyakem Gulilat to begin
filming a documentary of Dean's hitchhiking journey to Amarillo, Texas. That same evening, Dean got himself booked to perform again at B
& D Ice House on April 28, 2007 during the King William's Fair in
San Antonio, Texas. Later that evening Dean performed as scheduled at B & D Ice House
as was written about in the December 1, 2006 issue of the San Antonio
Express-News Weekender.
The San Antonio Express-News write up on Dean Strickland
On December 1, 2006, Dean walked into
the AFM Local 23 located at 427 N. Main Avenue in San Antonio, Texas
and spoke to Danny Lopez, Vice President and Ben Westney, Secretary
Treasurer of his desire to participate in Union shows in San Antonio. On
November 29, 2006, Dean gave a telephone interview to Amarillo Globe
News reporter, Aaron Phillips. Through email on November 27, 2006, Dean got himself booked to perform at The
Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe located at 413 20th St. in Galveston, Texas
on January 12, 2007 at 9:00pm. to open for
The Hudsons
From Bowie, Texas, Dean
hitchhiked to San Antonio, Texas to perform at B&D Ice House
located at 1004 S Alamo in San Antonio, Texas at 7:30pm. On November 21, 2006 over the phone Dean got himself
booked to perform at the Golden Light Cantina located at 2908 W 6th
Avenue in Amarillo, Texas from 9:30-10:30pm. From Austin, Texas, Dean hitchhiked to Bowie, Texas from where he
traveled to Vicksburg, Mississippi to spend the Thanksgiving holiday
with his family. On November 14, 2006, Dean made a phone
call to the Old Town Saloon in Wichita Falls, Texas and got himself
booked to perform there on January 25, 2007 from 9:30pm till closing
time. On November 12,
2006, Dean hitchhiked from Sherman, Texas to Austin, Texas to perform
at Geisha Sushi from 8-10pm. On
November 11th, Dean hitchhiked to Sherman, Texas, and walked into
Boiler Room Coffee located at 404 West Lamar Street and got himself
booked to perform there on April 6, 2007 from 8-10pm.
Thank you, Mr. and Mrs.
who I met in Paris, Texas on November 10, 2006 for putting me up for the night in the Victorian Inn.
On November 10th,
Dean walked into Dillon's Bar & Grill located at 3560 NE Loop 286,
Paris, Texas, and got himself booked to perform there on March 31, 2006
from 9:30pm.-1:30am. Then that same night, Dean
hitched a ride from Plano, Texas to Paris, Texas with Michael O'Neal of
who
performed after Dean on November, 9th, at Love & War in Texas, and
later drove through Paris, Texas on his way home. Then later, Dean caught a ride on the train from
Fort Worth, Texas to Plano, Texas for his scheduled performance at Love
& War in Texas on November 9, 2006. On November 4, 2006, Dean performed as scheduled at Sundance Square
in Fort Worth, Texas. While in
Bowie, Texas on On October 31, 2006, Dean wrote his song:
Why Did Classic Country Music Have To Die?
Growing up
I loved both Rock and Roll
And Country music
Then it was clear
To hear how the two could be
Easily distinguished
But just the other day
I heard a Heavy Metal
Guitar solo played
In one of the New
Country songs
And as much as I wanna stay
Positive
I just have to say
I think that's just plain wrong
CHORUS:
Tell me why, oh, why
Did Classic Country music
Have to die?
Where do they get off
Mixin' Country stories and singers
With Hard Rock and Pop?
Am I alone
In that at times
It makes me want to cry?
Oh, tell me why, oh, why
Did Classic Country music
Have to die?
Now, I do have my
Favorite Rock and Roll
Styled drummers
But when I hear one
Playing in a Country band
I think they should try another
I think all Country musicians
Should learn the formula
That the Classic Country heroes used
It's really not that difficult
The way that
They mixed Bluegrass up
With good old Gospel and Blues
CHORUS
©2006 Dean Strickland
Then Dean, hitchhiked to Bowie, Texas on his way to Fort Worth,
Texas to perform at Sundance Square on November 4, 2006. On October 20 & 21, 2006 Dean performed as scheduled at Geisha
Sushi on 6th st. in Austin, Texas.
ABOVE: Photo of Dean Strickland performing at Geisha Sushi & Grill in Austin, Texas in October of 2006 unknown photographer
On October 18, 2006, Dean walked into the Austin Federation of
Musicians Local 433 located at 1515 IH 35 South, Suite 100, Austin,
Texas 78741 and talked with the Office Manager, Desiree L. McBride. On October 17,
2006, Dean created a different Never Die Records logo.
ABOVE: Official Never Die Records logo ©2006 Dean Strickland
After that Dean hitchhiked his way to Austin, Texas for
his scheduled performances at Geisha Sushi & Grill located at 616
E. 6th St. on October 20 & 21, 2006 from 8-10pm. Then trough the AFM Local 72, Dean got himself booked to perform as
a Strolling musician in
downtown
Fort Worth's Entertainment & Shopping District on November 4, 2006
from 7-10pm. He met Mike Kennedy,
Administrator, Kenneth Krause, Secretary-Treasurer, and Raymond M. Hair
Jr. Then from
El Paso, Texas, Dean hitchhiked to Arlington, Texas where on October
16, 2006, Dean walked into the offices of the
located
at 1939 Stadium Oaks Court, and became a member. Then, Dean hitchhiked from Lubbock, Texas to
El Paso, Texas and got himself booked to perform at
located
at 6669 Gateway Blvd. W. from 8-9pm., on February 23, 2007. On October 4 & 5, 2006, Dean performed as scheduled at La Diosa
Cellars in Lubbock, Texas. Dean's story fed directly from the Associated Press Newswire and
appeared the first week in October 2006 in the following newspapers:
The Eagle AP wire article on Dean Strickland
and
The Laredo Morning
News AP wire article on Dean Strickland
Dean's story was published in the