by Gary Powell
In Governor Dolph Briscoe’s book, Dolph Briscoe: My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics,
he tells the story of standing on his land and telling his young children that they were looking across the far edge of Texas. Two weeks before Governor Briscoe’s pubic presentation on February 11, 2009 as the recipient of the University of Texas System’s most prestigious Santa Rita Award, UT Director of Creative Services Rod Caspers called me to engage my services in helping to commemorate the life of Dolph Briscoe.
Rod Caspers and I first worked together in 1990 on a special performance event for the University of Texas’ Littlefield Society. Performing at that event were composers and former UT students Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, who wrote among other Broadway shows, The Fantasticks. At the time I was directing the University of Texas Music Department’s vocal performing group, Ensemble 109 who was asked to perform with Schmidt and Jones at the event. Rod Caspers directed the event and we have been friends and colleagues ever since.
In preparation for Governor Briscoe’s tribute, Rod was able to communicate to me all the most important historical and personal elements of the Governor’s life that would translate well into poetry. As a lifelong Texan myself, I understood the breadth of Governor Briscoe’s influence on our state. As Governor, Dolph Briscoe even appointed my father, Max Powell, to serve Texas as a member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. I’m proud to have briefly been involved in honoring this Texan and to do it in a manner which holds the best of himself as a father, person and public figure.
Thank you to longtime Austin composer, producer and player Danny Levin for accompanying me on the cello.
by Gary Powell
In Governor Dolph Briscoe’s book, Dolph Briscoe: My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics, he tells the story of standing on his land and telling his young children that they were looking across the far edge of Texas. Two weeks before Governor Briscoe’s pubic presentation on February 11, 2009 as the recipient of the University of Texas System’s most prestigious Santa Rita Award, UT Director of Creative Services Rod Caspers called me to engage my services in helping to commemorate the life of Dolph Briscoe.
Rod Caspers and I first worked together in 1990 on a special performance event for the University of Texas’ Littlefield Society. Performing at that event were composers and former UT students Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, who wrote among other Broadway shows, The Fantasticks. At the time I was directing the University of Texas Music Department’s vocal performing group, Ensemble 109 who was asked to perform with Schmidt and Jones at the event. Rod Caspers directed the event and we have been friends and colleagues ever since.
In preparation for Governor Briscoe’s tribute, Rod was able to communicate to me all the most important historical and personal elements of the Governor’s life that would translate well into poetry. As a lifelong Texan myself, I understood the breadth of Governor Briscoe’s influence on our state. As Governor, Dolph Briscoe even appointed my father, Max Powell, to serve Texas as a member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. I’m proud to have briefly been involved in honoring this Texan and to do it in a manner which holds the best of himself as a father, person and public figure.
Thank you to longtime Austin composer, producer and player Danny Levin for accompanying me on the cello.
Concept and Music by Joe Scruggs
Choreography by Stephen Mills
Music Arranged & Produced by Gary Powell
Most people remember seminal events in their lives. For me, the phone call from Wink Tyler at Austin Recording Studio to produce a new children’s singer-songwriter Joe Scruggs was it! In fact, Joe Scruggs, his partner Pete Markham and I were all the same age in 1982. Joe and Pete are quite a bit older now however.
Fast forward 24 years, nine albums and God only knows how many performances and you arrive at a very cool and beautifully designed live event entitled, “Not Afraid of the Dark”. The Show That Glows was conceived by Joe Scruggs with all his über-clever children’s musical fare and choreograhed by Stephen Mills, artistic director for Ballet Austin. I served, as always, as Joe’s musical arranger and producer. Pete Markham is the president of Shadow Play Records.
This show is SO much fun. The photos at the left are actual shots from a performance. It’s a visual creative fantasy that is a joy to just SEE. Add Joe’s wonderful feel for parlaying entertaining family-isms with the very talented dancers of the junior company of Ballet Austin and you’ll have one GREAT family night out.
CITYSEARCH EDITORIAL PROFILE – By Jamie Smith Cantara
“Everything that lights up, radiates and sends beams will seem even brighter on the darkened stage. “Stick Man,” a new creation by Scruggs, uses a technique called “live wires” to generate glowing, life-size stick figures that dance with neon-like light. Black lights, chemical lights, luminescent materials and fiber optics show children how many different ways there are to create shimmering visual displays.”
Joe Scruggs, Pete Markam and I have a rich record-producing history. I’m looking forward to including some of our experiences with this blogging technology… which wasn’t quite happening in 1982!
I hope my Houston subscribers and everyone at the Rice Building Institute will forward this post to all their friends with kids. It’s truly a special family event.
BLOG TIP: Click the Title of this Post to display its permalink URL in your browser’s address bar. A permalink is nothing but a permanent URL address for any post. Every post (or blog) has it’s own permalink. You can now copy and paste this URL address from your browser’s address bar into an email to share with others.
Friday, April 7, 2006 – 7 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
(713) 277-4772
Concept and Music by Joe Scruggs
Choreography by Stephen Mills
Music Arranged & Produced by Gary Powell
Most people remember seminal events in their lives. For me, the phone call from Wink Tyler at Austin Recording Studio to produce a new children’s singer-songwriter Joe Scruggs was it! In fact, Joe Scruggs, his partner Pete Markham and I were all the same age in 1982. Joe and Pete are quite a bit older now however.
Fast forward 24 years, nine albums and God only knows how many performances and you arrive at a very cool and beautifully designed live event entitled, “Not Afraid of the Dark”. The Show That Glows was conceived by Joe Scruggs with all his über-clever children’s musical fare and choreograhed by Stephen Mills, artistic director for Ballet Austin. I served, as always, as Joe’s musical arranger and producer. Pete Markham is the president of Shadow Play Records.
This show is SO much fun. The photos at the left are actual shots from a performance. It’s a visual creative fantasy that is a joy to just SEE. Add Joe’s wonderful feel for parlaying entertaining family-isms with the very talented dancers of the junior company of Ballet Austin and you’ll have one GREAT family night out.
CITYSEARCH EDITORIAL PROFILE – By Jamie Smith Cantara
“Everything that lights up, radiates and sends beams will seem even brighter on the darkened stage. “Stick Man,” a new creation by Scruggs, uses a technique called “live wires” to generate glowing, life-size stick figures that dance with neon-like light. Black lights, chemical lights, luminescent materials and fiber optics show children how many different ways there are to create shimmering visual displays.”
Joe Scruggs, Pete Markam and I have a rich record-producing history. I’m looking forward to including some of our experiences with this blogging technology… which wasn’t quite happening in 1982!
I hope my Houston subscribers and everyone at the Rice Building Institute will forward this post to all their friends with kids. It’s truly a special family event.
BLOG TIP: Click the Title of this Post to display its permalink URL in your browser’s address bar. A permalink is nothing but a permanent URL address for any post. Every post (or blog) has it’s own permalink. You can now copy and paste this URL address from your browser’s address bar into an email to share with others.
Friday, April 7, 2006 – 7 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
(713) 277-4772
by Gary Powell, Event Producer
Click Photo at Right to Enlarge
Tom Granger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Headliners Club in Austin, Texas, invited me to serve as event producer for the Austin club’s 50th Anniversary Gala held at Renaissance Hotel on January 12, 2006. The Headliners Club has a rich history with members who MAKE history and NOT just Texas history. Over 800 attendees were treated to a “roast” of White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Karl Rove, served up by Mark McKinnon, John Sharp, Mary Matalin and Lowell Leberman.
The very clever Ralph Wayne, President and CEO of the Texas Civil Justice League, 
who is sort of like Bob Hope (except for being smarter, more energetic, more likeable and funnier) served as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies using his long-gone hairline as adroitly as Hope used his golf club.
Tom Granger, partner of Midwikis & Granger, P.C., wrote a three-page historical summary of the club’s 50 years and Sue Meller, the club’s managing director, fed me hundreds of photos (and stories) from which to build a brief historical video documentary which we premiered at the event on two 12-foot screens. Tom is a kind and gentle human, so it was my job to make his written history match the spirit of the event which might have alternately been named “Grenades and Accolades”. Lucky, I was raised in a family who communicated by hurling quips of Mark Twain, one of the original American grenade-launching wordsmiths.
Being a composer, I looked for opportunities for an original song. The club’s motto, “Non Quis Sed Quid”, which translates “It’s not who you are, but what you are”, seemed like a perfect place to start. The song “It’s Not Who, but What You Are” was written one day, recorded and mixed the next and beautifully sung by a wonderful singer who is new to my studio, Leslie Whiteley. Leslie is a elementary music teacher in Killeen and was introduced to me by long-time friend and colleague Larry Seyer.
The very same Larry Seyer, who owns Texas Video Productions, brought his wonderful eye and talent to edit the 13-minute video. So, after scanning some 600 photos, writing and editing the script, recording the voice/over with the deep, resonant voice of Craig Toungate, editing and mixing for four days, the video was done. There were also interviews of members who were taped at the club’s Christmas party and there was a midnight run downtown to capture the fully orange U.T. tower with the giant #1 cascading downward. We also invested in the “west wing” of the Austin History Center for use of their wonderful historical photos of Austin. Thank you to Margaret Schlankey for her knowledge of our city, the people and year-model cars.
At this major Austin event we employed the trusted hostesses of the “In the Studio” concerts, Amy Person and Vanessa Joy (both full time psychotherpists), who were so helpful in smoothing attending members, guests and me AND for getting Karl Rove to dinner on time.
This event was an extraordinary experience for me to learn about this prestigious club’s history, but more important, work with the wonderful people who inhabit it now. I am proud to have been entrusted by all concerned especially Tom and Beth Granger, Sue Meller and the Headliners staff.
My best professional regards go out to Steve Overby, Mike Noth and the crew listed below of AVW-Telav for their outstanding work under pressure. 
Also, thank you to Howard Fletcher of “First In – Last Out”.
(Project Manager, Mike Noth / Audio Engineer, Aaron Foye / Video Engineer, Jeff Deetz / Tape Operator, Anthony Ochoco / Cam Op, Colin Jones / Cam Op, Hank Swania / Lighting Director, Ethan Balmer)
by Gary Powell, Event Producer
Click Photo at Right to Enlarge
Tom Granger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Headliners Club in Austin, Texas, invited me to serve as event producer for the Austin club’s 50th Anniversary Gala held at Renaissance Hotel on January 12, 2006. The Headliners Club has a rich history with members who MAKE history and NOT just Texas history. Over 800 attendees were treated to a “roast” of White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Karl Rove, served up by Mark McKinnon, John Sharp, Mary Matalin and Lowell Leberman.
The very clever Ralph Wayne, President and CEO of the Texas Civil Justice League, who is sort of like Bob Hope (except for being smarter, more energetic, more likeable and funnier) served as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies using his long-gone hairline as adroitly as Hope used his golf club.
Tom Granger, partner of Midwikis & Granger, P.C., wrote a three-page historical summary of the club’s 50 years and Sue Meller, the club’s managing director, fed me hundreds of photos (and stories) from which to build a brief historical video documentary which we premiered at the event on two 12-foot screens. Tom is a kind and gentle human, so it was my job to make his written history match the spirit of the event which might have alternately been named “Grenades and Accolades”. Lucky, I was raised in a family who communicated by hurling quips of Mark Twain, one of the original American grenade-launching wordsmiths.
Being a composer, I looked for opportunities for an original song. The club’s motto, “Non Quis Sed Quid”, which translates “It’s not who you are, but what you are”, seemed like a perfect place to start. The song “It’s Not Who, but What You Are” was written one day, recorded and mixed the next and beautifully sung by a wonderful singer who is new to my studio, Leslie Whiteley. Leslie is a elementary music teacher in Killeen and was introduced to me by long-time friend and colleague Larry Seyer.
The very same Larry Seyer, who owns Texas Video Productions, brought his wonderful eye and talent to edit the 13-minute video. So, after scanning some 600 photos, writing and editing the script, recording the voice/over with the deep, resonant voice of Craig Toungate, editing and mixing for four days, the video was done. There were also interviews of members who were taped at the club’s Christmas party and there was a midnight run downtown to capture the fully orange U.T. tower with the giant #1 cascading downward. We also invested in the “west wing” of the Austin History Center for use of their wonderful historical photos of Austin. Thank you to Margaret Schlankey for her knowledge of our city, the people and year-model cars.
At this major Austin event we employed the trusted hostesses of the “In the Studio” concerts, Amy Person and Vanessa Joy (both full time psychotherpists), who were so helpful in smoothing attending members, guests and me AND for getting Karl Rove to dinner on time.
This event was an extraordinary experience for me to learn about this prestigious club’s history, but more important, work with the wonderful people who inhabit it now. I am proud to have been entrusted by all concerned especially Tom and Beth Granger, Sue Meller and the Headliners staff.
My best professional regards go out to Steve Overby, Mike Noth and the crew listed below of AVW-Telav for their outstanding work under pressure. Also, thank you to Howard Fletcher of “First In – Last Out”.
(Project Manager, Mike Noth / Audio Engineer, Aaron Foye / Video Engineer, Jeff Deetz / Tape Operator, Anthony Ochoco / Cam Op, Colin Jones / Cam Op, Hank Swania / Lighting Director, Ethan Balmer)
