Dallas Austin facts for kids

Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American music producer, songwriter, and film producer. He is from Columbus, Georgia, and has worked with many famous artists.

Biography

Early life and musical start

Dallas Austin was born in Columbus, Georgia. He went to high school there. His parents owned a nightclub called "The Party Club." Dallas would play instruments and DJ there during the day. After his father passed away, his mother moved the family and their restaurant downtown.

When Dallas was seven, he became very interested in music. He asked his mom to buy him a keyboard. She wasn't sure at first, thinking he might get bored. To convince her, he suggested she buy him a small one. He also made a deal: if he kept learning, she would buy him bigger keyboards each year.

As a teenager, Dallas felt that music was his way to a better life. He decided to move to Atlanta to live with his aunt. His mother soon decided to move too, so the family could stay together. After a few months, they reunited in Atlanta. The family faced challenges in their new neighborhoods.

Building a career in music

Dallas Austin started in the music business with his manager, William "Vybe Chyle" Burke. They met Joyce Irby, a member of the group Klymaxx. Joyce hired Dallas as a producer for her company. At first, record labels didn't see Dallas's talent. But Joyce believed in him.

In 1989, Joyce got a solo deal with Motown Records. Dallas co-produced her song "Mr. DJ," which became a hit. This was a big breakthrough for him. Austin then produced songs like "My Music" and "I Will Always Love You" for the group Troop.

When he was starting out, Dallas would often go to a local skating rink. Songs he produced would play there. T-Boz, who later became famous with TLC, also went to the rink. Dallas used to bring his keyboard to school. His mom wasn't sure about his music career, but his school counselor encouraged her to support him. Dallas, almost finished with school, wanted to focus on music. His mom agreed, and he spent a lot of time at the skating rink, where a studio was built. This was around 1986.

In 1990, Dallas started working on his own. He produced albums for other Motown artists, including Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. He later worked with L.A. Reid and Babyface at their label, LaFace Records. They asked him to work on the first album for the group TLC. After that, Dallas got a deal for his own group, Highland Place Mobsters.

In 2014, Dallas Austin appeared as a co-host on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

After his early successes, Austin produced songs for After 7's second album. He also worked with Madonna on her 1994 album Bedtime Stories. In the 2000s, Dallas produced hit songs for pop stars. These included TLC's "Unpretty", Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Just Like a Pill", and Gwen Stefani's 2004 song "Cool".

In 2025, Austin was announced as one of the remixers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup theme, representing Atlanta.

Personal life

Dallas Austin has three children. One of his sons, Tron Austin, was born in 1997 to TLC singer Chilli. Dallas also helped raise his niece after his brother's death.

Record labels founded by Dallas Austin

Dallas Austin has started several record labels:

• Rowdy Records: He founded this label in 1992. It worked with companies like Arista Records and Motown Records. Artists like Illegal, Da King & I, Y'all So Stupid, and Monica were signed to Rowdy Records. Later artists included Colin Munroe and Da Backwudz. The rock band Fishbone also joined Rowdy.
• Limp Records: This was a short-lived label Dallas started in 1993. It released two albums: A View to a Kill by Shadz of Lingo and The Pendulum Vibe by Joi.
• Freeworld Entertainment: Dallas founded this label in 1998. It released "Forty Six & 2" by Tool. Two artists, Lysette and teenage singer Sammie, were signed to Freeworld. Sammie released his first album, From the Bottom to the Top, in 2000. After Freeworld closed, Sammie released his next album on Dallas's Rowdy Records.

Recording studio

Dallas Austin owned his own recording studio called D.A.R.P. This stood for "Dallas Austin's Recording Projects." Alvin Speights was his main mixing engineer there. The studio was later renamed UAMG Studios, which means "Urban Angels Music Group."

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Dallas Austin para niños