Dallas Austin facts for kids

Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is a talented American songwriter, record producer, and film producer. He comes from Columbus, Georgia. He is known for creating hit songs for many famous artists.

Biography

Early life

Dallas Austin was born in Columbus, Georgia. He finished high school there. His parents owned a fun place 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 just 7 years old, he became very interested in music. He asked his mom to buy him a keyboard. At first, she wasn't sure. She thought he might get bored quickly. To convince her, he suggested she buy him a small one first. He also made a deal: if he kept learning and getting better, she would buy him bigger keyboards each year.

Dallas had two older brothers. When he was a teenager, one of his brothers broke his keyboard. This made Dallas very upset. He felt that music was his way to a better life. This moment helped him decide to leave Columbus. He took a bus to Atlanta to live with his aunt. His mother decided to move too, so the family could stay together. After a few months, his mother saved money and found a job in Atlanta. The family was able to reunite.

Career

Dallas Austin started his music career when his manager, William "Vybe Chyle" Burke, introduced him to Joyce Irby. She was a member of the group Klymaxx. Joyce saw Dallas's talent and hired him as a producer for her company. At first, record labels didn't see his potential. Joyce and William showed Dallas's music to many labels, but they weren't interested.

Joyce was determined to help Dallas succeed. In 1989, she got a solo record deal with Motown Records. She had three songs that made it onto the Billboard charts. One popular song was "Mr. DJ," which Dallas helped produce. This was a big step for him.

After this breakthrough, Dallas produced songs for the group Troop's 1989 album Attitude. When he was starting out, he would often go to a local skating rink. The songs he produced would play there. T-Boz, who later became famous with TLC, also went to that rink.

Dallas used to bring his keyboard to school. His mom wasn't happy about it at first. She told his school counselor that she didn't think his music career would work out. But the counselor told her that since Dallas had stuck with music for so long, it might actually succeed. The counselor suggested his mom support him. Hearing this, his mother agreed. Dallas, who was almost done with school, wanted to stop going. His mom, though not thrilled, let him. He spent a lot of time at the skating rink. The owners even built a studio there for a music group called Organized Noize. This was around 1986.

In 1990, Dallas started working on his own. His work with Motown Records led him to produce for other artists on that label. He worked on the first albums for groups like Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. He produced one song on Boyz II Men's second album.

Later, Dallas was asked by L.A. Reid and Babyface to work for their record label, LaFace Records. They wanted him to help with the first album for the group TLC. After that, Dallas got a deal for his own group, Highland Place Mobsters.

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

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

Personal life

Dallas Austin has three children. One of his sons, Tron Austin, was born in 1997. His mother is Chilli, a singer from TLC. Dallas also helped raise his niece after his brother, Claude Austin, passed away in 1994.

Record labels founded by Dallas Austin

Dallas Austin has started several record labels, which are companies that help artists record and release their music.

• Rowdy Records: Dallas founded this label in 1992. It worked with companies like Arista Records and later Motown Records. Artists like Illegal, Monica, and Fishbone released music through Rowdy Records.
• Limp Records: This label was started by Dallas in 1993 but was short-lived. It released only two albums, including The Pendulum Vibe by Joi.
• Freeworld Entertainment: Dallas founded this label in 1998. It released music for artists like Lysette and the teenage singer Sammie. Sammie's first album, From the Bottom to the Top, came out in 2000 through Freeworld.

Recording studio

Dallas Austin owned his own recording studio called D.A.R.P. This stood for "Dallas Austin's Recording Projects." Later, the studio was renamed UAMG Studios, which means "Urban Angels Music Group." This is where many of his famous songs were created.

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Dallas Austin para niños