J. R. Dunn
J. R. (James Rodney Dunn) was born in Pecos, Texas in1952. After living in Pecos, Ft. Stockton, and Odessa, Texas for his first 10 years, his family relocated to Coahoma, Texas where he attended the sixth grade to twelfth. While attending school in Coahoma, he was elected Student Council President his senior year and played football, basketball, and ran track. He graduated high school along with Jody Nix and Jerry Webb in 1970. There used to be an all school assembly every other Friday where Jody, Jerry, Andy Wilson, Jimmy Wright & a host of other musicians would put on great musical shows with J. R. playing the role of Master of Ceremonies

He attended Howard County Junior College in Big Spring, Texas for one and a half years then relocated to Arlington, Texas where he went to school for the next 4 years on the seven year plan. While in college in Arlington, he worked at Minyard's Food Stores in the daytime and played guitar at the Strip in Grand Prairie at night. At the strip he met and learned from some of the best musicians in the business .

In 1975, J. R. moved to Crane, Texas where he met lead guitarist Damon Means, mandolin player Jackie Snow, drummers Eddie Pasquale and Donnell Williams (1981 to 1984). Over the next five years he wrote and co-authored 72 songs. By 1983, the band called J. R. & the Salt Cedar Gang, had become a west Texas favorite for many fans. The band played all over West Texas and split up in 1984, however, J. R. continued with his music and songwriting.

Restless by the break-up of the band, he moved to Big Spring where he met and married Kari Kay Hill a school teacher from Big Lake, Texas. He moved to and lived in Big Lake for the next 20 years and was the Mayor for one term from 1999 till 2001. In 1992 he got what he thought would never happen, time in a recording studio. His good friend Willie Mendoza set him up in a recording studio in Odessa to record some original material he had written. Although quickly put together, he picked out ten to twelve songs he had authored and not having money to pay studio musicians, he gave 50% of a song to each musician that helped at the recording studio, and 50% of one song to producer Joseph Wilde who put up the money to order CD's. That CD, titled "WE A'INT OUTLAWS," sold over two thousand copies in the first release. In 1994, he set up his old friend Damon Means to record his band SUNDANCE in Willie's recording studio where he produced the CD “Livin' Free" Damon returned the favor by putting a song called HOT BLOODED MAN J. R. had written on the recording. J. R. considers Damon Means, Donnell Williams, Eddie Pasquale, Emmitt Roach, Jimmy O'brien, Kirk O'brien, Mitch Davis, H. F. Ritchie, Willie Mendoza, Danny Barrerra, Tommy Lucas, Howard Higgins and Richard Ortiz to be life long friends who play, sing, and help each other in times of need. It takes a special person to put the band in front of personal conflict, and play the music when called on. Danny Barrerra spent many hours recording, mixing, and re-recording and he has a special place in his heart for guys like Danny. Also, many thanks to Howard Higgins for taking over production of his music CD's, occasionally sitting in on bass guitar, and just being a good guy!

J. R. would sincerely like to thank Joe Baker of Backforty Bunkhouse Productions for his help in getting independent singers and songwriters played on the radio stations and getting songs listed on Nashville magazine’s charts. Joe Baker is a CSWM and WSMSS Hall of Fame inductee and member, and got his song "Not Prepared to Fall In Love Today" up to Number 3 on the Western Swing Charts of Power Source Magazine for the month of January 2008

J. R. still enjoys playing with his old friends and especially Damon Means of the original band. Currently he has put together a new band that includes his son Tanner on rhythm guitar and a host of other fantastic musicians that enjoy Texas Honky Tonk and Western Swing. In the works is a new CD "Ridin' Backwards” with a release date set for sometime in 2008. Today he lives and plays in San Angelo, Texas and continues to run an oilfield trucking and construction business in Big Lake. You can book J. R. Dunn & the Ketchum Mountain Boys by calling Charles Ducote at 325-234-6000 or e-mail J. R. on www.jrdunnmusic.com.

You can order his CD "We Ain't Outlaws" on the internet by going to the CDs page or from Backforty Bunkhouse Productions and clicking on Artists.

SEE YA OUT THERE!