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Gospel singer Kirk Franklin. Photo By John Mathew –

Top 10 Famous Singers from Dallas, Texas   

Dallas is an artistic city in North Texas that is respected as the cultural hub for its flourishing beauty, history, and music culture. While it may lack the musical reputation of Austin, Dallas has produced some incredible musicians across a wide range of genres.  Read about Austin Singers here. 

A surprising number of well-known artists call or have called the Lone Star State, home. When it comes to music, Dallas offers you all kinds of genres from romantic jazz evening to hard rock and its soulful folk and country music. 

Here are the top 10 famous singers from Dallas, Texas. 

1. Kirk Franklin 

Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American choir director, gospel singer, and songwriter. He was born on 26th January 1970 in Dallas, Texas. He sings Christian hip-hop, soul, and contemporary gospel music and plays the piano. 

Franklin has received many awards over the years, including 16 Grammy Awards, 22 GMA Dove Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and Stellar Awards. In 2021, he was among the first inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame. 

This gospel icon is a choir leader and solo artist and his songs have been performed by other vocal legends like Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans.  

2. LeAnn Rimes 

Singer LeAnn Rimes. Photo By Chief National Guard –

Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born on 28th August 1982 in Jackson, Mississippi, but her family moved to Dallas when she was six.   

LeAnn began her career in musical theatre, performing in Dallas, and by the time she was 9 years old, she was an experienced singer. LeAnn sings country, pop, Contemporary Christian, adult contemporary, and dance-pop. She has sold over 37 million records worldwide and is an actress too. 

3. Erykah Badu  

Erica Abi Wright, professionally known as Erykah Badu, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress who is associated with the neo-soul subgenre. Her voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday鈥檚.

She was born on 26th February 1971 in Dallas, Texas, and is the first lady and queen of neo-soul. Erica is also an actress and has played supporting roles in movies and appeared in documentaries. Her eccentric style often includes wearing very large and colorful headwraps. 

4. Vanilla Ice 

Robert Matthew Van Winkle, professionally known as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He was born on 31st October 1967 in Dallas, Texas. His friends nicknamed him “Vanilla” because he was the only white person in the group while the rest were black. 

Van Winkle first got his start as a rapper participating in open mics at Dallas nightclubs before his colossal hit 鈥淚ce Ice Baby鈥� was released in 1990.    

He was one of the earliest white rappers to attain major success with “Ice Ice Baby” being the first hip-hop single to top the Billboard charts. 

5. Usher Raymond 

Usher Raymond. Photo By Ames Friedman –

Usher Raymond IV is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and businessman. He was born on 14th October 1978 in Dallas, Texas. Usher joined the local church youth choir when he was nine years old. This is where his grandmother discovered his ability to sing. It was not until he joined a singing group that he considered singing professionally.

He has sold 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Usher has received numerous awards throughout his career and got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016. He features in other walks and halls of fame too. 

6. Demi Lovato 

Demetria Devonne Lovato, simply known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. The vocalist was born on 20th August 1992 in New Mexico, but she grew up in Dallas, Texas. She began playing the piano and the guitar when she was young and even took dancing and acting classes.  

Demi鈥檚 first role was when she played Angela in the children鈥檚 show Barney & Friends. Throughout her career, Lovato has received acclaim from critics for her singing abilities. Demi has won many awards, including an award at the MTV Video Music Awards, one award at the ALMA Awards, five People’s Choice Awards, a Billboard Women in Music award, a Guinness World Record, and fourteen Teen Choice Awards. 

Demi is an activist for several controversial social causes and she struggles with an eating disorder and substance abuse. She is a vocal anti-bullying advocate too. 

7. Stevie Ray Vaughan   

Stephen Ray Vaughan was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was born on 3rd October 1954 in Dallas, Texas, where he grew up. He is remembered as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. 

Stevie dropped out of college in 1971 to pursue music full time and he accomplished a lot in his short life. With a soaring professional career and consistently sold-out concerts, he was recognized for his extensive and intense style of playing.  

Stevie died at the age of 35 years in a plane crash on 27th August 1990. His music continued to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases and even sold over 15 million albums in the United States. 

He has 6 Grammys, and 10 Austin Music Awards plus a place in the Blues Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and 2015 respectively.  

8. St. Vincent  

Anne Erin Clark, Popularly known as St Vincent. Photo By Constanza Gajardo –

Anne Erin Clark, professionally known as St. Vincent, is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. She was born on 28th September 1982 in Tulsa, Oklahoma but her family moved to Dallas, Texas when she was young. She sings in a mezzo-soprano voice. 

Her music is noted for its complex arrangements utilizing a wide array of instruments like violins, cellos, flutes, trumpets, clarinets, and others. St. Vincent is the recipient of various accolades, including three Grammy Awards. 

9. Anthony Evans 

Anthony Tyrone Evans, Jr. is an American Christian singer and songwriter. He sings Contemporary Christian music, urban gospel, and worship. He was born on 14th July 1978 in Dallas, Texas. 

His father is a famous Christian radio personality and a senior pastor at the megachurch Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas.   

Evans released his first studio album entitled 鈥楨ven More with Epic Records label. So far, he has 6 albums.  

10. Norah Jones 

Norah Jones. Photo By maccosta –

Geethali Norah Jones Shankar is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She was born on 30th March 1979 in Manhattan, New York City. She moved to Dallas with her mum when she was still young after her parents separated. At the age of 16, she officially changed her name to Norah Jones, removing the Indian elements from her name. 

As she was growing up in Dallas, Jones began singing in church while taking piano and voice lessons. She has always loved music.   

She has 8 solo albums and many awards including nine Grammy鈥檚 Album of the Year (twice), Record of the Year (twice), and Best New Artist. She has won American, Italian, and Billboard Music awards too. 

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