A mirror where Elvis Presley once sat next to for a photograph at the Mayfair Building, photographed in Tyler on April 20, 2017. The building was constructed in the early 20th century and has hosted a number of well-known musicians, including Elvis Presley, for performances. 

Tyler was awarded the 55th Texas Music Friendly designation by the Texas Music Office (TMO), and community members were invited to the Music Friendly Texas Community Certification Ceremony held at Liberty Hall last Thursday.

The ceremony was co-hosted by TMO, Visit Tyler and the City of Tyler. Speakers included State Sen. Bryan Hughes, Mayor Don Warren and Carleen Dark-Bays, chair of the Visit Tyler Music Friendly Advisory Board.

“As the Mayor of our vibrant city, I am thrilled to announce Tyler’s official designation as a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community,” said Warren. “This recognition not only honors our rich musical heritage but also celebrates our ongoing commitment to fostering a supportive environment for musicians and the music industry. Together, we harmonize the notes of culture, creativity, and community, making Tyler a melody that resonates across the Lone Star State.”

Diann Bayes, president of Visit Tyler and Tyler Music liaison for the Texas Music Office, served as emcee, and Chip Adams, Community Relations and Outreach Specialist of the TMO, presented the designation.

“This designation is a way for us to support the local musicians’ venues and any other industry that is part of the music industry in Tyler,” Bayes said. “We will work with them on potential workshops in the future to help educate musicians on possibly how to make their music a business rather than just a hobby. It’s really important to support those musicians.”

The Music Friendly Texas Certified Community Program, the first in the nation since introduced by TMO in 2016, seeks to foster music business-related economic development and job creation in Texas cities and communities.

“We are really thrilled to have Tyler at our Music Friendly Texas program,” Adams said, “Tyler has been working on this for quite a while now… all thanks to the hard work from Diann Bayes from Visit Tyler… she really helped push the city over the finish line.”

This recognition has been in the works since 2019 but COVID-19 halted the process. Now, Tyler joins cities like Fort Worth, Houston, El Paso and Lubbock as Certified Music Friendly Texas Community destinations.

“Music and the arts are a vital part of any thriving community, and Tyler is no exception,” said Dark-Bays. “Becoming a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community and standing alongside so many other esteemed Texas cities is important for Tyler on many fronts. This pivotal milestone will unlock opportunity and foster invaluable connections for our local artists and musicians. It also makes a statement to artists everywhere that Tyler is deeply dedicated to nurturing the music industry’s evolution while also being a wonderful place to call home.”

Adams said Tyler has been a music city for a long time.

“So this is just more of an official way to kind of honor the history of Tyler music and then to get you guys in our program to be a part of this network of music cities,” Adams said.

The Texas Music Office was first established in 1990.

According to Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas music industry created more than 192,000 direct and indirect permanent jobs and generated over $26 billion in economic activity statewide in 2022.

“The impact music has had on Tyler has been incredible,” Bayes told the audience. “The community has supported music-friendly activities since the early 1900s with a municipal band organized in the 1910s, the opening of the Mayfair Building in the ‘20s, the founding of a symphony orchestra in the ‘30s, and the building of Caldwell Auditorium in the ‘40s. And those were just the early years.”

According to Bayes, there has been a plethora of singers, songwriters, and musicians who were born in Tyler, attended school in Tyler, or recorded music in Tyler:

Tyler native and drummer Gus Johnson performed with Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald and Harold “Money” Johnson, also born in Tyler, played jazz trumpet with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Tyler Junior College graduate Chris Tomlin, a contemporary Christian singer, has received 23 GMA Dove Awards and a Grammy.

ZZ Top, recorded their first albums in Tyler at the legendary Robin Hood Recording Studio.

LeAnn Rimes, top New Female Vocalist of the Year 1996 at the ACM awards and Grammy winner, recorded her song ‘Blue’ at Rosewood Studios.

Tyler native Carl Gardner, lead singer of The Coasters, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Tyler native Johnny Gimble, known for his western swing fiddle playing, was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Tyler Junior College graduate and Tyler resident Will Jennings wrote and/or co-wrote a significant list of incredible music including Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ Steve Winwood’s ‘Higher Love’ and ‘Back in the High Life Again,’ Barry Manilow’s ‘Somewhere in the Night’ and ‘Looks Like We Made It,’ Dionne Warwick’s ‘I’ll Never Love This Way Again,’ and Erik Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven.’

And that’s just to name a few.

“We don’t know where things will go with Texas music in Tyler, as we prepare to travel on this journey of being music friendly,” Bayes said. “But I’m certain we will see even more successes like the ones mentioned, as we educate, encourage, and introduce Tyler musicians to our community and lift them up to be successful.”

To showcase among the many talents housed in the City of Tyler, Texas College Concert Choir Soloist Aniyah Bickham sang ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day before the audience.

“Everybody here knows what a special place this is,” Sen. Hughes said to the audience. “We are blessed beyond measure to be Americans like no place in history and Texas, we don’t have to tell you how special Texas is. But there’s something really neat about (Tyler). That’s why we’re one of the fastest growing cities in Texas, an ever-increasing popular tourist destination.”

The process to be certified Music Friendly is a rigorous one.

“Every city has to designate one person who works for the … city to essentially run their city’s music office,” Adams said. “We call that person our Music Friendly liaison… (then) we have to do a Music Friendly workshop… which is just a great way to bring the community together to talk, to communicate and to learn about what our office does to learn about the Music Friendly Program and to kind of get the ball rolling.”

Then the city has to develop an advisory board of local music stakeholders that TMO will meet on a regular basis to talk about the city’s music industry and find ways to collaborate if and when that certification happens.

“I was born and raised here in Tyler and I’ve seen the history of the impact of music in our city,” Mayor Warren said to the audience. “You look around town and you go to these different places and you see local talent, you see talent from out of town. You see people that come here and love playing in our community.”

Venues like Liberty Hall in downtown Tyler, UT Tyler’s Cowan Center, the Mayfair building and several musicians make the city an attraction for live music.

“Tyler’s designation as a Music Friendly Texas community could not come at a better time,” Deputy City Manager Stephanie Franklin said. “The reopening of the Historic Mayfair Music and Dance Hall perfectly harmonizes with this milestone, amplifying Tyler’s commitment to nurturing artistic expression. Our city preserves its musical legacy by honoring our past and the many artists like Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Elvis Presley who have performed here as we set the stage for future artists to make history.”

Bayes said music is part of the community experience living and visiting Tyler.

“The quality of life is important in our community, having live music is always great for the young workforce that we want in our city,” Bayes said. “So, making sure that we make that vibrant and recognize those who are putting those efforts out and supporting them is our goal.”