One of the national leaders of the Hip Hop and R&B music scene is none other than Oklahoma City’s Chris Cutta. Born Chris Baldwin, he started producing music when he was a student at Putnam City Central Middle School. There, he developed the beat that earned him national acclaim and gigs producing music for artists […]
Brian Maughan
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The Guitarist From Midwest City
Shortly after being born in Atlanta, Hadley Hockensmith moved to Midwest City. Known for being a guitarist’s guitarist, Hockensmith became a world renown musician, session player, and songwriter. He toured the globe as Neil Diamond’s guitar player for 34 years. When Diamond retired from touring, Hockensmith moved back to Oklahoma City where he still resides. […]
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The Story Behind Gayla Peevey
For 72 years, children and adults alike have sung along to the holiday classic, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” It’s one of those songs that nearly everyone knows the words to. What you might not know, though, is that it was first sung and recorded by a young girl from South Oklahoma City named […]
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Country’s Trailblazer
This November marks the 70th anniversary of Jean Shepard’s induction into the legendary Grand Ole Opry. Shepard was the eighth woman to be given membership as a solo artist. To commemorate the historic milestone, a documentary detailing her life came out on November 21 on SHINE Oklahoma Music’s YouTube called “Jean Shepard: Trailblazer.” Shepard, a […]
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SHINE: Wanda Jackson
SHINE on Oklahoma Music series: Interview with Wanda Jackson, who still lives in Oklahoma City and is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and many other Halls of Fame. Wanda is the very first female to chart a rock song on the Billboard hit list and only the fifth female to […]
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Shining a light on crime
Happily, Oklahoma County was ahead of this trend, and a new law will make our efforts even more effective and cost-efficient. In spring 2010, I joined with judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys to create a new program called SHINE. It stands for Start Helping Impacted Neighborhoods Everywhere, and it created a structure for low-level, nonviolent […]