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Lubbock musician, producer and civic icon Don Caldwell dies

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Lubbock musician, producer and civic icon Don Caldwell dies

Friends of Don Caldwell are remembering the longtime Lubbock musician, producer and civic icon for his lasting impact on music and entertainment in the Hub City and beyond after he died Friday following a lengthy battle with cancer.

He was 79.

His wife, Terri Caldwell, announced his passing with a social media post Friday morning.

“It is with a shattered heart I announce the passing of the love of my life, my hero Don Caldwell. Play on my darling,” she wrote.

Caldwell was a catalyst in the Lubbock entertainment and music scene, said Leslie Cranford, a former Lubbock radio disc jockey and current media specialist who worked with Caldwell as a member of the 4th on Broadway steering committee that he oversaw in his role as President and CEO of Broadway Festivals Inc.

“He has always made sure Lubbock and its music ‘raved on’ by cultivating generations of talent,” she said, paying homage to the famed Buddy Holly song. “He always knew, and firmly believed, Lubbock and West Texas had as much or more talent than as any of the other “music centers” in the country — and he always seemed to find it!”

The founder of the Caldwell Entertainment talent promotion group that he ran with his wife and their family, Don Caldwell helped identify and cultivate up-and-coming musical stars and spearheaded events like Lubbock’s 4th on Broadway Independence Day festival, along with past events like Lights On Broadway, The Buddy Holly Music Festival, and Lubbock Centennial Celebrations. He was named by the Avalanche-Journal as one of Lubbock’s 100 most influential people during the city’s centennial in 2008.

The city of Lubbock released a statement Friday, mourning Caldwell’s loss and lauding his contributions to the community.

“The City of Lubbock is sad to learn of the overnight passing of local music legend, Don Caldwell,” the statement reads. “Caldwell was truly a local icon, impacting the lives of many local musicians and contributing to our city’s arts community…The City of Lubbock extends its sincerest heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Don Caldwell during this time.”

Caldwell was also a talented saxophonist in his own right and worked, along with his family, to coach or promote countless musicians, from the Cactus Cuties to Blackwater Draw.

Caldwell had been hospitalized in recent weeks due to complications following cancer treatment, according to organizers with Broadway Festivals Inc.

His passing came less than a week after fellow musicians and friends came together to show him support and raise money for his family in a Saturday, May 18, benefit concert at the Cactus Theater in the Depot Entertainment District.

His family expressed gratitude for the show of support from dozens of musicians and an audience of hundreds.

“The name ‘Don Caldwell’ is synonymous with Lubbock music,” Terri Caldwell said before the concert. “He turned his passion into a mission to enrich lives through music and entertainment, and his impact for the past 60-plus years is immeasurable.”

More: Lubbock musicians join forces for Cactus Theater benefit concert for Don Caldwell

Cranford, who described Caldwell as a longtime mentor, said the concert drew a standing-room-only, enthusiastic crowd of people who were all of one mind that evening: to show their love and support for Caldwell and his family.

Cranford said her most precious memory of Caldwell came as the Lubbock Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications honored him with its most prestigious award — The George Mahon Award for Extraordinary Public Service — in 2021.

As a “surprise award,” Cranford said, the recipient doesn’t know they’ve received it until it’s announced at the organization’s annual Celebrity Luncheon, which is normally in April but was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions until September of 2021.

Cranford said she was the club’s president that year, but had actually nominated him in late fall 2019.

“Then 2020 happened. I had to keep that secret for about two years — and he is a hard one to keep secrets from,” Cranford said. “But on Sept. 23, 2021, with the help of Terri and Cami, we managed to get him there, thinking we were honoring his group Blackwater Draw.

“Part of bestowing that award at the luncheon is a video presentation, in which friends and colleagues tell why that person is so outstanding,” Cranford added. “It was longer than most videos we’d produced in the past, and there were tears! I still can’t believe I … we … were able to pull that off without him knowing. Something I’ll always cherish.”

Caldwell’s résumé, community service were extensive

A native West Texan, Caldwell established Don Caldwell Recording Studios in Lubbock in 1971.

Along with spearheading Broadway Festivals and its annual 4th on Broadway Independence Day celebrations, Caldwell has a long history of civic involvement. In 1991 he renovated the historic Cactus Theater and has been producing shows there since. He was heavily involved in the Lubbock Music Now project and an integral part of the West Texas Walk of Fame induction and nominating processes, having been inducted himself in 1998. He supplied musical entertainment for many years for the Hospice of Lubbock Beans & Cornbread Luncheon.

He was a heart disease survivor. Since his heart attacks in July 2010, just days before 4th on Broadway, he was an advocate and guest speaker for the American Heart Association.

A few of his previous awards and recognitions include the Lubbock Economics Council’s James D. Eppler Memorial Economic Citizenship Award, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award, the William D. Kerns Award for Performing Arts and the Mayors Cornbread Luncheon Dove Award for Outstanding Service.

The city of Lubbock’s statement noted that Caldwell served on numerous City committees over the years, including committees responsible for the production of the City’s Centennial Celebration.

He served as the Chair of Entertainment Lubbock, a Civic Lubbock, Inc. Board Member for 12 years (from 2005-2017) and was heavily involved in both the Lubbock Music NOW and J.I. Allison House Restoration projects. 

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