From Local Legends to Global Ambitions, Meet the Local Artists Lighting Up Frisco’s Music Scene
By Yvonne Brown
Just last year, the Texas Music Office (TMO) officially designated The City of Frisco a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community. This designation signifies that Frisco is serious about attracting and developing music industry growth and fostering music-related economic development and job creation.
As Frisco has grown in population size, so too have the many venues at which residents and guests alike can experience live music. On any given week, numerous popular spots around the city have regular live music, including Didi’s Downtown, The Revel, Frisco Bar, Frisco Rail Yard, The Green Gator, Rare Books Bar, La Parisienne, Eight 11, and the Nack Theater, to name a few. In addition, a plethora of artists are attracted to the area to perform, and a Broadway-worthy performing arts complex could very much be a reality in our city in the coming years.
Charlie Wendell, Founder of Frisco-based non-profit Melody of Hope, has played an instrumental part in promoting local talent in Frisco. Of their artist-forward, unique Music on Main Street project, Ms. Wendell explains, “We wanted to create a musical experience and build up the arts downtown. We would love to see the project grow into more merchants downtown as we enter into this renaissance period in Frisco!”
Donny Churchman and Jason Young of the Nack Theater have been busy not only encouraging local talent to perform but also traveling to cities like Nashville, Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York to bring more musicians to Frisco.
“We at Nack Theater and Good Old Fashion Entertainment have been working hard the past few years to provide stages for artists at all different levels of their careers. From local talent shows to national touring artists, we are excited to support the City’s efforts to embrace and amplify the Music Friendly Texas designation and produce music events for North Texas to enjoy. We want to be team players to support the Arts/Music economy to lift all boats in the Rail District and beyond”.
Let’s take a look at some of those who have connected with live fans at various stages in Frisco and surrounding local cities in North Texas.
Coffey Anderson
Most people know him as “Mr. Red, White, and Blue,” the singer-songwriter behind that famous patriotic song. Originally from Bangs, Texas, he describes his music as country with faith-based roots and a soul sound. “Country and faith are all the same,” he says. “The soul and spirit are special and share a deep connection.”
His first time flirting with performing was when he and a friend entered a school talent show in 8th grade, performing the song Nobody Knows by the Tony Rich Project. He recalls how many of the girls attending were crying, and he did not realize at the time the tears being shed were that of emotion and admiration. To their shock, they then won the competition. From there, he taught himself guitar, and combined with his experience singing gospel music, he decided to pursue a career as a full-time musician and moved to California. Here he became quite the entrepreneur doing everything from performing on the street, selling CDs of his music, to building an email list, booking his own shows, and producing his albums. In 2006, he started sharing his music on YouTube and enjoyed connecting with his fans on a deeper level.
“The internet is one place that does not sleep, and the opportunities are unbelievable. I thought, ‘Let’s see if I can get just a thousand people to tune in and listen to my music.’ Thankfully, the channel exploded,” he recalls.
Now, using other social media platforms, Mr. Anderson takes time to connect with fans personally by offering video dedications and unique messages to their screens and inboxes. You can often find him showing up as a surprise at weddings to sing his hit Better Today by special request.
His presence continues to thrive online, attracting an average of 640,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and over 4.5 million likes and 835k+ followers on TikTok. His Netflix original reality series, “Country Ever After,” has been viewed by an estimated 50 million people.
He returned to Texas during COVID, where he now resides with his wife Criscilla, a professional dancer and choreographer, and their children. Feeling a closer connection to his roots, he embraces all the North Texas area has to offer his family, including the opportunity to share his talent and connect with fans.
Today he plays all kinds of venues and events, from weddings, graduations, and funerals to local bars, large festivals, and huge arenas like the Toyota Stadium. “While the internet has certainly revolutionized the [music] industry, there remains a certain energy derived from being able to sing live for people and connect intimately,” Mr. Anderson states, “and North Texas is certainly leading the way, period.”
He describes his guitar as his weapon of mass inspiration. “My job while performing is to make you remember and forget, all at the same time,” he explains. In 2022, Coffey had his Grand Ole Opry debut and received three standing ovations during his performance, something that had never happened before at the Opry. While building his brand as an entrepreneur and singer, Coffey continues to use his gift as an entertainer.
To learn more about Coffey Anderson, visit coffeyanderson.com or follow him on TikTok @the_coffeyanderson or Instagram @coffeyanderson.
Drew Chapa
A local piano player/composer, educator, and session artist, Drew Chapa, started playing the piano at the young age of six and recalls trying to master the Star Wars theme song on a piano on his own. Soon after, his parents signed him up for piano lessons. Following high school, he attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he earned dual degrees in Music Composition and Music Therapy. “I decided at a very early age I wanted to study piano at a conservatory,” Mr. Chapa recalls. “So, when I got to Berklee, I discovered my passion for composition and focused more on that rather than piano performance.”
Now, he teaches students at Texas Amps and Axes School of Music in Prosper, adopting a unique approach to working with the next generation of session players. Rather than just simply teaching songs, he equips his students with skills that will make them valuable in the industry, including the craft of writing out their ideas and thinking independently.
He counts Jacob Collier and Louis Cole as major modern inspirations and would love to work with his favorite producer, Flying Lotus, someday. While he did tour in the early part of his career, he has taken a break from the stage to focus more on teaching but enjoys attending a festival or rave. “I don’t think performing has made my music any better. Honestly, touring in my 20s created some awful playing habits, but studying from people better than me is what has made my music progress,” he admits.
Perhaps his biggest accomplishment, and one of the biggest in the music industry, came to fruition in February when Mr. Chapa won a Grammy for his work playing piano on Chris Stapleton’s hit White Horse. He recalls, “He [Stapleton] won Best Country Song for his track White Horse. I had the pleasure of playing keys on that song and entire record. So in proxy I won a Grammy with him!” Mr. Chapa admits that after spending his 20s below the poverty line and building his career, the award was a nice validation.
He is currently creating his piano curriculum and hoping to publish the first books next year. He is also composing the music for his first film, set to premiere summer of 2025.
A few of Mr. Chapa’s favorite live venues in Texas include It’ll Do (Dallas), Cheer Up Charlie’s (Austin), and the Blue Light (Lubbock), and he has played for audiences at Prosper’s Silo Park. Working in the Frisco/Prosper area has helped him connect to the local community.
“Earning a living is the hardest struggle a musician faces. I overcame poverty by always putting one foot forward. I’m excited to help grow the music scene here in Frisco/Prosper. I love this place so much and want to see it flourish!” Mr. Chapa says.
Kyee
Originally from California, Kyee moved to Glen Heights, Texas, as a teenager. Joining the choir in high school planted the seed that she found something special. She particularly enjoyed performing in concerts, and it was not before long that she decided being a musician was what she wanted to do for life.
Both her grandparents, who were musicians and teachers, encouraged a love of music, so she feels it runs in her blood. She describes her music as having a pop-soul-type vibe and lists Sade, Chaka Khan, and Mariah Carey as major influences in her career.
Kyee has also worked with children with mental health needs as well as those struggling with addictions. She would often sing for them and curate musical exercises for them. “I knew early on I had a unique voice and a strong desire and passion to share my gift with people no matter how large or small the venue or audience might be. I like to watch and observe people’s faces as I sing and make a real-time connection,” Kyee shares.
In 2018, it was determined that Kyee would need vocal surgery, and the recovery process took just over a year. She embraced that time as a time of reflection and creativity, and by the summer of 2019, she was back performing 100%.
“As artists, it’s important we keep challenging ourselves and showing up for our art and allow the creative process to emerge,” she explains. Her latest song, Forever, is about two people coming together, loving out loud, embracing, and appreciating the connection.
She has played venues all over the metroplex, including Chocolate Secrets (Oak Lawn), The Statler Hotel (Dallas), Toyota Music Factory (Irving), and one of her favorites, Legacy West (Plano). Kyee writes 90% of her music and enjoys experiencing the transfer of her music to an audience while on stage. Many times, people will approach her and explain how a particular song has spoken to them at the moment.
“A lyric or whole song finds a space within someone’s heart, and they feel the need to make a connection with me. It is their way of sharing a gift back and it is a wonderful feeling. It’s important to me to always be personable with my music,” Kyee says.
David Tribble
David was born in Texarkana and shortly after moved to Sherman, where he took guitar and piano lessons in elementary school, though he had no major interest in excelling. Instead, he believes his music journey started without really knowing, when in high school he started to write on and off about his feelings.
In his senior year, he picked up an acoustic guitar lying in the corner of his mom’s house and found a chord book in the piano bench he was sitting at. “I can’t remember a time after that when I didn’t play the guitar and find chords or progressions as I got more comfortable. It didn’t take long for me to start adding words to these progressions,” Mr. Tribble remembers.
In his late teens and early twenties, he started to play for small audiences, entering talent shows and performing at church. During his time at university, Mr. Tribble continued to write and eventually started teaching Middle School Science and coaching.
He explains, “During this time, I sat on my couch and wrote a lot of bad songs on a yellow legal pad while playing the guitar, but I also started to play gigs while teaching and continuing to play in church for a youth group with a student band.”
At one point in 2013, he earned an opportunity to be a finalist on The Voice. Excitement ensued, but at the time, he had just become a new father, and, following lots of prayer and discussion, it was decided that the timing was not right, and he decided to turn it down. Mr. Tribble continued to play gigs and was always ready to write and create wherever and whenever inspiration hit. Soon, he was recording songs around town all while teaching, and eventually his dream of becoming a full-time musician was realized. “After years of preparing for this moment, growing relationships, and honing my craft as a singer and songwriter, it finally made sense and would be worth it to pursue a passion I’ve had since I was 17,” he explains.
These days, Mr. Tribble is inspired by any good song he hears but lists Sean McConnel and Jason Isbell as favorites. He plays a lot of live shows around Dallas-Ft. Worth and counts The Kessler Theater at the top of his list.
He admits, “I have become more aware of what inspires me and what that looks like in my songwriting. I am writing more freely and out of the box, and I have found my voice and my sound as an original artist. I embrace the joy of tapping into creating music that reflects my heart and connects the listener.”
David feels that while God has opened so many doors and even shown him the ones to close, the local community and relationships are important pieces of a puzzle in a musician’s journey, allowing him to do what he loves and provide for his family. He also applauds the Texas Music Office for being a huge advocate for musicians in Texas, and he is also a part of Hear Fort Worth, a nonprofit that provides growth opportunities for art and talent to shape the culture of the city.
So many North Texas cities have had a hand in helping me share my music and love for performing, especially Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, and Frisco where I work with Melody of Hope,” he says.
