Callie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I had just turned 30, left my husband, and had a knew lease on life. My brother, Luke McGlathery, was starting his musical career and ran an open mic at The Wherehouse in Fort Worth. I fell in love with the local music scene and got inspired to become a part of it.
I started throwing shows because in High School I always threw the best parties. How much different could it be, right? Through trial and error, I found a niche in the DFW Hip Hop scene, a genre of music I had been a fan of since I was young.
I started out with open mics and local shows, then started hosting national acts. I thought it would be fun to do a Tri-City Competition kind of American Idol-style and came up with DdFW Master of the mic to highlight MCs from Dallas, Denton & Fort Worth. 2 from each city would compete against each other in a finale and chosen by High Profile judges.
After a few years doing that, I made a name for myself and moved into branding, consulting, managing, and social media management. That lead me to working with Backwoodz Studioz, a label technically based out of New York City but the business office is here in Deep Ellum.
Backwoodz Studioz consistently puts out projects that are recognized all over the world, top of Bandcamp, with a dedicated fan base. Our records resale for hundreds and we consistently sell out in minutes once released. It’s been a huge learning experience on what it takes to be legitimate in the music industry as an independent label/artist. I’m forever grateful one of the partners, Anton Schlesinger took a chance on me and let me become part of the Backwoodz family.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been smooth sailing getting to this point. I think anything worth doing is not going to be easy or everyone would be doing it. First and foremost, I’m a mom. So, I sacrificed a lot of time from my family to live my dream in hopes that my children would see that anything is possible. I lost tons of money, sleep, and friends. Being a white female in a male-dominated industry that started in a non-white culture had its downfalls. Men wouldn’t take me seriously, my intentions questioned, not to mention, hip hop has been a genre riddled with “beef”. So, I’ve had my character slandered more times than I can count. I’ve been talked to and touched inappropriately and not believed when I came forward with these things. I’ve wanted to quit a few dozens if not a hundred times. But those that believed in me kept me going. I definitely didn’t want to throw away this dream I had sacrificed so much to accomplish just because of a few salty dudes and their minions. In the end, I’m glad I stuck it out. Takes a tough b*tch to put up with the madness, but I’ve been training my whole life for just this role.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
They call me the Hip Hop Promoting Soccer mom. I’m known for connecting dots, introducing artists with the right person/venue/publication. Master of the Mic has been an amazing event series and I’ve been able to see many artists sky rocket after taking part in it.
I’m most proud of Master if the Mic, how it evolved over time, and what it could be in the future.
I don’t give up. I set my mind to something and make it happen no matter the obstacles.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a huge nerd! I love music and have always been fascinated with all genres. I was trained in classical music, fell in love with Doo Wop, and pretty much have an appreciation for every decade of music. I wanted to learn everything about who, what, when, and where music was created. From the backstories, to how that group/person revolutionized music as we know it, I learned it all. I sang Mozart’s Requiem in Carnegie Hall when I was a Freshman in HS. Choir definitely taught me music appreciation from a composer’s perspective and how music spoke to people and the different interpretations of many pieces. I was also on the dance team, so rhythm and beats became second nature. I ended up being an accountant for many years, so that helped on the business side of the music industry, and really is what helped me be successful.
In HS I was first the nerd everyone wanted in their group projects and to cheat off of. Around Junior year I became the girl who threw parties and knew where all the good parties were. It was kind of an interesting transition, but as an adult, I’ve been able to fuse those two parts of me together and make it work.
I always knew I was meant for something great. That’s been the basis of my being since I could remember.
Contact Info:
- Email: Callie_dee@yahoo.com
- Website: https://linktr.ee/callie_dee
- Instagram: Instagram.com/callie_dee
- Facebook: Facebook.com/callie.dee
- Twitter: Twitter.com/callie_dee
Image Credits
Drewlio Photo
Tuna Pryor
