Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin Garrett.
Hi Dustin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I don’t remember a time in my life that I haven’t been “Dustin Garrett-The Musician.” From the early ages of childhood performing with my family band, to appearing on the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 10, it was a whirlwind growing up of countless performances and plays. After graduating college, I placed in the National Top 5 of Guitar Center’s King Of The Blues 2010, and soon after went on tour with multiple Texas Country/Red Dirt acts. I found myself back in Lubbock in 2011, becoming the Music Director and Lead Guitarist of the Historic Cactus Theater and corporate band Caldwell Entertainment. After the Cactus sold in 2016, I spent my time as Tour Manager and Lead Guitarist for rising country star Will Banister from 2020 to 2022, transitioning to play Lead Guitar for Grammy Award Winning Country artist Rick Trevino from Jan 2022 to December of 2023. In January 2023, I was selected as the Director of the Entertainment & Music Tech program at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, NM. I have been blessed to records on hundreds of single releases and full album/records since 2008 and have been involved in a few movies/documentaries acting and composing film scores.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think that the early years changed who I am. It was anything but a conventional childhood! While everyone else was learning to swim, play football, and hang out at home playing video games… I was on the road performing to crowds and making a career happen. I was bullied very hard throughout my school years, learning to take the beatings with a strong Christian approach. I found myself living for 4 PM every day when I could get back home to my guitar and my amp. Even after school and on into college, I found myself dealing with being “different” in my later years. I think the main reason is that I’m very goal-driven. I strive to sustain a hard-as-hell work ethic. Just like my late Grandfather, Tommy. He worked until he was in his mid-70s and taught me to persevere in the hardest of times. My faith and great leaders & mentors in my life kept me on a straight path to this blessed work life I have achieved.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
New Mexico Junior College resides in the flatlands of Southeast New Mexico, in a little town called Hobbs. Home to one of the largest oil-producing areas in the US, NMJC provides a stellar place for anyone to achieve an affordable yet viable education. I am the Director of the Entertainment & Music Tech program, which offers a 2-year degree plan in the multiple facets of the Entertainment industry. We specialize in Studio Recording, Broadcast/Cinema Video Production, Entertainment Law & Management, Live Sound and Audio Production, and Touring 101. All these tools provide a “Swiss Army Knife” crash course in the selected field of Entertainment you might venture into and get you the “edge” you need to beat your competitors with real experience and hands-on knowledge. We also feature an interactive “Touring Ensemble” for Artist types that would partake in the program. Taking this student-based ensemble to high schools and events all over the Southern region of the US gives the ensemble participants a real-world education in the art of Touring. It builds life skills and makes them better players and performers. We really have something very special at NMJC, and we couldn’t have a better Faculty and Administration to support us.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a really crazy kid! Always in something, always moving. The story is told by my parents: When I was around 4 years old and they were performing on stage to a local audience, I started putting my toy army men in the hole of the kick drum. I kept messing with EVERYTHING imaginable on stage. Finally, I was pulled off stage by one of my grandparents, and the stage was made of shag carpet. I pulled at that carpet with all of my might to stay on stage. I never wanted to leave that stage. The next day, my father took a pair of my old shoes and nailed them onto a board. Strapped me into the shoes and said, “If you can’t behave on stage and stay still, I’ll have to put you in these every time we perform.” Needless to say, I straightened up quickly and never had to wear them! But it only made me wilder on stage in my teenage/college years. I was always determined to do a couple things: Be a guitarist on the road and go to my chosen college for a music degree. It’s very humbling to take what I loved about my college and traveling days to use for the students of my program at NMJC. I also am blessed to stay focused and to not repeat the mistakes and negativity of my college and traveling days.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nmjc.edu/program/entertainment/index.aspx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nmjc_entertainmentmusictech/
- Facebook: facebook.com/nmjcentertainmentmusictech
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dustingarrett8820
Image Credits
Ryan Roth Photography
Monica Weatherly Photography
Leslie Cranford
