Mary Calmes Popular Books
Mary Calmes Biography & Facts
Jack Calmes (October 21, 1943 – January 5, 2015) was an American inventor, sound reinforcement and lighting business executive, and musician. In 1965, he co-founded Showco, a concert sound and lighting service company. In 1984, Calmes founded Syncrolite, an entertainment/architectural light manufacturer. Calmes received two United States patents, managed Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Freddie King and multi-platinum rock band Bloodrock, and founded the Forever Fabulous Chickenhawks Showband & All-Revue. Early life Calmes was born in Oklahoma City to parents Mary and Charles Calmes. Calmes picked up a love of music from his mother, Mary, who was a piano player and singer. The family relocated to Clinton, Oklahoma, not long after he was born. Calmes' lifelong fascination with music first showed itself when playing Eddy Arnold songs on the ukulele, before learning guitar at the age of 15. The Calmes family had moved to Dallas' Highland Park neighborhood when he was nine, and he was soon performing professionally at the Dallas Sportatorium. Calmes attended Highland Park High School, where as a sophomore, he formed his first band, the Jades, in direct competition with classmates Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs. In 1961, Calmes, Miller and Scaggs joined forces to merge their two bands, and, according to Calmes, "played all the proms and got more money." Miller and Scaggs attended out-of-state colleges after high school graduation, and Calmes remained in Dallas, continuing to perform locally as he attended Southern Methodist University, beginning in 1962. He laid the foundation for his future achievements in technology and business, studying engineering for two years before shifting his focus to the business school, graduating with a bachelor's degree in accounting. Showco and Soul City In 1966, after Calmes graduated from Southern Methodist University, he teamed up with fellow Dallas resident Angus Wynne, later joined by Jack Maxson and Rusty Brutsche, to create the music-related company Showco. Among Showco's early coups: a Texas-University of Oklahoma party at Dallas' Market Hall featuring Chuck Berry as the headliner; promoting other concerts by such stars as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and the Doors, and a double bill of Ike and Tina Turner and the Righteous Brothers at a Dallas country club that Calmes cited as "the biggest one." In 1967, Calmes and Wynne expanded their business portfolio by opening a nightclub, Soul City, on Greenville Avenue in Dallas. During the short time they owned the 300-capacity space, it featured shows by Stevie Wonder, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner and Jerry Lee Lewis. Calmes would often join the headliners, performing on stage during their sets. Calmes and Wynne sold their interest in Soul City in 1968. During their tenure at Soul City, the partners used their Showco sound system, impressing the hundreds of bands who performed at the club. The Showco team also joined Atlanta-based Alex Cooley in organizing the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969. Although the festival was a success, featuring, among others, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Chicago, B.B. King, Canned Heat, Spirit and Santana, Calmes and Wynne couldn't sustain the financial burden of producing it, reportedly over $100,000 ($831,000 today), and parted ways. Calmes would regroup and rededicate his efforts to building up Showco. Showco's initial focus was sound systems, addressing musicians' frustrations with sub-par live sound set-ups. As a gigging musician himself, Calmes understood the need for clear, efficient sound systems, and worked to provide them for a range of clients‘ live shows and tours, starting with Three Dog Night, Led Zeppelin and Steppenwolf as the company’s first three accounts, later ranging from Elvis Presley to Genesis. At its peak, Showco had ten sets of lighting and sound packages traveling with major acts. Other bands utilizing Showco's touring packages included the Carpenters, Bread, Rare Earth and the Kinks. As a technology company, Showco built its own soundboards, developing automated lights that could change colors, and entire systems controllable from one master switchboard. They were the first to use lasers in a concert, to use trusses, they invented aluminum towers and pneumatic towers, allowing shows to be set up quickly. The business grew to include product marketing as well. Calmes resigned as president of Showco in 1980. What began as Showco was later spun off into Vari*Lite, so named in 1984. Syncrolite After resigning from Showco, Calmes founded the Dallas-based Syncrolite, in 1984. The company's achievements include developing the first, fully automated DMX (digital multiplex)-controlled Xenon light system in 1989. That system, however, resulted in a 1989 lawsuit from Vari*Lite, claiming Calmes infringed upon Vari*Lite's patents for moving concert lights that could change color. Calmes countersued Vari*Lite, claiming his former business partners had misled him about the development of the Vari-Lite system when he left Showco in 1980. He felt that he had inadvertently mimicked, though also exceeded, the Vari*Lite system. After five years, the case was resolved in favor of Vari*Lite. Syncrolite continued operations, and has provided systems for an array of events, including events such as the 2012 Olympics in London; the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge; Super Bowl XLV and the 2014 NCAA Final Four at AT&T Stadium; the three-day March Madness Music Festival at Reunion Park in downtown Dallas; the Houston Rodeo; the 30th anniversary of Wrestlemania at the New Orleans Superdome and a Red Bull "Crashed Ice" event in Quebec City. Other endeavors Through a division of Showco, Calmes began managing musical artists in 1970. Among the acts he was responsible for included Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Freddie King (whom Calmes got signed to Leon Russell's Shelter Records); Bloodrock and John Nitzinger, as well as Jim Rutledge, amassing what he says are "seven or eight gold records." Calmes also produced a variety of film and live television projects, including a global satellite broadcast of the Who in 1982 (later released as the documentary The Who Rocks America) for 20th Century Fox and HBO, as well as the 1988 presidential debates for CSN. Calmes also co-produced the 1978 Rolling Stones concert film Some Girls: Live in Texas '78. In 1980, Calmes founded the 16-piece soul-blues-R&B group Forever Fabulous Chickenhawks Showband & All-Star Revue, in which he played lead guitar. The Chickenhawks released five albums, including three live albums (1999's Live, 2002's Live from the Gypsy Tea Room and 2007's Louisiana Live) and two studio albums (1999's Chickenhawks and 2004's Deep in the Heart). Patents Calmes earned two United States patents (U.S. patent 8,596,824 and U.S. patent 8,721,123) for a "method and apparatus for a scrollable modifier for a light fixture" and a "pattern generator for a lig.... Discover the Mary Calmes popular books. 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Best Seller Mary Calmes Books of 2024
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The Great Gatsby
F. Scott FitzgeraldAn Apple Books Classics edition. The Roaring Twenties are in full effect in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s riveting classic. Manabouttown Jay Gatsby seems to have it all, including loads of...
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Alpha
Sybil BartelBillionaire. Mercenary. Navy SEAL. The Teams trained me to be a killer. War taught me to be ruthless. Then an illfated mission proved I was human. Combat wounded, cut loose by the ...
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Coffee Girl
Sophie SinclairMackenzie "Kiki" Forbes finds herself in a pickle. Either become her snarky sister's nanny, or move halfway across the country to work as assistanttothestylist of a ...
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You Are Kind
Michael GordonA little kindness goes a long way. How can you help encourage your kids to be kind from a young age? Teach kindness to preschoolers Acts of kindness can be fun, easy, and make a ...
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Rogue Alpha
Kimber WhiteOne touch made her crave him. But the pull of fate could be the path to ruin. College student Laura Prince lands a plum internship deep in the Michigan wilderness. When she discove...
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Bewitching a Highlander
Roma CordonDefying all for the love of a bewitching lass. Breena MacRae, a healer from Skye with a touch of witchery in her blood, embarks on a dangerous search for her missing father. She ar...
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Little Women
Louisa May AlcottAn Apple Books Classic edition. Meet the Marches! Louisa May Alcott’s classic introduces us to four unforgettable sisters: beautiful Meg, tomboyish Jo, delicate Beth, and Amy, the ...
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Saltwater Cove
Amelia AddlerSecond chances...and the secrets that sabotage them. At 48 years old, Margie Clifton never expected to be starting her life all over again. But when her brother gifts her a propert...
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Silver Santa
Lacey SilksTrapped together on Christmas, their unintended onenight stand becomes a lifechanging encounter amidst the snow. Laura Young's professional role as a security guard at the Sil...
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Wuthering Heights
Emily BrontëAn Apple Books Classic edition. If you’ve only ever seen Wuthering Heights on screen, you may have an image of Catherine and Heathcliff as the ultimate starcrossed lovers. But that...
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Think and Grow Rich
Greg Habstritt & Napoleon HillThink and Grow Rich is one of the most popular success book of alltime, having sold more than 60 million copies since it was first published more than 70...
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His Girl Next Door
Khardine GrayFrom USA Today Bestselling author Khardine Gray comes a sizzling hot single dad romance you won't want to miss. No strings attached fun with the ubergorgeous single d...
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Pride and Prejudice
Jane AustenAn Apple Books Classic edition. Jane Austen’s beloved classic opens with this witty and very memorable line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possessio...
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan DoyleAn Apple Books Classic You get not one, not two, but 25 gripping mysteries in Arthur Conan Doyle’s first of five collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Follow the brilliant ...
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Always Yours
Claire RayeSome things are just meant to be... Ellen Somerville and Will McIntyre met by accident and under unusual circumstances. Getting sprayed by a skunk in a parking lot wouldn’t normall...
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Inception of Gold
Lexy TimmsThings are not as bad as they seem. They are worse. Being the personal assistant to a narcissistic actress who just happens to own the key to my family's undoing isn't ex...
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Enemies With Benefits
Roxie NoirI don’t love him. I don’t even like him. I just want him. Eli Loveless was my nemesis from the first day of kindergarten until we graduated high school. Everything I did, he had to...
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A Bookshop to Die For
M.P. BlackDitching her fiancé at the altar, Alice Hartford bolts to her childhood hometown to reconnect with the last, happy remnant of her past: her mom's old bookstore. But the bookst...
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The Seduction Series Boxset
Roxy Sloane“Sensual, thrilling and wild!”   Discover the bestselling series in one collection: THE SEDUCTION, THE BARGAIN, and THE INVITATION. Perfect for fans of Ana Huang, Sierra S...
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Meditations
Emperor of Rome Marcus AureliusMeditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy.
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The Three Little Pigs
Mark LeskyClassic fairy tales, legends and folk stories in short version without violence retold with lovely illustrations in simple language. Perfect for reading aloud to small chi...
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Once Upon A One-Night Stand
Zoey LockeAt first sight, there was electrifying chemistry.  So why not go for it? After all, Lynx Grove, the city's most eligible bachelor, wants to claim her, at least for th...
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
L. Frank BaumAn Apple Books Classic edition. You’ve seen the iconic 1939 movie, but do you know about the talking field mice, the Winkies, and the Witch of the North that appear in the original...
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The Cupcake Cottage
Jean OramNHL player Maverick Blades could fall in love with anyone... But he had to fall for a woman who falls under the Bro Code as untouchablehis best friend’s beautiful ex, DaisyMae Ray....
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Christmas in Sweetbriar Cove
Melody GraceCelebrate the holidays in Sweetbriar Cove with this festive romance collection, containing two sizzling smalltown holiday stories perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Sophie Kinsella...
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The Four Loves
C. S. LewisThe Four Loves summarizes four kinds of human loveaffection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God. Masterful without being magisterial, this book's wise, gentle, candi...
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All Fired Up
Kathryn ShayCaptain Jarek Zenko, a war veteran and firefighter, meets Lacey Roth at a bar one night. They don’t share their real identities, even when they retreat to a hotel. When they meet t...
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The Next Girl
Carla KovachIF YOU ONLY READ ONE BOOK THIS YEAR, MAKE IT THE NEXT GIRL... You thought he’d come to save you. You were wrong. ‘ Absolutely the best thriller I’ve read this year! ’ Goodreads Rev...
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The Art of War
Sun TzuAn Apple Books Classic edition. It’s believed that Sun Tzu wrote this Chinese military primer during the 5th century BChundreds of years before the Bible. The book’s 13 chapters ex...
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Hard Love
Peyton BanksHe was football royalty. Legendary quarterback. A champion.  Reiner Strickland had led his team to three national championships and playing a knight in shining armor was a...
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Get Lucky
Lila MonroeFall for the hot and hilarious romcom spin on 'The Hangover', perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, and Emily Henry! What happens when you wake up in a hotel s...
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Teased by Fire
Molly O'HareFrom USA Today bestselling author Molly O’Hare comes an enemiestolovers, older brother’s best friend, romantic comedy with a curvy, antisocial, supernaturalobsessed, allyearround h...
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Assisting the Bosshole
Kristin MacQueenNo hot water? Check Missed the train? Check Broke my heel? Check Dropped my coffee? Check My first day of my new job can’t possibly go worse, right? Wrong. When I meet Parker Scott...
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Never Enough
Lexy TimmsBe good enough never is... Anthony Accardi is a man on a mission: make his father's watch company a success while bringing in millions of dollars. To do that, he needs an assi...
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School of Potential
W.J. MayUSA Today Bestselling author, W.J. May brings you a continuation of the international bestselling series, The Chronicles of Kerrigan! Come back and enjoy the famous characters, or ...
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Hot Off the Press
Lexy Timms"This is what really happened… reported by a free press, for a free people…" Wes Shaw leads a secret double life. As the secret owner of a billion dollar newspap...
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Escape, A New Life
David J AntocciTo save herself, she had to lose everything. Trapped in a tropical paradise with no memory of how she got there, Abby is thrust into a fight for her life. Hunted by a madman, and c...
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How to Choose a Guy in 10 Days
Lila MonroeThe only thing more hilarious than the movies is… real life?! Fall in love with the sizzling grumpysunshine romantic comedy perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Ali Hazlewood! ...
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Death at Hazel House
Betty Rowlands‘Riveting, can't put it down! I love this story… a wonderfully twisted tale of a crime that has more twists than I thought possible... fantastic.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ...
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Good Guy
Kate MeaderHe's a Special Forces veteran making his pro hockey debut. She's a dogged sports reporter determined to get a scoop. She's also his best friend's widow . . . Fa...
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My Paper Heart
Magan VernonOne piece of paper can change everything After my parents received the letter I failed out of college, they didn't ask questions. They just sent me to work for my great aunt i...
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Teach Me
Cassandra DeanFrom awardwinning author Cassandra Dean comes a tale where lessons of pleasure between a curious, sunshine widow and a dissolute, grumpy earl leads to passion and allconsuming love...
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Holy Bible
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsThe 2013 edition of the Holy Bible contains all of the study aids contained in the 1979 edition and includes revisions to the study aids, several new photos, updated maps, and adju...
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Whiskey Girl
Melissa BelleThey'll do anything for each other…except commit. Logan Wild isn’t just the hottest broncriding cowboy in Texas. He’s also my best friendwith benefits. And that’s all we’ll ev...
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Noxious
Lexy TimmsStop setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm. Brady and Levi have been together since high school, since before he became famous and started thinking only about himself....
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Salvation
Meghan O'FlynnIf you like mouthy detectives, serial killers, and suspenseful mysteries that don't quit, this chilling and actionpacked hardboiled detective series has you covered! Try this ...
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A Christmas Carol
Charles DickensAn Apple Books Classic edition. It’s Christmas Eve in Victorian England. While some families don’t know where their next meal will come from, Ebenezer Scrooge sits in his large hom...
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The Target
Lexy TimmsWhen you seek revenge be sure to dig two graves… Revenge was the only thing I had going for me. It kept me awake at night and drove me into desperate situations in dive bars across...
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His Own Heaven
Jennie KewWinner of the 2021 Passionate Plume Award for BDSM Romance Finalist in the 2021 Stiletto Contest for Contemporary Romance He taught her to trust, she taught him to love. Lucy Bar...
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Peace on Earth
Maia RossCrime never takes a holiday. Why should Irma? Irma Abercrombie is an energetic retiree with a shadowy past, a mean right hook, and a profound love of Christmas. Surrounded by seaso...