Photos by Mark Wagoner

In a lot of ways, Lisa Dames is like any other housewife in America. She volunteers at her two daughters’ school; she drives a 2004 Toyota minivan; she cleans the house, folds the laundry, and — most importantly — she never complains.
But to say Lisa Dames is just another housewife would be a bit misleading. After all, not every housewife has had multiple songs on the national country radio charts. Not every housewife has toured the country promoting her own album. And you’d be hard-pressed to find another housewife whose minivan is shrink-wrapped with a picture of … well … herself.
This is a peek into the world of Lisa Dames — a middle-class mom with a country-music soul. At age 38, the mother of two released her first studio album, No One Like Me, which spawned two chart-climbing singles, a music video, and a place in CMT’s Music City Madness competition.
But the more you talk to Dames, now 41, the less the accolades seem to matter. After all, it’s not about the money and fame to her. Instead, it’s about chasing a dream she’s had all her life, and by doing so, inspiring others to chase their own.
“I see so many women my age who have let their dreams take a backseat for whatever reason,” Dames says. “A lot of times they’re unhappy because they’ve sacrificed themselves to make others happy. So I think that by pursuing my dream, I can encourage other women to do the same thing; whether they want to be a country singer, start their own business, finish school — whatever. There’s no dream that is right or wrong if it’s yours.”
If anyone knows the importance of persistence, it’s Dames. Growing up in Midwest America, the aspiring singer was repeatedly told she wasn’t good enough to make it in the music industry. While she came equipped with a powerhouse voice and a magnetic personality, she was often overlooked because of a vocal tone that bordered on “nasally.” Throughout her high-school and college days, Dames found herself taking a backseat to other performers. Still, she never let her dream die.
Dames met her husband, Dan, a Wisconsin native, while on a trip to Chicago. After graduating college, the two moved to Dan’s hometown of Milwaukee. It was there that Dames gave birth to her two daughters, Patti (now 12) and Penny (now 9). It was also there that her musical ambitions started to come to fruition. In the six years she lived in Wisconsin, Dames became a force in the musical theater scene, earning a reputation as one of the most talented performers in the area.
It was during the height of this success that Dames would receive an invitation to come to North Carolina. The Barn Dinner Theatre was searching for a someone to take the lead in its production of A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, and Dames had been strongly recommended by someone on staff.
While she admits she sounded “nothing like Patsy Cline,” Dames’ ability to convey emotion onstage ultimately sealed the deal. So in January of 2001, the family headed south to Greensboro. They were scheduled to stay in town for only three months (the tenure of the play). It took them all of two weeks, however, to decide they weren’t going back to Wisconsin.
“We loved Greensboro from the moment we got here,” she recalls. “It was much smaller than Milwaukee, and a heck of a lot warmer. The location, the people — we just loved everything about it.”
When word spread about Dames’ passionate portrayal of Patsy Cline, other theaters started calling. For the next few years, Dames essentially was Patsy Cline, performing in production after production, state after state. Before long, she says, it was hard to tell where Patsy Cline ended and Lisa Dames began. “It got to where people would run me down in parking lots screaming ‘Hey, it’s Patsy Cline!’ ” Dames recalls. Soon after, Dames decided she was ready to try her hand at a new role — herself.
So, she headed to Nashville in the summer of 2005 to begin work on her own album, No One Like Me. The album got a hand of support from David Grow, a Grammy-nominated producer best known for his work with piano icon Jim Brickman. With Grow onboard, Dames was able to maximize her familiar-yet-distinctive tone to create an album full of catchy melodies and real-life insight. 
After completing No One Like Me, Dames loaded up her shrink-wrapped minivan and hit the road for what was supposed to be a 10-day “radio-blitz” tour. The only other passenger was guitarist Sam Frazier, a 30-year veteran of the Greensboro music scene whom Dames had met through Sound Lab Recording Studios.
Ten days turned into a month, and a month turned into two. By the time the tour was over, Dames and Frazier had spent 10 months on the road, traveling to 20 states and 62 radio stations. The tour helped push Dames’ first single, “Just Another Day,” to No. 56 on the Music Row Breakout Chart, and her second single, “I’d Leave Me,” to No. 38.
But it was during this tour that Dames came to a few realizations. With a family she deeply missed and a hometown she longed for, Dames decided that becoming a country music star wasn’t necessarily the way for her to go. And, after 10 months on the road, she returned to Greensboro with a renewed determination to focus her efforts locally. 
She began by building a following among a demographic she knew she could identify with — housewives. The plan seems to have worked, as Dames’ fan base has gone from a few moms at her daughters’ school to a legion of supporters affectionately dubbed the “minivan mafia.” 
Dames can now be seen in and around town, fronting three-piece band The Hall Monitors (which includes Frazier). The group regularly appears in local venues, as well as at citywide celebrations.
But performing live is only half the story with Dames. Just recently, she secured a promotions deal with Waffle House that puts her music on a number of the restaurant chain’s jukeboxes. She’s also signed a CD distribution deal with Wal-Mart that allows her album to be sold in regional stores. And finally, she’s started hosting a weekly radio show on Mix 94.1 called Locals Only. The program, which airs on Sunday nights, highlights music from area bands and artists.
While the ride hasn’t always been smooth-sailing for Dames, she’s finally found a path she’s comfortable with — one that lets her be a part-time performer, part-time promoter, and full-time mother. 
Greensboro Monthly: You’ve become somewhat of a local icon when it comes to music. Tell us about some of your influences.
Lisa Dames: From the time I was little, all I ever wanted to do was sing. It started out with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt and Debbie Boone. I’d turn my radio up and sing at the top of my lungs. I’m sure my parents loved that. But I’m still a fan of a lot of artists — country and non-country. A few months ago, my 12-year-old daughter and I went and saw Bon Jovi at the Greensboro Coliseum. It was, in one word, amazing.

GM: So you’re still a fan of other artists?
LD: Oh, absolutely. Not just nationally, but locally. Like I always say, there are so many people in Greensboro who are more talented than I am — they’re just not as loud.

GM: What do you mean “they’re not as loud?”
LD: I mean I don’t sit back and wait for things to happen to me — I take an active role in my marketing. The main thing I tell other musicians is that if you don’t ask, they can’t say yes.

GM: Speaking of that, what are some traits you admire in other musicians?
LD: Discipline. I have discipline when it comes to the business side of things; not so much when it comes to the art side of things. I will devote three hours to updating my Web site, sending out press releases, sending out e-mails, doing things like that. But I need to get better about devoting time to writing and practicing music.

GM: That’s funny, because it seems like most musicians have the opposite problem.
LD: I know! I’m trying to write more music lately, but it’s a work in progress. Some people are born to write, and some people have to work really hard at it. I’m one of those who have to work really hard at it. Also, I greatly admire singers who can play an instrument. I wish I could, but I don’t have the patience to do it. If there’s one positive though, it’s that I’m never alone on stage. I always have someone up there with me to make fun of.

GM: The music business is said to be a notoriously tough industry. Would you agree?
LD: Oh, it can be brutal. Especially when you’re a 41-year-old housewife trying to make it in a 20-year-old’s world.

GM: On that note, what do you think of failure and overcoming it?
LD: I think you have two options. Your first option is to give up, which is simple enough. The second is to find a Plan B. That’s what I’ve had to do. When I went to Nashville with my Grammy-nominated producer, I was convinced that no record label was going to be able to say no to me. But they did. So I came up with a Plan B, and that was to go back to Greensboro and see what I could do to help strengthen the local music scene. So instead of trying to go national, I went local.

GM: Talk about the steps you’re taking to strengthen the local music scene.
LD: Well for starters, I’ve got the Locals Only radio show I do on Hits 94.1. It’s kind of scary because I have absolutely no idea how to run a radio show, but I’m learning! Also, I helped start the Music@Muse concert series that ran from June to October. We brought in local performers to do shows at the Muse restaurant and donated 5 percent of the earnings to the Children Home’s Society of North Carolina. There have been talks about doing it again next year, but nothing definite. Other than that, I’m trying to do some more songwriter nights in this town; something where people are sitting and listening to performers play their music. I just think there’s so much talent in this town that isn’t being heard because there aren’t any outlets for their music.

GM: All in all, it sounds like your Plan B has worked out pretty well.
LD: I think so. It’s definitely been more fulfilling. When it became obvious that I wasn’t going to be a huge country-music star, I said that I was going to find a way to still have a role in the music industry — I was going to find a way to make it work. On that front, I think I’m doing pretty well for myself.

For more information about Lisa Dames, go to http://www.lisadames.com, and tune in to Mix 94.1 on Sunday nights from 8 to 9 p.m.

Feeling Festive

Lisa Dames will be headlining the Sealy/FOX 8 Holiday Concert this year.  The event, which will take place December 19 at the Greensboro Coliseum, has long been one of Greensboro’s favorite hoilday celebrations.

Dames will be performing Christmas classics alongside the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.  Admission to the annual event is free, provided you donate a can of food for charity.  For information, call 336-335-5456, ext. 223 or go to http://www.myfoxwghp.com.