Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Dunne
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m very, very lucky. At my age, I’m still getting to play in a smorgasbord of fantastic sandboxes in the arts and business worlds.
The truth is, it all traces back to where I started—La Grange, Illinois. It’s a family town along the train line, just west of downtown Chicago. I grew up there in a big Irish Catholic family with six siblings, in a fantastic town beaming with kids, parks, sports, and families—so many with a big, big love of life.
And as for my own family—I hit a homer. Each one of my siblings is unique and full of so much heart and zip. Add to that a mom and dad that not only loved us… respected us.
Rich soil. That was La Grange. Full of the good nutrients of life. Huge maple and elm trees lined the streets, and the neighborhood was filled with lots of dads who got up early to take the train into Chicago, and so many moms who dedicated their lives to raising their kids. Lucky me.
I had a ton of jobs as a kid. Shoveling snow, cutting grass, paper routes, you name it. My last “real” job was shoveling some long driveway in high school.
North of that, I’ve loved every job I’ve had. Doesn’t mean they’ve been easy, but I’ve had the privilege of working with skills I was lucky to be born with—and to pursue things I absolutely loved doing.
A busboy job at our town country club in high school snowballed into playing the piano at the club during dinners. To piano gigs at clubs and bars in town. Being the “town Santa” in my college days taught me a lot about running your own company. Being a mediocre (at best) tennis player on the University of Kentucky team opened the door to summer gigs teaching tennis—and being the head tennis pro at local country clubs in my last years of college.
I loved my college days at Kentucky. Fell in love with the art of learning in the arts and sciences, also with a Kentucky Belle—and had the time of my life with a handful of the greatest college buddies in the world.
North of college, I filled up my piece-of-junk car with a bunch of dreams and headed to sunny California. I didn’t know one person there, but it was the home of songwriting and television—and that’s where I wanted to be.
As a way to at least meet a few people, I became the academic tutor for the SAE fraternity at USC. The pay? A whopping $1,500 for the year.
Did zero tutoring, but met a handful of guys who are the best pals in my life.
A dad of a kid I taught tennis lessons to back in Chicago was in the same fraternity at Northwestern with Garry Marshall, the big TV producer behind shows like “Happy Days” and “Laverne and Shirley.” I got an interview.
The interview was a bust. But after seeing a picture on his desk of a new tennis court behind his house, I walked back into his office and made him an offer. I’d give him a 50-minute tennis lesson that Saturday—for a 5-minute writing lesson in return.
He took the deal. He liked my spunk.
Pretty soon, those “5-minute” sessions stretched longer, and Garry started opening up about what made stories, shows, and films—really work. One rainy day, he invited me over to his kitchen, and he pulled out script after script, breaking down the “art of storytelling.”
Garry became a mentor and friend for life. When I was just 22, he told me he was giving me the keys to a lot of doors at Paramount, unlocking sound stages, editing rooms, music studios, casting offices. He said, “The keys may open the doors, but you’ve gotta do the rest.”
Started as a “gofer” on “Happy Days.”
That was a springboard for writing scripts and producing shows—and composing songs, scores, and themes for TV shows and films all around town.
One big break was with “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do.” Anne Murray and Dave Loggins recorded it with the legendary producer Jim Ed Norman, who kindly recorded other hits with me. Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson also cut that song with Clive Davis, and it ended up winning many wonderful awards.
Loverboy, Janet Jackson (during her “Fame” days), Take Six (winning a Grammy for this record), and many more artists recorded my songs across pop, rock, R&B, and country.
Through it all, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with many of my heroes, some of the country’s most talented songwriters, producers, artists, and musicians.
Kenny Rogers recorded “When You Put Your Heart in It,” which became the Official Song for USA Gymnastics. He sang it at the White House and at the American Music Awards with the USA gold-medal team on stage. It rose up the charts. Collaborating with legendary Ken Kragen was a great ride.
My whole life, I’ve had a bad habit of writing alma maters and fight songs for all the schools I went to, or schools that my two daughters went to.
That snowballed into something I’ve just loved—writing alma maters and fight songs for universities around the country. SMU, Pepperdine, UC Merced, and Claremont College have been recent ones.
I loved the chance to author a children’s Christmas book, “The Shepherd’s Story,” which won lots of awards.
I’m so excited that my new book, “Jimmy Dunne Says,” is hitting a nerve. It’s a book of short stories to remind us how absolutely wonderful life is.
There are a number of projects currently cooking in the music, writing, and sports buckets that I’m excited about.
But the creative project I’ve loved the most, being a dad, keeps reimagining itself. Nothing could be better and more rewarding.
My wife and I talk a lot about how truly lucky we are. What a fun ride it’s been.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Last time I checked, nothing in life is smooth. That’s the beauty of it.
I’m consistently reminded of the importance of paying deference to both the art and business of any creative project.
And to hard work and putting in the real time to take care of the ‘not fun’ stuff. Those things always seemed to me to be a prerequisite for success in any creative initiative.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
That’s a big, big question.
What I do, when it comes down to it, is tell stories. Through different art forms. Different businesses. Different mediums.
My creative heart is in the art of story.
I am proud of being willing to ‘reimagine’ myself through the career journey. Trying to pay attention and listen. To what the world is saying it needs—and to what the world is saying it is giving me permission to take a swing at.
What does success mean to you?
Looking in the mirror—and in your heart of hearts, feeling you’re using your gifts to make a difference.
The truth is the happiness of my wife Catherine, my two girls, my son-in-law, and my grandson—is paramount to my happiness.
Pricing:
- Paperback – $18.00
- Kindle – $9.99
- Audiobook – $0.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jimmydunne.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmydunne7/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561936426242
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JimmyDunneMusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jimmydunnemusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jimmydunne
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Dunne-Says-Stories-Cry_and/dp/B0CSXG65D3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2CB0WOWA7UCH2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZPPCW7WWCiMLMCNIyPmMjg.wVXXkGABq9SJNC2rm2YMjDDGtn3-Nz6sviKAM9D1xB0&dib_tag=se&keywords=jimmy+dunne+says&qid=1731075677&sprefix=%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-1
Image Credits
Jimmy Dunne
