TMO Staff

The TMO officially opened January 20, 1990 during the administration of Texas Governor William P. Clements. In 1996, Texas Governor George W. Bush added one staff member to the TMO.

Current TMO Staff:

CASEY J. MONAHAN
Casey Monahan is the director of the Texas Music Office. Monahan was hired to open the TMO in January 1990. The TMO was the first government office ever created to promote a state's music industry.

The TMO promotes the talent, products and services of the Texas music industry to the worldwide music industry. Publications Monahan oversees to that end are the Texas Music Events Calendar, the Texas Music Education Primer, the Texas Talent Register, and the TMO's EnjoyTexasMusic.com website. When formatted for printing, EnjoyTexasMusic.com is approximately 3,000 pages in length; it enjoys more than 350,000 unique visitors and more than 1 million page views each year. Monahan was the editor of 16 editions of the Texas Music Industry Directory (1991-2006).

Prior to becoming director of the TMO, Monahan was both a music writer and research analyst for the Austin American-Statesman (June 1985 to January 1990). As a music writer, Monahan developed and compiled Austin's first daily live music calendar, and wrote more than 400 articles about country, folk, rock & roll and music business. He also photographed for publication more than 400 musical performances. He was named "Best Music Critic" in the 1989 Austin Music Awards. As research analyst in the Marketing Services Department, Monahan researched the Austin economy and AA-S readership, prepared sales tools and analyses for AA-S display and classified advertising staff, and assisted in the publication of the 1986, 1987 and 1988 editions of the Scarborough Austin Market Report, a guide to Austin-area demographics and consumer buying trends.

Monahan's articles and/or photographs have appeared in Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Rolling Stone, Music Library Association Notes, the New York Times, Pulse!, Texas Monthly, Southwest Spirit, Third Coast, the Dallas Morning News, and the Austin Chronicle. He compiled and edited lyrical anthologies for two Texas songwriting legends: Harvey "Tex Thomas" Young (Hut's Hymnal, 1989) and Roky Erickson (Openers II, 1995). He is a co-editor of the Handbook of Texas Music (Texas State Historical Association, 2003). He produced Rick Broussard's CD She Makes The Angels Cry (Dynamic), co-produced Roky Erickson's All That May Do My Rhyme (Trance Syndicate), and executive produced Junior Brown's Guit With It (Curb).

A Dallas native, Monahan, 50, graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1977, and from the University of Texas at Austin in May 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government. He is a Board Member of the Texas Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (1994-1998; 2004-2005; 2008-present), and was an Ex-Officio board member of the Texas Travel Industry Association (2004-2007). He serves on the board of the Austin Music Foundation (2005-present). He is an adjunct professor of Commercial Music at Austin Community College (2006-present), and is a volunteer tutor in the Carver Branch Library's Victory Program (1995-present).

MARC FORT
Marc Fort is the publications coordinator and webmaster for the Texas Music Office.

Annual publications Fort co-edits include the Texas Music Events Calendar, the Texas Music Education Primer, the Getting Started in the Music Business reference guide and the Texas Talent Register. Fort also maintains the TMO website EnjoyTexasMusic.com.

Fort has more than 20 years of music experience performing and recording on acoustic and electric bass guitar, violin, drums and singing. Fort has performed in more than 10 rock bands including Norushi Minx, bo bud greene, Hidden Speaker and Schatzi. His bands have toured with and opened for various musical acts all across the United States, including Superchunk, Hey Mercedes, at the drive-in, Shiner, Ultimate Fakebook, Ozma, The Promise Ring, Jimmy Eat World, Desaparecidos and Hilary Duff. Fort has worked as a recording artist for various indie labels including Last Beat, Unclean and Doghouse Records, as well as major labels such as Scotti Brothers and Hollywood/Mammoth Records.

Additionally, Fort worked as a photojournalist and music journalist for The Denver Post and the Austin American-Statesman. His photos and articles were also featured in various magazines and syndicated by Associated Press.

A Florida native, Fort graduated from Westwood High School in Austin where he has lived since 1978. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin where he was Photo Editor of The Daily Texan as well as a featured music writer. He serves on the steering committee of StrataTX, a giving group of the Texas Cultural Trust. Fort also enjoys volunteering with the Austin Film Society, a 501(c)(3) public charity.

STEPHEN L. RAY
Stephen "Steve" Ray is the office manager of the Texas Music Office. He started in August 2001.

Prior to joining the TMO, Steve Ray was employed by Borders Books and Music (May 1992 to August 2001). As an employee of the first Borders store to offer music, Ray had an active voice in setting companywide music policy and helped to train Borders Music Managers from across the United States. As the company expanded their operations in Texas, Ray helped set up Texas Artists' Music sections in Austin, Dallas and Houston area stores.

Ray began his career in the music business in junior high school stocking 8-tracks in his cousin's record store. He spent several years working in a variety of record, and later CD, stores, including Fantasia Records, Sound Warehouse and Sound Future. At Dallas independent label Carpe Diem Records, Ray worked in both CD sales and merchandising for Dallas favorites Course of Empire and Pop Poppins.

A native of Vernon, Texas, Ray graduated from Vernon High School in 1980, and from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a Minor in Business Administration. While attending the University he served one term in Student Congress.

Ray and his wife, Sahar Arafat-Ray are owners of Fred's Corner Grille, Vernon's oldest restaurant (continually operated since 1961) and co-owners of the town's Plaza Theater, an Art Moderne-style movie theater built in 1953 that exhibits both current and classic films. In his free time, Ray enjoys listening to 45 rpm vinyl records and working on his 1970s-era Seeburg Matator Jukebox. He has taken the Rhino Records' RMAT (Rhino Musical Aptitude Test - a music trivia quiz) each of the six times it was offered, both online and in person, and consistently places fifth.

Former TMO staff:

Kristine Mossinghoff (1990)
Cindy Leggett (1990-1991)
Deb Freeman (1991-1998)
Teresa McAnally (1997-1998)
Trina Quinn (1998-2000)
Amy Mitchell (2000-2001)
Jodi Jenkins (1999-2004)
Andrew Leeper (2005-2006)