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Community Corner

Dean Crawford & the Dunn's River Band: From Jamaica to Dundalk and Rams Head Tavern

Dundalk favorite Dean Crawford & the Dunn's River Band will take the stage at the Ram's Head this Sunday.

At least one weekend a month, Dean Crawford and the Dunn’s River Band get the crowd at Pop’s Tavern on North Point Boulevard jumping, dancing, singing and stomping.  

This Sunday, Dundalk's favorite old-time country and southern rock band will play the Ram’s Head Tavern in Annapolis. While they’ve played Ram’s Head previously, this particular night is a special night, perhaps the launch of bigger dreams. Currently, a five-song demo CD recorded in Nashville is being presented to major country labels.

They’re hoping to get support from the local folks they’ve called friends for so long.

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As Dean Crawford and the Dunn’s River Band has grown in popularity, it has gained access to larger venues—in Atlantic City, at the Hard Rock Cafe and at the Ram’s Head—offering more opportunities to do what they enjoy doing. Crawford has written more than 300 songs, and the band has released three CDs as well as a Christmas CD. 

Nowadays, Pop’s is among the smaller venues the band plays, and from a revenue standpoint, it doesn’t bring in what other Saturday night gigs draw. Still, the band tries to set aside a weekend a month to play the Dundalk tavern. Crawford explained that like many starting bands, they began as a bar band, and Pop’s Tavern gave them one of their first regular gigs.

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“Pop’s is our home bar,” said Crawford. “We always come back to Pop’s. The people from east Baltimore give us the love and put the wind in our sails.”

The band’s manager Brooke Lawrence said the give-and-take between band and crowd at Pop's is unique.

“Dundalk people are so down home, so accepting. We don’t think of them as fans so much as friends," Lawrence said. "Dean talks to everyone, asks about their jobs, their kids. People know he genuinely cares about them. People in Dundalk just love Dean.”

And Crawford offers respect and love right back. 

“It holds a special place in my heart," Crawford said. "Pop’s holds about 200 people, and it’s like coming home when we play here. It’s like a big event when I go home.”

Jamaican-born and raised Crawford said he grew up on a farm where everyone worked hard and few people had airs, so some of the songs he heard from classic country artists felt right to him as an artist—he identified with the values he heard.

He counts Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and George Jones as major influences. His mother directed the church choir, and Crawford began his vocal career as part of that choir, so he writes from the heart. Both Crawford and Lawrence say that’s why the crowd at Pop’s has been a natural fit for the band; the crowd identifies with his unassuming nature and hard-working background.

“I tell people we’re good, but we aren’t the best band in the world. There will always be someone else who is good,” said Crawford. That said, “there isn’t anyone who cares for their fans more than we do. I appreciate the loyalty and support they give us.”

The Dunn’s River Band includes Kenny Wise, Bobby Lawrence, Billy Coley, Bobby Murphy and Mike Clark. Sound engineer Randy Denmyer keeps the music going. For information on Dean Crawford or the band, check out Dean’s website or the band’s Facebook page.  

  • Dean Crawford and The Dunn’s River Band will play Ram’s Head Tavern in Annapolis, Sun., March 13, 1 p.m. Tickets run $19.50. For show info, see the Ram’s Head Tavern website.  
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