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