The Dallas Cowboys started Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on May 21, which means competition for one of the 80 spots at Cowboys Training Camp in Oxnard, CA, has begun. For the next several days RattleandHumSports.com will break down each position, determine who’s in competition and who you should keep an eye on the next few months. We’ll update this again after the team’s mandatory mini-camp in mid-June.

Receivers/Tight Ends

Projected depth chart: WR (1) Dez Bryant, (2) Miles Austin, (3) Terrance Williams, (4) Dwayne Harris, (5) Anthony Armstrong, (6) Cole Beasley, Anthony Amos, Tim Benford, Danny Coale, Jared Green, Carlton Mitchell, Eric Rogers. TE (1) Jason Witten, (2) Gavin Escobar, (3) James Hanna, Colin Cochart, Paul Freedman, Andre Smith.

Current health: Benford is out until training camp after arthroscopic knee surgery.

Last year: Bryant had a breakout year, catching 92 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. And he might not have been the team’s best overall receiver. Witten had a monster year, breaking the NFL record for receptions by a tight end in a season with 110 despite failing to make a catch in the season opener. Austin struggled with hamstring issues all year, but still managed to catch 66 passes for 943 yards and 6 scores. He nearly recorded his third 1,000-yard season. After being handed the return duties midseason, Harris flourished and became a more significant part of the offense. He caught 17 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown. Cole Beasley, a rookie, added 15 receptions. Witten swallowed up most of the tight end receptions, but Hanna did show some field-stretching capability late in the season, catching 8 passes for 86 yards.

Competition scale (1 being no competition and 5 being highly competitive): 2.

Why?: Austin, Bryant, Hanna, Harris, Beasley and Witten are all back. The most significant loss in terms of pass catches was Kevin Ogletree, who signed with Tampa Bay after catching 32 passes last year. Harris and Beasley figure to make up for that loss between the two of them. Williams, the third-round pick, appears to be a likely candidate for the No. 3 receiver spot, though the Cowboys will give Harris and Beasley a chance to push him. But based on the experience the Cowboys have coming back and the limited number of spots – likely six at receiver and three at tight end when it comes to the 53-man roster – there aren’t many spots up for grabs.

The biggest issue the Cowboys must look at when it comes to tight end is whether there is enough blocking capability among Witten, Hanna and Escobar to negate the need for a blocking tight end. It seems clear the Cowboys want to use a 12 formation (two tight-ends) and these days that means having three tight ends who can block and catch. If Escobar and Hanna both prove they can do it consistently, then Cochart, Freedman and Smith face a real uphill battle.

Player to watch: Rogers. If you’re going to make the jump from NCAA Division III to the NFL, you better have high production during your college career. Rogers was a big time player at Cal Lutheran. He left the Kingsmen as their all-time leader in receiving and in scoring. As a receiver Rogers finished his career with 220 receptions, 3,471 yards and 41 touchdowns. He had 45 total touchdowns and 3,592 yards in total offense. He helped the Kingsmen to four straight conference titles and had eight multiple-touchdown games last year. The Cowboys weren’t the only NFL team interested in him after the draft. He has the size NFL teams are looking for these days (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) and he can run a sub-4.5 40. The odds are against Rogers making the team, but several Division III prospects have made NFL rosters. One of the most notable ones recently is wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who played for D-III power Mount Union. It’s the high-end production, combined with his overall size and maturity, that make Rogers worth watching. He’s probably a practice squad guy, but if he progresses the Cowboys will have to be careful because other NFL teams were interested in him after the draft.

What they’re working for: The Cowboys will probably take anywhere from 9 to 11 receivers to training camp, so there are probably three to five roster spots available. Meanwhile the Cowboys will probably take at least four tight ends. So there’s hope for the trio sitting behind Witten, Escobar and Hanna, but just a little.

Next: Offensive line.

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Special Contributor

My work schedule got a little goofy this week because of the weather, so I was afraid I was going to have to miss Ratt at House of Blues. Thankfully, I was able to get there just one song into the band’s performance.

Much to my surprise, the place was absolutely packed. Apparently the draw of the original Ratt lineup, along with former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo taking over for the late Robin Crosby, was enough to bring out the head-banging masses on a Wednesday night.

And while lead singer Stephen Pearcy is limited to more or less “talk-singing” these days, it didn’t matter one bit. The band played a solid, 90-minute set packed with several of its catchy 1980s hits that now fall into the “classic rock” category.

Ratt’s one of those bands you forget has so many recognizable songs until it starts rattling them off for you, one after another — “Wanted Man,” “Lovin’ You’s a Dirty Job,” “I Want a Woman,” “Givin’ Yourself Away,” “Way Cool Jr.,” “Back For More,” “Lack of Communication,” “Lay it Down,” “You’re in Love,” “Body Talk,” and “Round and Round.” Ratt obliged the crowd with each of those songs, and even left off one or two, like “Dance.”

One of the cooler things about Wednesday’s show was the enthusiasm of bassist Juan Croucier, who looked like a guy who had won a chance to play with his all-time favorite band for a night. The dude was way into it, which was infectious and entertaining to watch.

For my 1980s pop-metal loving heart, seeing bands of that era at smaller venues will never get old. When the video for “Round and Round” with Milton Berle in drag was spinning constantly on MTV nearly 30 years ago, I never thought I’d be seeing Ratt play — with Quiet Riot’s guitar player, no less — in front of such a relatively small crowd.

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Make plans to join us for the return of our popular Jockeys & Java program beginning Saturday, May 25 at 8:30 a.m. and continuing each Saturday through July 6, 2013.

Watch hundreds of horses as they go through their morning workouts and enjoy a delicious, free breakfast of a danish, breakfast burrito, coffee and juice in the Courtyard

of Champions at Lone Star Park.

Learn about what happens behind the scenes at Lone Star Park with Track Announcer John Lies, who will host the morning workouts and talk with special guests, including jockeys, trainers, industry professionals and some of the people that have the most important jobs at the racetrack.

Lies’ guests for the opening program on Saturday, May 25 at 9:00 a.m. will be jockey, Eswan Flores and apprentice jockey, Alfredo Sanchez Sigala. The interview will be followed by a Q&A session.

Following the workouts at 10:00 a.m., fans are invited to take a behind-the-scenes trip to the backstretch, visit a trainer’s barn and see the horses up close. Everyone in attendance will receive a Lone Star Track Pack with coupons for free general admission and a Lone Star Today racing program for live racing.

For additional information, visit LoneStarPark.com or call 972-263-RACE (7223).

Sports and entertainment news in Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys started Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on May 21, which means competition for one of the 80 spots at Cowboys Training Camp in Oxnard, CA, has begun. For the next several days RattleandHumSports.com will break down each position, determine who’s in competition and who you should keep an eye on the next few months. We’ll update this again after the team’s mandatory mini-camp in mid-June.

Backs

Projected depth chart: RB (1) DeMarco Murray, (2) Joseph Randle, (3) Lance Dunbar, (4) Phillip Tanner, (5) Kendial Lawrence. FB (1) Lawrence Vickers.

Current health: Murray appears to be fully recovered from the maladies that struck him last season. Randle was limited during rookie camp with a thumb injury. Vickers is recovering from back surgery and isn’t expected to participate fully in workouts until training camp.

Last year: Murray was the No. 1 back, but missed six games due to injury. He rushed for 663 yards and 4 touchdowns in 10 games. The Cowboys parted ways with Felix Jones after the 2012 season, their first-round pick five seasons ago. Dunbar and Tanner showed flashes of talent, but aside from the Cowboys’ run-heavy performance against Baltimore – in which the team rushed for a season-high 227 yards – they were non-factors offensively. Vickers was underutilized in both blocking and pass catching.

Competition scale (1 being no competition and 5 being highly competitive): 3.

Why?: Murray, without question, is the No. 1 back. Randle, who gained more than 2,600 rushing yards and scored 38 times at Oklahoma State, would seem to be the clear No. 2 back, despite the thumb injury and his fifth-round draft position. The Cowboys see him as a similar back to Murray in size and speed and are hopeful Randle can be more durable. Dunbar, Tanner and Lawrence all have intriguing qualities. Dunbar has versatility, Tanner runs with toughness and Lawrence has pure speed. But all have debits, starting with the fact that they’re not considered big enough to take a consistent NFL pounding.

There is no competition at fullback for Vickers, but his health and his cap figure of approximately $1 million will figure prominently in whether he makes the team or not. One could argue the Cowboys could use that money elsewhere and that Vickers isn’t really a fit for the scheme, as the Cowboys don’t employ a fullback or a power running formation as often as they have in the past.

Player to watch: Lawrence. If the Cowboys want a No. 3 back with sprinter speed, Lawrence is certainly worth a look. The undrafted free agent comes to the Cowboys from Missouri, where he rushed for more than 2,000 yards, scored 21 touchdowns and caught 42 passes for his career. He possesses consistent 4.40 speed in the 40, and he ran as low as 4.33 in the 40 during the player evaluation period. Teams passed on him for two reasons. First, there was his size. At 5-foot-9, 194 pounds, he’s a little undersized to be a three-down back and one could question whether Lawrence can keep his top end speed if he puts on weight. There are also questions about whether he can pass protect, a key responsibility for a third-down back. Missouri’s system didn’t really provide Lawrence much opportunity to do so. Still, Lawrence tore up the rookie camp defense and he’s worth watching as OTAs unfold.

What they’re working for: Most teams take five backs to training camp, as it’s necessary to handle a training camp workload. The belief here is that all five will get to Oxnard. Their worst enemy will be the waiver wire and whether another NFL team releases a player in which the Cowboys are interested. Vickers likely makes it to camp if he’s healthy.

Next: Wide receivers and tight ends.

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By Dic Humphrey and Bryan Houston

Dic and Bryan talk about the offense struggling, the high pitch count of Yu Darvish and concerns that he might burn out before the dog days of summer. They also talk about the inconsistent offense, the performance of Jurickson Profar, Colby Lewis’ progress as he rehabs, and the overall performance of the team in spite of all the injuries to their pitching staff and Ian Kinsler.

Click here to listen:

Dic Humphrey and Bryan Houston talk Texas Rangers

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The Texas Rangers avoided getting swept and suffering their first three-game losing streak of the season with a 3-1 win over Oakland Wednesday afternoon. It was just the second time this season that Texas lost a series. Oddly, both losing series have come at home, where the Rangers have a sparkling overall record of 15-7, the best in the American League. The win also ended the Athletics’ five-game winning streak. By winning the series, Oakland cut the Rangers’ lead in the West Division to 5.5 games, still the largest lead in any division. The Ranger win finished their homestand with a 4-3 record against two very good teams, and improved their overall record to 30-17. They are the first team in baseball to reach 30 wins and have the best record in the American League.

It was a series marked by roster moves every day, such that the majority of the innings in the series were thrown by four pitchers who were playing for AAA Round Rock last week. Josh Lindblom and Ross Wolf made their Ranger debuts starting the first and third games of the series, while Cory Burns and Neal Cotts saw action in relief. It was also a series marked by offensive ineptitude, as the Rangers lost the first two games by scores of 9-2 and 1-0, and scored just five total runs.

Wolf was activated to pitch Wednesday’s game, taking Nick Tepesch’s scheduled start. Tepesch was pushed back to start this Sunday with blisters on his throwing hand. It was Wolf’s first Major League start, though he has made 25 relief appearances, the last of which was in 2010. Wolf did an admirable job, giving the Rangers five solid innings to earn the win. He was charged with the Oakland run after allowing three hits, while striking out three and walking two. The Athletics’ Jarrod Parker (2-6) took the loss.

Cotts, who had joined the Rangers a day earlier, came on to pitch two solid innings. Three of the six batters he retired were by strikeout, and he gave up just one hit. Robbie Ross pitched the eighth with his usual scoreless result, and Joe Nathan took care of Oakland in the ninth for his 14^th save of the season. Nathan needed just seven pitches to put down the A’s as he was aided by a spectacular catch by right fielder Nelson Cruz.

All the Ranger scoring came in the first inning, as three of the first four batters in the game scored on home runs from David Murphy and Adrian Beltre. It was the first lead in the series for Texas.

Texas lost Monday, a game notable for being the first Ranger game started this year by top minor league prospect Jurickson Profar. He started at second base and drove in the only runs the Rangers scored, though he did not get a hit.

Texas mustered just six hits on the evening – four singles and two doubles. Bartolo Colon (4-2) has been a nemesis of the Rangers during his career and was again Monday night. He pitched seven innings, allowing the pair of runs and all six hits. The win was the 19^th of his career against Texas, tying him with three other pitchers for most opponent wins. (Jack Morris, Dennis Leonard and Bert Blyleven.)

Josh Lindblom made his Ranger debut as the starting pitcher. He was knocked out in the fifth inning, allowing four runs on seven hits. He took the loss, his first decision of the season. Joseph Ortiz, Cory Burns and Michael Kirkman finished the game, with each allowing at least one run to score.

On Tuesday, Oakland’s Dan Straily (2-2) baffled Ranger batters over seven innings to earn the win. He allowed just two hits. The Rangers had knocked Straily around a week earlier in a 6-2 win over the A’s in Oakland. Straily’s ERA was an obscene 7.27, but he looked like an All-Star Tuesday night. The Rangers never advanced a base runner as far as second base.

Yu Darvish (7-2) was the Ranger starter and losing pitcher. He has been blessed with outstanding run support all season (9.05 runs per game), but Tuesday night, it was not to be. He gave up a third-inning home run to Yeonis Cespedes to get tagged with his first loss of the year at home. After the media storm last week over Darvish throwing 130 pitches, Ron Washington lifted Darvish after six innings and 101 pitches.

Among the pitchers from Round Rock, Cotts was outstanding. He’s a former starter with the White Sox who has worked hard to overcome injuries to get back to the majors. His last appearance in the majors was in 2009. He’s lefthanded, and his addition gives the Rangers four lefthanders in the pen. That will probably get corrected in the near future, but Cotts was so impressive, he likely stays. Reliever Cory Burns was sent back to Round Rock Wednesday to make room for Wolf. Lindblom was returned to AAA after his start to make room for Cotts. Washington said after Wednesday’s game that they would discuss Wolf’s future with the team, but Wolf was so impressive that he likely stays, especially with a scheduled doubleheader on Monday.

Texas is back on the road this weekend for five games in four days, starting with a three game set in Seattle after an off day on Thursday. It will be the second trip to Seattle this year, and the third series overall with the Mariners. That series is followed with a day/night doubleheader on Memorial Day, inter-league games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The pitching matchups for the series are:

Friday 9:10 p.m.  RHP Justin Grimm (3-3, 4.02) vs. LHP Joe Saunders (3-4, 5.64)                          

Saturday 9:10 p.m. LHP Derek Holland (3-2, 3.30) vs. RHP Felix Hernandez (5-3, 2.07)                    

Sunday 3:10 p.m.  RHP Nick Tepesch (3-4, 3.98) vs. RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (5-1, 2.37)

NOTABLE:

• The Rangers’ 30-17 record is the second best in club history after 47 games, trailing 31 wins in 1999.
• With Wednesday’s win, the Rangers are 4-0 in day games during May.
• Martin Perez threw a dominating game at AAA Round Rock Tuesday night. He needed just 77 pitches to complete seven innings, striking out seven and walking no one. He allowed just three hits and retired the final 14 batters he faced.
• Colby Lewis finally got going with his minor league rehabilitation on Monday. He pitched 2-1/3 innings for AA Frisco, allowing two runs on four hits, including a home run. He threw 47 pitches. He was unhappy with his velocity as his fastball was routinely in the 84-86 range and 87 was the fastest he was clocked.

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By Matthew Postins and Bryan Houston

In today’s podcast we look at the undermining of Jason Garrett, the Doug Free situation, and if Romo will have any problems missing OTAs.

Click here to listen to the podcast

Matthew Postins and Bryan Houston talk about the Dallas Cowboys

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Sports and entertainment news in Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys started Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on May 21, which means competition for one of the 80 spots at Cowboys Training Camp in Oxnard, CA, has begun. For the next several days RattleandHumSports.com will break down each position, determine who’s in competition and who you should keep an eye on the next few months. We’ll update this again after the team’s mandatory Mini-Camp in mid-June.

Quarterbacks

Projected depth chart: (1) Tony Romo, (2) Kyle Orton, (3) Nick Stephens, (4) Dalton Williams.

Current health: Romo had surgery on a cyst on his back and will not participate in OTAs. He says there’s a “good chance” he’ll participate in mandatory mini-camp. Training camp should not be an issue.

Last year: Romo threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 28 touchdowns for, statistically, one of his best seasons. He threw a career-high 19 interceptions, including an interception in the fourth quarter of the season finale against Washington that cost the Cowboys a chance to drive for a potential game-winning and division-winning touchdown. Orton threw 10 passes in mop-up duty.

Competition scale (1 being no competition and 5 being highly competitive): 1.

Why?: The Cowboys handed Romo a $108 million contract extension in April, tying their fortunes to the former undrafted free agent for the next five to seven years. So the starting position isn’t up for debate. Same goes for Orton, the No. 2, who has two years left on his deal and even allowed the Cowboys to restructure his deal for cap space.

Player to watch: Stephens. The Cowboys signed Stephens after last season ended and the first-year player had a nice senior season at Division II Tarleton State, throwing for 3,005 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s already been through an NFL training camp, having worked with Tennessee last year. Stephens has a big arm that can get the ball downfield, but he needs more refinement. The advantage he has over Williams is that he’s been at Valley Ranch since January and has a better understanding of the playbook. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said during rookie camp that Stephens was making progress. With Romo sitting out all of the OTAs, he stands to benefit the most in terms of reps.

What they’re working for: A spot at training camp. Head coach Jason Garrett told reporters last week that the Cowboys intend to carry four quarterbacks to Oxnard. So Stephens and Williams need to do at least enough to keep the Cowboys from combing the waiver wire between now and July.

Next: Running backs and fullbacks.

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The Ben Hogan Awards dinner was held Monday in Fort Worth. (Photo: Tom Ward)

On Monday night at a formal black tie affair at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, the prestigious Ben Hogan Award was presented to the outstanding collegiate golfer in the country. Chris Williams from the University of Washington won the coveted trophy, beating out Julien Brun of TCU and Michael Kim from the University of California- Berkley.

Williams, a senior, grew up in Moscow, Idaho, not exactly the kind of place that is known for turning out great golfers. He is currently the world’s No. 1 ranked amateur in both the World Amateur Golf Rankings and the Scratch Players World Rankings. Also, in 2012 he was the recipient of the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the world’s top-ranked amateur, clinching berths into the upcoming US Open at Merion next month and the Open Championship in Scotland.

Before the start of the festivities prior to the Invocation by Dr. Charles Sanders, the audience was asked to pause for a moment of silence. It was in honor of our neighbors in Oklahoma whose lives were upending by the devastating tornado. Brian Estridge from WBAP 820/96.7 FM radio was the emcee for the evening and did his usual good job of hosting.

Lance Barrows from CBS Sports did the welcoming remarks and he is always very entertaining. He spoke about passing of his two friends (Pat Summerall and Ken Venturi) in the past month. They were longtime fixtures as announcers on CBS golf telecasts. Lance told the audience that is has been an emotional month losing those two great gentlemen.

Then he proceeded to tell a story involving the two during a live broadcast at the old Crosby clambake tournament at Pebble Beach years ago. Lance said, “Over the decades the great actor Jack Lemmon had played in many Bing Crosby Invitational’s at Pebble Beach and never made the cut. Then this one Saturday afternoon Lemmon finally has a chance to make the cut.

“He gets on the 18th tee and they (Summerall and Venturi) are talking about how Jack making the cut would mean more than any Oscar or acting awards he could receive,” Barrow said. “Lemmon proceeds to snap hook his drive right into the Pacific Ocean. Then Pat Summerall, in that great voice of his, says ‘Lemmon on the rocks.’

“The late comedian Phil Harris, who was in the booth at the moment, said ‘That sounds like one of my drinks.’ Venturi chimes in and says, ‘Phil, I always wanted to ask you this because you’re a noted drinker. What is your favorite drink?’

“Harris replies, ‘The next one!’”

The entire place erupted with laughter and the TV screens in the ballroom began showing old footage of the two during some of the broadcasts they did on the network for many decades. Then Lance asked everyone to lift their drinks up to toast the great Pat Summerall and Ken Venturi.

A great event

Lance said, “One of the great things about this award is the partnership between Colonial Country Club and Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. Ever since former Heisman trophy winner Tom Harmon and Ben Hogan started this event in the late 1980s the FOG (Friends of Golf) has raised over 6 million dollars for youth golf.”

In 1989, FOG board chairman and 1940 Heisman trophy winner Harmon and his friend Hogan established the Ben Hogan Trophy recognizing each year’s outstanding college golfer. Harmon was a true American hero and one of the most famous athletes of his generation. Following his storied University of Michigan football career and being the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot. During World War II he survived a crash in South America before being shot down over Japanese-occupied China and receiving a Purple Heart and Silver Star.

Of course the name of Ben Hogan is recognized the world over as one of the golf’s greatest legends. Hogan’s mystique and reputation as the consummate ball striker is still talked about today on the PGA Tour and in the golfing world. He worked harder, achieved more and overcame more hardships than any other athlete of his time. His record as a golf champion is amazing, even by today’s standards.

FOG Director Eddie Merrins said, “The award is now truly the Heisman of college golf.”

Two-time Colonial champion Corey Pavin was the Keynote speaker for the evening. Pavin had some words of wisdom for the three young men vying for the award. He said, “I’m glad I’m playing on the senior tour these days so I don’t have to compete with all these up and coming young players.” Pavin earned the plaid jacket winning the Colonial event in 1985 & 1996. Also, Corey was the 2010 U.S Ryder cup captain and won the 1995 US Open championship.

During the evening before and after the ceremony I had the opportunity to visit with Pavin, Charles Coody (former Masters champion), former Ft. Worth mayor Mike Moncrief, Barrows, Dan Jenkins (Hall of Fame sportswriter), and Marty Leonard, the daughter of Colonial founder the late Marvin Leonard.

Finally, I want to commend Dr. Bill Barnes and Dr. Wally Schmuck, the co-chairmen of the Ben Hogan Awards, for another stellar outing. These two first-class gentlemen do a terrific job staging on one of the best awards presentations I’ve ever attended. I look forward to seeing them at next year’s dinner.

Tom Ward can be reached at www.teetimewithtom.com.

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Special Contributor

Joan Osborne belts out a tune on Saturday night at the Kessler. (Photo: Chuck Cox)

Fresh off of last Thursday’s Toad the Wet Sprocket show, the Kessler‘s unofficial “1990s Flashback Month” continued with two absolutely amazing concerts — Joan Osborne and Marc Cohn — over the weekend.

The two very well-respected solo artists, who had one huge Top 40 hit each, showed off their serious musical chops by putting together fantastic shows, complete with killer opening acts. And the Kessler was absolutely the perfect place for their styles.

Joan Osborne and Sara Hickman (Saturday)

Osborne’s mega-hit “One Of Us” was impossible to avoid in 1995.  And that was a good thing. Her song was so big Prince covered it on his Emancipation album the following year. When Prince is covering your song, you’ve done something very, very right. Osborne opened her encore with a beautiful version of the song that made her famous. And she also gave a nod to Prince by covering “Little Red Corvette,” with a little bit of lyrical help from an audience member.

Her 90-minute show was heavy on cover songs, touching on acts like the Grateful Dead, Willie Dixon, Tina Turner, Otis Redding, Van Morrison and Dave Mason, including songs from the blues cover album, Bring It On Home, she released last year. After opening with “St. Teresa,” Osborne played a couple of new songs, “How You Work On Me,” and “Where We Start.”

Opener Sara Hickman, whose name I’ve heard a thousand times but had never seen, was absolutely awesome. With a commanding stage presence and an acoustic guitar, Hickman owned the audience while, at times, sounding like she had some musical accompaniment by pounding out beats on her guitar. With numerous studio albums to her credit, the 2010 Official State Musician of Texas  had plenty of material to choose from. And her set list was flawless.

Mark Cohn and Madison King (Sunday)

Other than his mega-hit “Walking in Memphis,” I really didn’t know much of anything about Cohn. I was pretty sure he would be amazing, though. And he didn’t disappoint. Belting out tunes both from behind the piano, on guitar, and just by himself throughout his two-hour show, Cohn showed off his skills as a musician and vocalist.

Not knowing most of his material, I was enthralled by several of his songs, like “Listening to Levon,” an ode to the late Levon Helm, “Silver Thunderbird,” and wedding song extraordinaire, “True Companion.” Cohn joked around when he hit an extra note during the latter that was due to the lack of success of his first marriage.

Cohn, a Cleveland native, was a very engaging guy who told some amazing stories with and in between his songs. He said it was his only the second or third time he had ever played Dallas, so he told the story of being a struggling young songwriter when he took a fateful trip to Memphis that ended up being the narrative for his signature song.

Local girl Madison King was also brilliant as Cohn’s opening act. She was clearly comfortable, although also psyched to be playing with a Grammy winner. “No big deal,” she jokingly told the audience. Like Hickman, King’s songs had a very honest quality to them. And she played them magnificently. King plays lots of shows in the area, so go check her out if you get a chance.

In an interesting side note, neither Osborne nor Cohn had ever played the Kessler before, but both Hickman and King had. After Cohn showed some love for the room, someone from the audience implored him to come back. He said he would, and that he hadn’t left yet.

Joan Osborne photo album.

Marc Cohn photo album.

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