Dunne, James Patrick

A 1973 graduate of LT, Jimmy Dunne was voted "Most Likely to Succeed," was Senior Class President, received the "Edie Leadership Award" and was Most Valuable Player of the tennis team. Dunne graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa with Highest Honors from the University of Kentucky. He received a double major Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism and Business, with minors in Music Composition and Advertising. After college, Mr. Dunne headed to Hollywood for a career in the entertainment business, and quickly rose through the ranks. Dunne was a Writer and Producer on hit ABC and Paramount shows, including “Happy Days.” Dunne focused his efforts to songwriting, and quickly began accumulating hit records and songs across all music genres-- with artists diverse as Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Janet Jackson - and many more.

 

Dunne's songs have been recorded on 27,000,000 records worldwide; along with scores, songs, and themes in over 1,400 television episodes and dozens of feature films. Along with (CMA) Country Music Awards, Grammy nominations, Emmy nominations, Billboard Awards, Cashbox Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, Juno Awards, Big Country Awards, BMI and Ascap Songwriter and Publisher Awards, his music has garnered numerous gold, platinum, and multi-platinum records from countries spanning the globe.

 

Jimmy Dunne is President and Founder of Inspire, (InspireEntertainment.com), one of the most respected and successful music promotions firms - accelerating brands and creating meaningful revenue streams for retail franchises, corporations and charities.

 

A sought-after speaker on the music industry’s relationship with national retailers, corporations and charities, Dunne has been a keynote speaker at many music, television, branding and advertising conferences and events. Dunne has lectured at UCLA, SMU, USC, along with numerous other universities. Very active in SMU, Dunne is also on the SMU Meadows School of Journalism Board.

 

Jimmy is extremely involved in spearheading a multitude of youth events in Southern California, including the California Paddle Tennis Conference and the California Beach Volleyball Conference. (As a tennis pro in Chicago, he created the West Suburban Tennis Conference - in its 38th year.)

 

Jimmy Dunne is married to Catherine Bailly Dunne, has two daughters - and lives in Pacific Palisades, California.