The proposed Mac Davis statue in Lubbock will soon get “a little less conversation” and “a little more action” – a reference to one of his songs made famous by Elvis Presley.
The City Council approved up to $400,000 from the North Overton Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Zone for the project.
“He was an incredible songwriter and is known for his music that he sang. But so many artists sing his songs. It’s quite incredible,” Mayor Mark McBrayer said.
Davis hit No. 1 in 1972 singing his own song “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me.”
But others, including Elvis, took his music to the Billboard charts as well – for example, “In the Ghetto” and “Memories.” He also co-wrote “White Limozeen” with Dolly Parton.
The statue is proposed for the traffic circle at Mac Davis Lane and Avenue X.
Former Mayor Marc McDougal spoke during Tuesday’s council meeting, saying, “We feel like this is a perfect location for this.”
Davis, a Lubbock native born in 1942, grew up in the same neighborhood where his statue will stand. He died in 2020 and is buried in the Lubbock Cemetery.
“We’ve already named the former 6th Street, Mac Davis Lane,” McDougal said of the renaming of the street between University Avenue on the west and Texas Avenue on the east.
“We think this is very fitting to have the statue of Mac there and honor him and [his wife] Lise in that manner,” McDougal said.
“We’re hoping to have this up in January maybe. But we’re going to move as fast as we can,” McDougal said.
Eddie Dixon is the sculptor, and the statue is already at the foundry, McDougal told the Council.
Councilwoman Christy Martinez-Garcia said, “It gives us another landmark to showcase. So, we’re really excited about it, and I look forward to the dedication.”
There was an opportunity to approve the item without public discussion, but McBrayer highlighted it because he felt like Davis deserved the recognition.
McBrayer said, “I just appreciate him, appreciate his music, appreciate his love for Lubbock. And I just think this is a very fitting tribute to him.”
McBrayer also wanted to head off negative perceptions if the statue just went up one day without a public discussion.
“Some people will say, ‘Well, who’s paying for it?’ – thinking the city is paying for it with their tax money. But it’s being paid for by the North Overton Tax Increment Fund,” McBrayer said.
The effort to get a statue is more than five years old. Former councilman Randy Christian and others participated in a Mac Davis Tribute Committee which lobbied the TIF in 2021 for support.
Christian told KLBK News, “He was always proud to tell people wherever he was that he was from Lubbock, Texas.”
The late Don Caldwell at that time told KLBK, “Mac Davis was one of the sweetest guys who ever lived. He was very considerate of other people – did a bunch of stuff to help people that he never talked about and bragged about.”
McDougal told LubbockLights.com the Mac Davis committee spearheaded the project, while the TIF provided the funding. The statue and site work are expected to cost slightly less than $400,000, McDougal also said.
The TIF needs budget approval from the city, which is why the matter came up for a vote on Tuesday. It will need a second and final vote at the next council meeting.
The city created the TIF in 2002 in the North Overton neighborhood. The TIF allowed the city to reinvest increases in property tax revenue back into the same neighborhood.
