(Arnolds Park)– As we reported previously, a musician who grew up in the Iowa Great Lakes is among the 2026 inductees into the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association Hall of Fame. Damon Dotson tells KUOO news he’s honored and humbled by the recognition…
“I know or have known some of the other musicians who have gotten in and some over the years that I grew up kind of idolizing and kind of being like, hey, they’re doing it, and even when I was as young as 10 I remember the Memory Brothers, I remember Tim Horsman, I remember Terry Klein. Being mentioned, you know, personally in any sort of realm with those guys I have looked up to for a long time is really just humbling.”
Dotson says he was very fortunate to have his roots in the Iowa Great Lakes and is grateful for the local establishments that made it possible for him to get his start…
“Nancy Cain let me play some gigs for my parents and herself and a few other people over at The Java Joint on Highway 71 when it used to be there, and then Taylor at The Ritz had me one summer a couple times on the weekdays and that kind of got the wheels turning. Over the years all of the establishments up there have been supportive of what I do and I’ve kind of played most of the venues up there and I couldn’t be more excited, honestly, to be inducted and then also to have it be Okoboji. It’s just a win-win.”
Dotson also expressed his appreciation to the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association for the honor…
“What they do for the state of Iowa in music but have also been inducting, you know, me as one of the 2026 inductees I’m just, I’m still blown away.”
Dotson will be part of a music line up that will be performing at 8:00 pm Friday at Oak Hill Outdoor as part of this weekend’s University of Okoboji Winter Games.
