Derek James Dixie is an American musician, record producer, and musical director best known for his work with Beyoncé,

Chloe x Halle Chloe x Halle are an R&B duo composed of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey. At a young age, the sisters performed in minor acting roles before moving from Mableton, Georgia, to Los Angeles in 2012. The two began posting music covers to YouTube and ...

, and

The Carters The Carters (stylized in all caps) are an American musical duo composed of married artists Beyoncé and Jay-Z. They released their first album as the Carters, ''Everything Is Love'', on June 16, 2018. Before formally naming their collaboration ...

. He has five

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations and one Emmy nomination.

Early life and education

Dixie grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. He attended

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges ...

and graduated from The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio. Afterwards he taught audio engineering at The Recording Workshop.

Career

MTV’s Making His Band with Sean “Diddy” Combs

In 2009, Dixie was one of 42 finalists in the MTV show "

Making His Band ''Making the Band'' is an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. Except for the first iter ...

," about

Sean "Diddy" Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

’ search for a band to play on his upcoming album, "Last Dance in Paris."

Superbowl

Dixie was the music director for Beyoncé’s solo

Superbowl half time show Halftime shows are a tradition during American football games at all levels of competition. Entertainment during the Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), represents a fundamental link to pop culture, ...

performance in 2013 and again in 2016 when she co-headlined with

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey (manager), Phil H ...

and

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

. In 2019, Dixie arranged and orchestrated a performance by Chloe x Halle for Superbowl LIII with 30 Youngstown State University musicians and a Los Angeles horn and string ensemble.

Beyoncé

After almost ten years of working with Beyoncé as Music Director, Dixie received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Direction for “ HOMECOMING: A Film by Beyoncé.” Dixie worked with Beyoncé to create Black Parade, an anthemic song for her to sing about her heritage, hometown and African roots, reflecting on the Black Experience in America and release on

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, ...

Songwriting, instrument, arrangement, and production credits

Film & documentary scoring

Awards

Dixie has five Grammy nominations and one Emmy nomination.

Grammy Awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixie, Derek 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American male musicians African-American record producers African-American songwriters American hip hop record producers Beyoncé Living people Year of birth missing (living people)