1 of 3
Stephen Montoya
2 of 3
Stephen Montoya
3 of 3
Stephen Montoya
In a city where music often roars like a rodeo crowd or hums like a honky-tonk on a Friday night, local musician Theo Carracino’s presence is a softer kind of steady — a quiet anchor for Fort Worth’s next generation of songwriters. To locals, he’s simply “Theo,” the kind-hearted singer-songwriter who won first place at the Mariposa Entertainment songwriting competition held at Tulips this past January. But beneath that calm stage presence lies a man whose life reads like an unexpected magazine feature: journalist, artist, and the unlikely speechwriter to the late James Earl Jones.
Theo’s story begins not in Texas, but in Montclair, New Jersey, just outside New York City. “I grew up about 17 miles outside New York,” he says. When he moved to Texas in 1979 — drawn by a woman he was dating — he intended to leave music behind. “I didn’t want to play anymore,” he admits. “I wanted to get a degree, do something different.”
His music stayed private for years. “I played at home and wrote some songs, that’s it.” His first open mic wasn’t in Texas, but in Columbus, Ohio, around the age of 21. Though he played covers of John Denver and John Prine, he doubted a music career would go anywhere. “I thought I’d get famous doing covers. I never saw myself beyond local Ramada Inns and Holiday Inns,” he says with a grin.
But life took a different path.
After some college detours, Theo landed at Tarrant County College and found work at the school newspaper. “The advisor asked if I wanted to be editor, even though I hadn’t written before,” he laughs. That was the start of his journalism career, which took him from Fort Worth to El Paso, Pennsylvania, and back east.
Stephen Montoya
Theo’s writing continued, leading him to cover New Jersey's gubernatorial election in '89. His sharp editorials landed him a surprising gig as a speechwriter for Democratic candidate Jim Florio. “I was pretty hard on him as a writer, but then he hired me. I told him, ‘If you think it was because I was easy on you, you’re wrong.’”
For nearly two years, Theo crafted speeches amid the rough-and-tumble of politics, including one memorable moment with anti-nuclear activists.
Later, Theo was in Florida, working for another newspaper. His speechwriting continued, eventually for the legendary James Earl Jones, when he moved north to Virginia. “It started when I worked for Bell Atlantic, where Jones was the spokesperson. When he needed a speech, my boss asked if I could write it.” Weeks after submitting the speech, Theo was shocked when the actor called him personally.
“He said, ‘How did you find my voice?’” Theo opined: “I just told him I read his bio and wrote the speech accordingly.”
Over a year and a half, they worked together, even sharing a three-hour lunch at the now-infamous Watergate Hotel in D.C. “He was funny, personable. I was starstruck but tried to stay professional.”
Back in Fort Worth, Theo is still a storyteller — only his medium is now song, rather than the written word. In December 2019, after 38 years away from music, a sudden urge led him to an open mic at Shipping and Receiving, where he played his original songs for the first time ever. “I felt confident, no stage fright. I finally believed in my work.”
That night changed everything. It opened a welcoming door to the city’s community of songwriters — Jeff Gibbons, Ed Rogers, Chris Curtis, Steve Obermiller, and Hilary Tipps among the many who became his Fort Worth musical family.
After it’s all said and done, songwriting beats journalism for Theo. “As an editor, my byline was never in the paper. I was anonymous. But being recognized as a songwriter? That meant more.”
