Entertainment

DENTON – Grammy-winning singer and jazz pianist Norah Jones is putting her celebrity behind a popular Denton cause: saving Fry Street, the eclectic area around the University of North Texas that includes historic buildings, independent restaurants and specialty stores.

Ms. Jones will be the honorary chairwoman for the Save Fry Street Coalition, organized last summer to protest the leveling of historical buildings on Fry Street, where some of Denton's best-known musicians got their start.

"While I was a student at the University of North Texas, I spent lots of time on Fry Street," Ms. Jones said in a prepared statement. "I loved seeing live music there and even played one of my first gigs at Bagheri's (a restaurant on Fry Street). Fry Street is not only a special place for me, but it's a great asset to Denton's identity."

In the statement, Ms. Jones asked developers of the area to try to preserve some of Fry Street's 1920s-era buildings.

"To lose landmarks like these only makes Denton more ordinary and harder to distinguish from the sameness of any Dallas suburb."

She couldn't be reached for an interview, but her management confirmed Ms. Jones' involvement.

"She asked us to let you know that she supports the efforts to keep Fry Street from becoming a commercially developed area," Mary Levitan, a representative of Ms. Jones' management, said in an e-mail.

Ms. Jones attended the university's renowned College of Music, which includes the internationally recognized jazz studies program and One O' Clock Lab Band.

The Save Fry Street Coalition has been pressing to designate the block of Fry Street as a historic site. The property was purchased by developers earlier this year, and two buildings have already been demolished.

Chris Flemmons, a member of the coalition and a local musician, said getting Ms. Jones as honorary chairwoman could serve as a reminder that Fry Street has been fertile creative ground for Denton.

"She's maintained some close relationships here in Denton," Mr. Flemmons said. "She knew about it before we got a hold of her. I think she's a prime example of the kind of people we've exported from this area."

E-mail cbreeding@dentonrc.com