Lake Highlands has produced its fair share of famous people, but Annie Clark just might be the coolest of the bunch.

Wednesday night, Annie and her band, St. Vincent, performed in front of a national audience on the Late Show with David Letterman.

If you don’t know her name or face, now's the time to get familiar.

Besides being a gifted guitarist, singer and song writer, Annie is also a LHHS 2001 graduate.

Upon graduation, Annie left Lake Highlands and began preparing for her career by attending the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

After a few years at Berklee, Annie came back to Dallas and joined the popular local band, Polyphonic Spree. This experience (and if you’ve ever seen them in concert, you know it’s quite the experience) allowed Annie to grow as a musician.

She considers her time with The Spree integral to her development as an artist. "It had a big impact on my career," says Annie. "I learned loads about guitar tone and performing art."

Annie currently lives in Brooklyn, NY but still visits Lake Highlands as often as possible, or as she puts it, "as much as my tour schedule allows, because I love seeing my family." When Annie is in town, she likes to keep things low key and enjoys eating at Mi Cocina and spending time with her new baby niece.

LH Today asked Annie who in her childhood had the biggest influence on her desire to pursue a career in music. "Definitely my mother, she was always so supportive. My step-father as well," she says, "as he bought me my first guitar."

She also talked about Michael Jackson, and his influence on her as an artist; an especially ironic note, based on his recent untimely death.

Beyond family and The King of Pop, a few LHHS teachers can be added to the list of people whom Annie considers key to her success.

"Absolutely, several teachers come to mind who certainly influenced my career," says Annie. "If I had to name just a few they would be David Wood (English), Tim Johnson & Mrs. Poynter (Theater) and my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Friou."

While no longer a teacher at LHHS, Annie’s Theatre teacher, Tim Johnson, remembers Annie well. "Annie was one of the most talented and thoughtful students I’ve ever had," comments Johnson. "It’s really been a great pleasure to watch her career progress."

"She was always so humble and self deprecating, almost to a fault actually," he continues. "To see her on stage now doing her thing – it's just amazing."

Annie’s mother, and biggest supporter, Mrs. Sharon Clark, says there was one particular moment she knew Annie was destined for a successful career in music. During the fall of her senior year at LHHS, Annie was asked by high school theater teacher, Tim Johnson, to adapt a version of Alice and Wonderland into a musical.

"Annie went right into her room and got to work," shares Mrs. Clark. "Within days she had turned each character's lines into original songs, written scene music, and then proceeded to record and mix it all using various instruments and her home recording equipment."

"Of course the show was a hit," says her mom, "and I was dazzled and amazed!"

The LHHS performance was not only a success, it also acted in part as a catalyst that lead to Annie pursuing a talent scholarship with the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

"On her way to the dress rehearsal for the musical, Annie handed me an audition tape she had just made for the scholarship competition at Berklee and asked me to put it in the mail," says Mrs. Clark. "She won the scholarship, and the rest is history."

Indeed, it is.

Annie offers a simple but profound message to all current LHHS Wildcats. "Do what you love to do, and treat everyone with respect."

That's a message we all can take to heart.

View St. Vincent’s latest video for Marrow, which she performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.

For more information on Annie and her European tour schedule, visit the St. Vincent website.