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Home Of Northshore Musicians & Artists
Home Of Northshore Musicians & Artists
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2008 Event Sponsors
Children's Art Stage Sponsor Poster Sponsored By Electricity Work donated by Organizational and Financial Support donated by the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce Publicity is made possible by a grant from the Tangipahoa Parish Tourism Commission
Restrooms Provided By Pot-O-Gold Printed Materials Provided By Premier Printing & Norman Falk The Northshore Regional Endowment For The Arts Board would like to thank Deborah Anderson and Anderson Small Business Solutions for chairing this year's event! |
Seeing is believing, but when you hear Chris Gray sing, you are captivated by the sincerity and warmth of his vocals. His deep, emotional ballads pull at your heart strings as you are absorbed into the songs, while the high-energy, rowdy tunes make you want to get in your truck and head to the nearest Honky Tonk. Like the title track of his debut album, Chris "honestly" writes and sings from his soul. Along with writing or co-writing eight of the nine songs on the album, Chris also played the part of Producer, which has gained him immeasurable respect from his peers.
Born in New Orleans and raised in the small, one-stoplight town of Folsom, Louisiana, Chris began singing at age six when he and his sister would entertain family and friends with plays and shows. At age seven, his mother paid five dollars for his first guitar. It was an old beat up acoustic with a split all the way around one side of the back, but Chris didn't care about the looks - to him it was love at first sight. He would play old records from the family collection and "pretend" to play guitar (he didn't know you had to push the strings down to make different notes). The songs of Hank Williams Sr., Elvis, Nat "King" Cole, and many more echoed from Chris' room where he first learned to love music. His enthusiasm for music continued through his years of education and he learned several other instruments including piano, trumpet, bass guitar and drums, but his true love remained his guitar which was now replaced with a new acoustic and he was getting pretty good at pushing down the strings as well. The guitar became a close companion to Chris as he practiced constantly every chance he got.
Chris joined the US Navy in 1989 and during the next six years, he would realize his place in life. After bootcamp, while in training school, Chris' singing and guitar playing quickly became a major form of entertainment for the men and women stationed at Great Lakes, Illinois. He would sit outside the barracks and pick his old guitar to pass the time. Before long, crowds started gathering around to join in singing and listening to his songs. This became a nightly event and other pickers came out of the woodwork to be part of these sessions. While stationed aboard the USS Missouri, Chris and his band, Steel Beach, kept the morale of the fifteen hundred sailors high during quiet times in the Desert Storm War with Iraq. He was also highly decorated for his role as a weapons electronics technician during the conflict. As the lead singer of the band, Chris had the opportunity to play all around the world including Australia, Tasmania, Hawaii, and many Arab ports.
Since completing his tour of duty in 1994, Chris has been deeply involved in the music industry. His California based band, GrayWolf, which he formed and managed, won the California Country Music Association's 1995 Vocal Group Of The Year and he was named Male Vocalist Of The Year. While working for Carmel Productions in San Diego, Chris was the production manager for the Joe Diffie Honky Tonk Attitude show at the San Diego Sports Arena, as well as several other regional shows. This taught Chris how to arrange and put on big shows and concerts. Upon returning to Louisiana, Chris entered the True Value/Jimmy Dean Country Showdown, the largest of it's kind in the world, and was one of six national finalists in 1997 out of over 100,000 contestants. The show aired on many stations throughout the country in April, 1998. This exposure enabled Chris to obtain management and financial support for the making of his debut album, "Honestly." Since the local release of the self-produced album, the success of Chris and his band GrayWolf has been nothing less than a local Phenomenon. Their professionalism and high energy have electrified the local music scene and created opportunities that sometimes take years to develop. Within the first few months of the bands existence, and with the help and support of many local radio stations, Chris Gray and GrayWolf have been seen all over the Southeast Region. Chris recently recorded songs with well-known Nashville producer, Barry Beckett. .Chris's management team is preparing him to seek a contract with the major record labels. OPENING ACT FOR: Merle Haggard, John Conlee, Mark Chesnut, Tracy Lawrence, David Allen Coe, Keith Urban, (Straitland Festival - George Strait, Tim McGraw, Mark Wills, Asleep-At-The-Wheel, The Dixie Chicks, Kenny Chesney), Brad Paisley, The Kinleys, Alabama, Diamond Rio, Kenny Rogers.
T.V. APPEARANCES: After Midnight with Bernie Cyrus Show - Louisiana Jukebox Show -WWL Channel 4 Morning Show - WDSU Channel 6 Morning Show - WAFB Channel 9 Morning Show RADIO SPINS AND
APPEARANCES: WNOE 101.1- Breakfast Flakes Show with Eddy Edwards, WYLA/WYLK 94.7/104.7- Jim Fox, Dave Mitchell, Tony Kerr, Jake Montana and Bill Dutrey Shows, WXCT 100.7- Morning Rodeo with Devon Adams and Bull, Hometown Showcase with KC, "Hollywood" Ted Kelly, Marty Mouton Shows, WYNK 101.5 Morning Show with Bob Bishop, "Big D" and "Bubba" Show, Made in Louisiana with Austin James, and the Scott Scott Innes and Sam Tabors Show WKJN 103.3- Morning Show with "Sugarlips" Chris Powers, Gary Hail, and Marty Mouton Shows Chris has mastered the most important aspect of music - honestly. He loves to entertain, and it "honestly" shows. |
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