I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees.
-Alfred Tennyson.
With two top ten singles, two tours in Europe, three tours in Iraq and Kuwait to play for the American Soldiers and three shows at the White House (including two performances for President Bush), Granger Smith will never say he didn’t “live life to the lees.”
“Music is what I do,” says Granger. “If I can help someone get lost in the moment of a song long enough to forget the worries of the world, or long enough to remember what’s most important, then I’ve done my job.” Since his early teens, the native Texan has been writing, singing and honing his craft as a musician. Granger taught himself to play the guitar at 14, using the booklet inside the case stashed in his closet which showed him where to put his fingers. Granger’s musical contributions are not limited to exotic travels or remote locations. At 19, his work paid off by landing him a deal with EMI Music Publishing in Nashville. Granger followed his dream to what would be a five-year stay in Tennessee. “That experience at 19 years old was critical in developing who I am today as an artist,” says Granger. “I tried to soak in the craft of songwriting like a sponge from the older guys I was paired with. I credit so much of my learning to those mentors.”
Granger signed a new publishing contract with Universal South recording artist Phil Vassar in 2004 and returned to home to the Lonestar State in order to ground himself as a Texas artist. A former member of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, Granger re-enrolled at Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in between three album releases and performances across the state. In 2006 he released "Livin' Like A Lonestar," which features "Colorblind," his first single and first top 10 on the Texas Music Chart. To develop his signature sound, Granger records and produces his albums in his own home studio with his own band. “The freedom to take our time in the studio with my own band is priceless,” says Granger.
In appreciation for his alma mater, Granger wrote "We Bleed Maroon," which has been adopted as a modern day anthem for Aggie fans. “I realized that I hadn’t written a song about the thing I know the most about, which is being an Aggie.” Proceeds from the song go towards a scholarship fund for incoming students that show exceptional spirit. The song can be heard at all Texas A&M home football games, while the video plays on the jumbotron. “We Bleed Maroon” reached a new high, literally, when it was played on the Space Shuttle Discovery at the request of Astronaut Michael Fossum, a fellow Aggie, and the STS-124 Crew in 2008. "We Bleed Maroon," the EP, brought fan attention to "Colorblind," which peaked at 7 on the Texas Music Charts and contributed greatly to an already growing fanbase. Granger's following continued to grow with the July release of the highly anticipated "Don't Listen to the Radio"--ironically titled, considering it received much airplay. The title single held tight to its spot at 5 on the Texas Music Charts and remained in the top ten for 14 weeks, stepping on the heels of big country names like Jack Ingram and Pat Green. Granger is an adept presence – on stage and through the speaker – and with his continued rise in popularity, he will soon be a household name in country music. But Granger insists he will always keep pushin' the pedal. "I think that, five years down the road, I'll probably still be striving for something else that I'm not quite getting. I'm always looking towards the next step."
I’ve been a music journalist for more than 10 years. Over the years, many artists and managers have asked me what the best way to break into the European music market is.
Here are some things you can do:
Publish artist press releases, news, and tour dates to the CountryHome Forum on MySpace, http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazine , CountryHome Forum is part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine. Everything you publish to the CountryHome Forum will be published in my weekly Newsletter which has over 80,000 readers.
Publish artist interviews in English to http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazineInterviewsEnglish , interviews in French to http://groups.myspace.com/InterviewsAvecCountryMusicStars and interviews in German to http://groups.myspace.com/CountryMusikInterviews . All these groups on MySpace are part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine.
Send me CDs and DVDs for review and set up an artist interview with me. All reviews and interviews will be submitted to the magazines I'm writing for. More information for which magazines I'm writing can be found at http://www.MySpace.com/ChristianLamitschka
Upload artist videos to http://www.MyVideo.de and http://www.ClipFish.de . Both websites are like http://www.YouTube.com and uploading videos is free. The websites are completely in German. If you don’t speak German and need assistance, I will help you open an account and upload a video for 25 Euro. Each additional video upload for the same artist name and at the same video website is 10 Euro.
If you have more questions about the European music market or about any of the information I send to you today, please contact me at Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de too.
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany
thanks for adding me in your circle of friends.i love your mucis sounds grate keep it up the grate work and keep in touch. GOD BLESS have a grate week.
My new record just came out this week on I-Tunes and CD Baby. An exclusive video and link to the new album is featured on my myspace blog. Please leave us some feedback to let us know what you think! Thanks for your support.
-Ray Stephenson
PS: This album would make a great stocking stuffer ;)
Good to see ya again at Big Texas in Clear Lake. Thanks for buying my dinner...it was not necessary but very thoughtfu...you should have taken my Caddie to the mall instead of the van/trailer!! Hope you enjoyed the videos. I just got in from New Orleans...some long nites..but good food!! Have a great Thanksgiving...Im gonna be in Bandera!
So what are the chances you'll ever make it out to do a show in Georgia? Maybe in my little college town of Milledgeville? That'd be pretty spectacular if you did. Not gonna lie, you pretty much rock my world. :-D
You totally rocked on Saturday @ the Wormy Dog! I'll post some pics later this afternoon! Keep making great music! You're awesome! Oh yeah... Keep wearing those tight jeans too :)
I send you this wish… I wish you joy beyond compare, success in all you do. I wish your goals within your reach, friendships true and strong. I wish you gracious wisdom and forgiveness, when you're wrong. I wish you nights of wonderous rest. I wish you strength and courage, and persistence to be your best. And most of all, I wish for you more love than most will find, the grandest love in all the world, the everlasting kind! Wishing you blessings and love for you and your loved ones today and always!
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