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“Music for me is a language like no other; it is my channel of
authenticity. I know I'd only be telling half the truth without it..”
- Tracy Grammer
Born in Homestead, Florida and raised in southern California, Grammer
comes from a musical family. Cousin Leo Fortin played double trumpets in
Lawrence Welk’s band, while her grandmothers and mother played keyboards
and accordion. But it was her guitar-playing father who was her first
true inspiration.
“When Dad used to get out his lap steel and electric guitars, we’d
invite the neighborhood kids over and sing country songs. I’d sit across
from my dad and read the music upside-down so I could turn the pages for
him. I developed an ear for harmony early on and hardly ever sang the
melody,” she muses, “and it drove my little brother crazy.”
At the age of nine, Grammer began choral and classical violin studies
and led regional and school orchestras until she left home for the
University of California, Berkeley. Once there, she gave up music while
earning an English literature degree and serving as an administrator and
graphic designer for the University.
During a semester off, Grammer’s father introduced her to Curtis
Coleman, formerly of the New Christy Minstrels. Coleman invited her to
perform with him at local pub and coffeehouse shows. Grammer had
recorded a few songs in tourist booths at San Francisco’s Pier 39, but
getting up on stage with Coleman was pivotal. “Performing revived a part
of me that felt like it had been dormant for eternities,” says Grammer.
“I had abandoned music for several years and couldn’t for the life of me
figure out why.” That fall, she took up the guitar, dusted off her
violin, and began in earnest to hone her craft.
Grammer returned to school and co-founded the pop band Juicy in the
mid-1990’s with friend David Noble. Grammer discovered talents for
mixing and arranging, and a love for recording, when the band went into
the studio to put together its first and only demo. “I was so new to
recording that I expected to take a passive, watch-and-learn role, but
before I knew it, I was twiddling knobs and directing edits that
significantly improved the songs. It was an insanely creative time, and
I was fascinated and fearless, and the guys supported me one hundred per
cent. That made all the difference.”
Grammer saw Dave Carter perform at a songwriter showcase in February
1996, just weeks after she moved to Portland, Oregon. “Here were stories
that could stand alone as poetry, sung with compassion, intelligence,
and a hint of Texas twang. Dave’s entire presentation felt like home to
me. I knew instantly that I was in the presence of greatness; I knew I
had received my calling in life.” They met on the way out the door, and
within weeks were working up material with a band. They began touring in
late 1997 and during the summer of 1998, recorded their first album,
WHEN I GO, in the kitchen of Grammer’s apartment. [See The Dave & Tracy
Story for more.]
Folk music authority Andrew Calhoun of Waterbug Records comments: “No
one sings Dave Carter’s songs better than Tracy. He chose her to be the
voice of his songs. His vision, their vision, was that they shared
something they both saw. She is half the reason why they were great.”
Grammer is currently touring in support of FLOWER OF AVALON (Signature
Sounds 2005), her much anticipated solo debut. In January 2006, that
album showed up on "Best of" lists and listener polls around the
country, and was the
#1 most-played album on folk radio across the United States for 2005. We
call this a triumph -- a testament to the enduring appeal of Carter's
songwriting, and a sign of good things to come for Grammer as she
continues on her solo career.
Flower of Avalon includes nine previously-unreleased songs by the late
Dave Carter and one traditional tune, re-worked by Oregon professor Wm.
Jolliff. Multi-tasking masterfully as co-producer, singer, and
multi-instrumentalist, Grammer digs deep into the spirit of Carter's
poetic verses and haunting melodies to color each song with textures and
flourishes that blur the boundaries of categorization. Paired with
Grammer’s voice -- emotive, warm and versatile -- the songs on Flower of
Avalon are nothing less than visionary. Mary Chapin Carpenter sings
harmony on three cuts and wrote the liner notes for the record.
Carpenter writes, “Tracy’s continuing quest to make sure that the world
remembers Dave Carter marks a new beginning of artistry for her. We are
lucky that she is so brave, generous and gifted.” Flower of Avalon is
produced by Grammer and John Jennings (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo
Girls).
Tracy Grammer tours internationally with
songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
Jim Henry (Deb Talan, Mark Erelli, The Burns Sisters). With acoustic and
electric guitars, beautifully matched voices, dobro, mandolin and
violin, this duo shares original songs, instrumentals, and pays homage
to Carter and other stellar writers while charting a brand new course
for themselves in the musical landscape. Grammer says, "I’ll keep on
singing, and I’ll keep on telling my story, however that evolves.
Working with Dave Carter was the first step on what I hope is going to
be a long and fruitful road for me: the endless quest for authenticity
through music.”
Artist's Web Site
Hear an mp3 clip from Tracy Grammer
See a YouTube clip from Tracy Grammer
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