Perhaps it took another acclaimed musician to best describe Grayson's sound:
"Grayson Hugh is quite simply one of the few truly great artists I’ve ever heard. His lyrics are poetry and he makes a grand piano sound like a five piece band. I was a guest on his 2015 album ‘Back To The Soul’, playing a solo on his song “Rock ’n Roll Man’, and that role afforded me a closer look at the man and his music. Grayson reaches into many different genres of American roots music - bluegrass, soul, folk, gospel, New Orleans piano, blues - while, at the same time, creating a style truly his own. I have played with and produced records for a great many very talented people, but let me just say that Grayson Hugh is a giant.”. - Pete Anderson, Grammy-winning Blues and Roots Guitarist and Producer of Dwight Yoakum, Roy Orbison, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams and k.d. Lang ~ March 1, 2021
Bursting on the music scene with his 1988 RCA release “Blind To Reason,” Grayson Hugh has been wowing audienBces around the world ever since with his soulful singing, virtuoso piano playing and poetic lyrics. His songs have been called “a soul-rock stew, with a dash of blues and a pinch of country” (Stone Phillips, The Today Show) and his voice has been compared to soul legends Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. His piano playing has been called “a veritable cyclone of soul, drawing its energy from such diverse regions as the swampland funk of Professor Longhair, the testifying soul of Ray Charles, with the rhythms of African drumming and bluegrass thrown in the mix.” (Benny Metten, Ctrl. Alt. Country, August, 2010)
Performing with Grayson is his wife and harmony singer Polly Messer, a former member of the Western swing band Eight To The Bar and the New York-based rockabilly band Eugene Chrysler.
After three decades of hits in radio and in Oscar-winning films (Thelma & Louise”, “Fried Green Tomatoes”) Grayson Hugh has a new record called “Save Your Love For Me.” It’s a collection of 13 new songs by Grayson, written in a roots country style, as well as his arrangement of the Hank Williams classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”. Besides Grayson and Polly, this album features some of the top names in roots music: 5 time Grammy winner Cindy Cashdollar on dobro and lap steel guitar, acoustic bassist Tony Garnier (long time member of Bob Dylan’s band), Pete Kennedy on guitar, mandolin and banjo (The Kennedys, Nanci Griffith, Emmylou Harris), and Gary Oleyar on fiddle and guitar, who has toured and recorded Jim Messina, with Marty Stuart, Alan Jackson, Patrica Yearwood) and drummer Tyger MacNeal has played with Grayson, blues legend Johnny Winter, Jose Feliciano and The Average White Band.
As always, copies of Grayson's CDs will be available for purchase and Grayson will be on hand to sign them, if you like.
* * * * *Born in Connecticut at the Sherman Song Swap nearly 20 years ago, the Red Dirt Girls are all about harmonies. Inspired by the classic trio work of Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton, as well as Red Molly and the Wailin’ Jennys, these neighbors got together for the sheer joy of singing.
Susy Marker and Missy Alexander trade off on the lead vocals and high harmonies. They are the songwriters of the group, crafting lyrics that are sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, and often both. Pat Walker is the chief arranger, with a perfect ear, a passion for the unexpected and a smoky bass line.
Best described as Americana – a blend of country and folk – their repertoire is an eclectic mix of original music and covers. Whether singing around the kitchen table or on local stages, this trio of friends aspires to share the magic that a perfect chord creates.
$20 In Advance / $25 At The Door