Grace’s decision to embark on a musical journey came quite unexpectedly. A collegiate athlete and star football player, his love of sports preoccupied him early on. Although both his parents had a gift for making music – his mother grew up singing in church and still does to this day. His father, David Grace Sr., is a songwriter and vocalist and was a professional steel guitar player – he never considered pursuing it on his own. In high school, he briefly attempted to learn to play the banjo his dad had given him, but it was only during a summer break from college and his sports obligations that the idea of turning his attention to music even occurred to him.
"Summers were pretty slow while attending college at Texas A&M-Kingsville," he recalls. "Between working a part-time oil field job and summer workouts, there was a lot of downtime. My roommates convinced me to put down my banjo for a guitar my sophomore year of college. It came very natural to me. I attended an open mic night at our local bar and played three songs. The feedback was unexpectedly positive, and I became hooked.”
Grace certainly had his share of early influences, mostly country music of a vintage variety. He says he was particularly enamoured with Ronnie Milsap’s vocals and his ability to express his sentiments in such a soulful fashion. Having switched to guitar (“It was a lot cooler than banjo,” he jokes), he was ready to fully commit to a singing career once he graduated from college.
For the first eight years, he concentrated on covers. He also recorded two albums, 2010’s I’m Going to Roll, an album which yielded two popular entries – the title track, which became a local radio staple, and “Freight Train," a song he still performs in concert. His follow-up, Live at the Redneck Country Club was released in 2015.
Meanwhile, Grace kept up an intensive tour schedule, one that found him performing more than 1,500 shows and opening for such stars as Trace Adkins and Randy Rogers, both solo and with his band. He sometimes found himself playing seven nights a week. In the process, he was making his name known on the Texas music circuit.
His newest album release, The David Grace Project, offers a distinctive blend of classic soul and rugged country credence. The album marks the culmination of a career that began in earnest a decade ago and has accelerated ever since.
Don't miss the talented David Grace open at Cowtown Unplugged: A Songwriter's Showcase on September 1, 2019.
View All Ticket Packages