BIOGRAPHY

One listen to the newest Monument Records signee would make one surmise Gil Grand grew up somewhere deep in the heart of Texas -- Austin, San Antonio or Dallas/Ft. Worth or maybe even South Georgia, Alabama or West Virginia. His knowledge of traditional country music, the way he weaves the real-life lyrics in his songwriting and his vocal nuances reminiscent of country masters like Jones, Haggard and Strait would seem a natural for one of those country music hot spots.

But the tall, lanky singer/songwriter/entertainer hails not from the South or Southwest, not even the Midwest -- his home is Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, 258 miles north of Toronto and 185 miles east of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

"I grew up with country music," says Gil. "My father has eleven brothers and nine sisters, and I remember many of my uncles coming over every Sunday to sing and play guitar. I'd just be hanging around watching and wanting to learn. They were nice enough to teach me and let me jam with them."

While his friends were racking to Van Halen, Journey and Def Leppard, Gil was steadfast in his devotion to George Jones, Conway Twitty and George Strait. "I got laughed at a lot for my musical tastes, but I'll get the last laugh," he grins.

His first experience on stage came at an early age when his best friend was playing in a band at a local gig. Gil asked if he could come up and sing a song, and they gladly obliged. "It was terrible," he admits, but the experience added some fuel to the desire to one day make a living on stage.

At age 13 he started writing songs, and a year later he formed his first band. Playing weekends in and around his hometown not only helped him hone his guitar-playing and vocal abilities, it also afforded him the opportunity to see the impact his own songs had on the audiences.

His big break came in 1997 when he caught the attention of music publishers at a showcase during Country Music Week in Calgary. They hooked him up with Nashville publisher/producer Byron Hill. He and Gil quickly discovered a mutual admiration for traditional country music, and it didn't take long before Gil's talents caught the attention of several Nashville labels.

Sony Music's revitalized imprint Monument Records won the honor of taking Gil's music to the masses. Gil immediately started the whirlwind process of recording his debut album, clearing time for photo shoots, radio visits, media interviews and everything else it takes to launch a career.

The resulting body of work, aptly titled Famous First Words, defines who Gil Grand is musically and introduces him as an insightful songwriter. The effort, produced by respected songwriter/producer Byron Hill, showcases Gil's clear, strong tenor voice that effortlessly conveys the emotional shadings of the 11 distinctive cuts. It glides from the driving, guitar-tinged rhythm of the opening title to a song's poignant tribute to a father that ends the album.

Much time, of course, was spent whittling down a massive list of possible songs for inclusion on Famous First Words. In the end, Gill was thrilled to land five cuts he had a hand in writing. When he looks at the album and how it all came together, Gil feels just the way his surname suggests. There were so many times when he wondered whether he'd ever make it off the club circuit in Canada. But he knew he had to persevere.

"You can't just quit," he says. " I will tell anybody that now. There were times when I wanted to quit, but now I can't believe where I am. You've got to stay at it and stay at it some more, if you really want it to happen."
Country Artist Biographies At Country.com