grayson

Growing up in a small town was not all that exciting, something Grayson Burke realized from a young age. Raised as an only child by a single mother who worked hard to make ends meet, he was often left with his aunt and uncle and left to follow after his cousins (much to their chagrin). Always a bit of a trouble maker Grayson was more likely to be skipping class than in it and would rather be in his room playing his mom’s old records than doing his homework. While deep down he knew his education was important if he had any hope of getting out of his small town, he couldn’t bring himself to care much. Somehow he managed to squeak out passing grades but it was much more fun to run around with his cronies during the school day and sneak out of the apartment he shared with his mom.

Grayson’s life was flipped upside down not long after he turned 14. He was dropped off at his aunt and uncle’s house on a Friday night, which wasn’t unusual as he was used to packing an overnight bag as his mom sometimes worked the late shift at her job. The weekend went as normal with him getting on his cousin’s nerves and secretly hoping the older ones would deem him cool enough to hang out with them. Sunday night rolled around and Grayson had his bag packed and ready for his mom to pick him up. She was an hour late. Then two. It got later and later in the evening, and still Grayson waited by the door to see the old beat up car she drove to pull up at the curb. He remembered hearing his aunt try to call their landline with no answer. Eventually it was late enough that his aunt and uncle made him go to bed but Grayson didn’t sleep. He didn’t understand where she had gone or what had happened.  

He would eventually hear from his mom in a postcard from Arizona a week later with some excuse about finding a better job and being unable to care for him any longer. Luckily he had his aunt and uncle to take him in, taking over in surrogate parent roles even though they had their own children that they struggled to care for sometimes. Feeling abandoned and unwanted, Grayson struggled to find where he fit in with his extended family and often butted heads with his uncle as he wasn’t use to having a male adult around all of the time. But as things became more normal and much more stabilized, Grayson started to do better in school and quit running around with his old friends. He even found himself learning to play guitar because his cousins knew how. Somehow he managed to graduate from high school with fairly decent grades and moved on to taking classes at a local community college. He also started to play local shows around town a few times a month for the extra cash, even though Grayson didn’t think his guitar or song writing skills were anything special but he was intent on getting out of his hometown as soon as he could. Eventually the opportunity to leave presented itself when Grayson received a call from one of his cousin’s, who insisted Grayson make the trek to Nashville. He was starting a band and they needed a guitar player. Grayson thought this would be the chance to get out of Paris and took it. He withdrew from the classes he was taking, packed up his meager belongings and moved to Nashville.

That first band wouldn’t pan out but by that time, Grayson had made enough connections and along with a couple of friends, the band that would launch his career was formed. Youth and Young Manhood signed a record deal in 2003 and headed into the recording studio. Their first album did modestly well, and they found themselves gaining a little popularity overseas first rather than at home in the States.  

2008 came and saw the meteoric rise of the band with the release of Only By the Night. It seemed like it was an instant success for them, and the sudden attention and recognition was more than a little overwhelming for four guys from Tennessee. They’d gone from playing small dive bars and clubs to bigger than life arenas all over the world in the blink of an eye. Grayson saw more of the world in that year than he ever imagined he would in his entire life. It was an amazing roller coaster ride, and one they all hoped would continue once it became time to go back home to record a new album.

The 2010 release of Come Around Sundown was the much anticipated follow up to Only By the Night but unfortunately didn’t match the popularity and sales as they had hoped. It didn’t help that the four members of the band started to butt heads more than normal. Everyone’s end goal was the same but four very different personalities and opinions often clashed. They soldiered on through a tour but it was cut short due to their tempers, along with drug and alcohol abuse that had spread throughout the band. On Grayson’s part, dealing with the fame that came along with being in a somewhat popular band along with other issues stemming from the way he grew up, meant he often drank more than usual to get through the day sometimes and eventually just to get through a show. The ensuring two year break was probably one of the best things that could have happened to all of them. For Grayson it meant he had the chance to get himself together and really figure out what he wanted out of his life.

Eventually the self-imposed hiatus ended and Grayson found himself back in the studio with the band to record a new album. The environment felt totally new this time, they weren’t anxious or stressed about having to record an album in a certain amount of time. They could take their time to write and record what they wanted to. The resulting record was an ode to some of their older music, but more real and personal than anything they’d put out before. A little older and (hopefully) a little wiser, Grayson looked forward to the new era of his career and everything it would bring.