Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Gray.
Hi Corey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started playing drums at a very young age. By the time I was 16, I had been playing drums in various bands all over Dallas, TX. I loved performing in bands more than anything, but I knew there was something missing for me. I had started learning guitar at age 14 and eventually got the courage to start singing. I booked my first acoustic show before I had written anything in order to give myself a deadline and as soon as I played that show, I knew immediately what I wanted to do in music for the rest of my career. At age 19, I moved to Los Angeles and after a couple of years, I had signed with an independent label. We started a new youtube channel and over the next few years proceeded to make hundreds of cover videos. I got the chance to collaborate with so many talented artists and learn how to produce and mix in a beautiful studio! Eventually, we began touring around the country and I had the chance to play in beautiful places around the world like Brazil and Jakarta.
After one specific tour, we played a venue in San Diego called Tin Roof and basically never left. A few of my label mates and I had started performing together by this point and we became the house band for the next few years at Tin Roof.
Eventually, this had run its course as Covid had started to plague the live music industry.
It was at this point I decided to make the move back to Texas and spend some time in Austin. Since making the move, I have been primarily focused on production and writing with other artists around the world and recently began performing around the country again!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While I have had some amazing opportunities throughout my career, there were definitely some unique challenges. I began to notice some issues with my voice while performing four nights a week in San Diego and eventually, I was completely unable to sing. After learning I had developed a vocal node, I had to stop singing and just played guitar for the group for about seven months while I basically didn’t speak at all in an effort to avoid surgery. I took this time to learn about production and spend much more time on the craft of building songs and mixing. I missed singing so much and eventually had to go forward with surgery, which luckily went very well! It took a long time to get my vocal strength back but after some time, it was back better than ever!
Of course, no musician can answer this question without mentioning covid-19 shutting down our ability to share the nights of music and fun together, but I think we are all very aware of that experience. I am so happy we are able to get together and have those experiences again. I find so much inspiration at live shows and festivals.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter and music producer. I specialize in songwriting and vocal production and am known for my covers and original songs released on all streaming platforms! I am most proud of the large catalogue of music I have been fortunate enough to be a part of. I love working with other artists around the world! Social media has really opened the door to meet so many different creatives! I would say that being able to produce my own music and hone my voice has given me a unique and independent workflow that collaborators love to work with. I also love producing for other people when I can. It always teaches me something new!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me in life are the people I love. My friends my family and their experience going through life. I think that experience itself has come to be a sort of religion for me. Anything I can do to improve other people’s time here on earth is what I live for. Experience is why I have always loved music. It connects everyone no matter where you are from or what language you speak. The groove and melody is something we all understand. A concert full of people all moving to the same vibe and experiencing this moment in time that someone created with the intent to do just that. I love it.
Contact Info:
- Email: coreygraybooking@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreygraymusic1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/coreygraymusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/coreygraymusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/coreygraymusic
Image Credits:
Photo Credits: Sean Sullivan and Sierra Weltha
