User:Granger Smith

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees. -Alfred Tennyson.

With two top ten singles, two tours in Europe, three tours in Iraq and Kuwait to play for the American Soldiers and three shows at the White House (including two performances for President Bush), Granger Smith will never say he didn’t “live life to the lees.”

“Music is what I do,” says Granger. “If I can help someone get lost in the moment of a song long enough to forget the worries of the world, or long enough to remember what’s most important, then I’ve done my job.” Since his early teens, the native Texan has been writing, singing and honing his craft as a musician. Granger taught himself to play the guitar at 14, using the booklet inside the case stashed in his closet which showed him where to put his fingers. Granger’s musical contributions are not limited to exotic travels or remote locations. At 19, his work paid off by landing him a deal with EMI Music Publishing in Nashville. Granger followed his dream to what would be a five-year stay in Tennessee. “That experience at 19 years old was critical in developing who I am today as an artist,” says Granger. “I tried to soak in the craft of songwriting like a sponge from the older guys I was paired with. I credit so much of my learning to those mentors.”

Granger signed a new publishing contract with Universal South recording artist Phil Vassar in 2004 and returned to home to the Lonestar State in order to ground himself as a Texas artist. A former member of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, Granger re-enrolled at Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in between three album releases and performances across the state. In 2006 he released "Livin' Like A Lonestar," which features "Colorblind," his first single and first top 10 on the Texas Music Chart. To develop his signature sound, Granger records and produces his albums in his own home studio with his own band. “The freedom to take our time in the studio with my own band is priceless,” says Granger.

In appreciation for his alma mater, Granger wrote "We Bleed Maroon," which has been adopted as a modern day anthem for Aggie fans. “I realized that I hadn’t written a song about the thing I know the most about, which is being an Aggie.” Proceeds from the song go towards a scholarship fund for incoming students that show exceptional spirit. The song can be heard at all Texas A&M home football games, while the video plays on the jumbotron. “We Bleed Maroon” reached a new high, literally, when it was played on the Space Shuttle Discovery at the request of Astronaut Michael Fossum, a fellow Aggie, and the STS-124 Crew in 2008. "We Bleed Maroon," the EP, brought fan attention to "Colorblind," which peaked at 7 on the Texas Music Charts and contributed greatly to an already growing fanbase. Granger's following continued to grow with the July release of the highly anticipated "Don't Listen to the Radio"--ironically titled, considering it received much airplay. The title single held tight to its spot at 5 on the Texas Music Charts and remained in the top ten for 14 weeks, stepping on the heels of big country names like Jack Ingram and Pat Green. Granger is an adept presence – on stage and through the speaker – and with his continued rise in popularity, he will soon be a household name in country music. But Granger insists he will always keep pushin' the pedal. "I think that, five years down the road, I'll probably still be striving for something else that I'm not quite getting. I'm always looking towards the next step."