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The voice of Macy Gray is a wondrous thing. It can be as intimate as
the wee small hours or as exciting as a packed nightclub; disarmingly
sweet on one song, harsh and raspy on another. The obvious comparison is
to the post-war Billie Holiday, but there are traces of other singers
both legendary and little-known: Abbey Lincoln, Betty Davis, Nina
Simone, Karen Dalton, Tina Turner. Yet in the end, Macy Gray
sounds like no one but herself.
  Macy
creates a musical mélange of old-school soul, hip-hop, R&B, funk,
and rock. She seems to shrug off format, genre, and market.
At the center of this cross-cultural melting pot is Macy
Gray. On stage as on record, she cuts a commanding figure among a dozen
players, belting out her personal vignettes with smoky passion.
Macy Gray's music grew out of countless jams
and listening sessions in living rooms, studios, rehearsal spaces.
The unique blend of straight-up soul and modern
hip-hop is a product of Macy's own upbringing. Born and raised in
Canton, Ohio, she grew up on her parents' record collection: Sly Stone
and James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder ("I just loved
Stevie Wonder"), Aretha Franklin and
Patti
LaBelle. Her junior high years brought the first wave of hip-hop.
Then, during two years at a nearly all-white boarding school, Macy
acquired a taste for rock, "because that's all they listened to,
and I didn't have my own radio. I was fortunate in that I was open to
everything. I just developed a real appreciation for all kinds of music
just by being exposed to it."
Macy loved music and had seven years of classical
piano training, yet it was years before she ever sang a note in public.
In fact, she barely spoke. "When I was little, I had this real
funny voice. Every time I talked, the kids would make fun of me – so I
stopped talking. Everybody thought I was shy, but really I was
self-conscious of my voice. It never occurred to me that I could
sing."
Macy moved to Los Angeles to enroll in the
screenwriting program of the USC Film School. Eventually she hooked up
with a few musician friends, who asked her to help them write lyrics.
When it came time to record one of the tunes for which she'd penned the
words, the singer didn't show - and Macy was asked to fill in.
When the tape began to circulate, it was Macy's voice
that prompted calls. The leader of a jazz band playing the L.A. hotel
circuit asked her to join. "I thought he was out of his mind, but I
did it because I thought it was good money," she admits. "Sing
old jazz standards and Sinatra songs for an hour for a hundred
bucks!"
Macy Gray began singing on demo sessions more
frequently, making a local name for herself almost by accident. "I
really thought these people were all lying to me and that they didn't
know what they were talking about, because I was still thinking about
the girl who didn't talk! I really didn't think much of it, it was
something to do. It became serious when we started doing shows around
L.A. at regular venues."
Macy Gray was signed to Epic Records in April,
1998.
Hit songs include --
- I Try
- Sweet Baby
- Why Didn't You Call Me
- Still
- Do Something
- Shoo Be Doo (No Words)
- What I Gotta Do
Macy Gray may be available for your next special event!
For booking information, click
HERE!
Genre: R&B
Styles:
.Contemporary R&B.
.Neo-Soul.
.Urban.
.Adult Alternative Pop/Rock.
Years active:
..90s,
..00s
Born: ..in Ohio
..in Canton
Sep 6, 1967
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