Andy Griggs often says his influences in music are like a pot of gumbo. Growing up in Monroe, LA, he was raised on Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggert, Waylon, Bill Monroe, hardcore blues, and hardcore rock’n roll, sprinkled with a touch of jazz. He often says, “there is no defining a style of song. As long as there’s soul, it has a place in music.” Andy moved to Nashville in 1995 after a childhood life of major mountains and valleys. Music was such a huge inspiration in his young life that it helped him grieve. And he did plenty of that. His father, the praise and worship leader at their church, died from a brain tumor when Andy was 11 years old. His brother Mason, his only sibling took the baton of music and ran with it. Throughout their teenage years, Mason was Andy’s hero. Mason died at the early age of 21 from heart complications that he had had since birth. Andy grabbed that same baton and he quotes, “when I jumped into the pool of music, I jumped into the deep end and never came out.”
After several years of playing in the blue grass band, ‘Jerry and Tammy Sullivan’ Andy found himself a record deal with RCA and exploded with his first single “You Won’t Ever Be Lonely.” After two #1’s, five top 5’s and 4 other top 10’s, Andy came to a musical crossroad in his life…there was something missing. Feeling that his music was only reaching 99% of his capability of releasing his heart and soul, his life was not complete. “My childhood was a rollercoaster ride and so has been my profession as a singer. I’m at that point in my life, where I either want to make a difference with a song and a worn out guitar or I need to find something else to do. I’ve learned that you don’t come to this town and TRY to fit a certain mold. You don’t TRY to fit a certain style. You don’t TRY to sing your heart out. You either DO or you DON’T.” This awakening in Andy’s restless being caused him to start writing most of his songs and producing his own music. “Heck, I don’t know how to produce, I just know what I hear and feel. That’s what I want and that’s what I have to have.” As you listen, to the songs that come out of his voice now, you will realize that he is finally complete and one with his music. Ladies and gentleman, please make welcome to the stage the new, improved, and REAL Andy Griggs.
TERRY MCBRIDE
A Lampasas, TX native, McBride spent his teenage summers on the road with his dad, the late Dale McBride, who was a recording artist with several Billboard charted singles. Terry traveled as part of his father’s band for three years before moving on to Austin to further pursue his musical career. He became a sought-after bass player in the local scene playing with Texas artists Lee Roy Parnell, Bill Carter & The Blame, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Johnny Duncan, Rosie Flores, as well as a two-year stint with legendary Texas artist, Delbert McClinton.
In 1989, Terry left Austin for Nashville where the songs he had been writing found their way to MCA president Tony Brown, who would later go on to sign Terry to a recording contract with the label. The group McBride & The Ride was formed and would record four albums for MCA over the next five years. The trio racked up several top five singles including “Sacred Ground,” a # 1 single in 1992. McBride received two million air awards for his writing credits for “Just One Night” and “Going Out Of My Mind”. During that time, the band received CMA and ACM nominations for vocal group of the year before disbanding in 1995.
After his run with McBride & The Ride, Terry began to focus most of his attention on songwriting. Through the years his songs have been recorded by Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr, Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks, Alan Jackson, Drake Milligan, Cole Swindell, Trace Adkins, Easton Corbin, Lost Frequencies, Kenny Rogers, Josh Gracin, John Anderson, Jim Lauderdale, Cody Johnson, Josh Ward, Ricky Van Shelton, Casey James, David Ball, Wade Hayes, George Ducas, Jack Ingram, Ricochet, Andy Griggs, Jason Michael Carroll, Gretchen Wilson, James Otto, Gord Bamford, George Canyon, Emerson Drive, Rosie Flores, Triston Marez, Kin Faux and Braxton Keith. Throughout his prolific career, he has had 13 BMI awards and 12 million airplay awards to his credit.
Through his many cuts as a writer, one artist, in particular, abounds in his catalog. Terry has had over 25 songs recorded by GRAMMY-winning duo Brooks & Dunn, including thirteen singles, four #1 songs, and five top-five singles. The band’s fastest-rising final #1 single, “Play Something Country,” was written by McBride and Dunn. Terry also co-wrote and produced the duo’s final single, “Honky Tonk Stomp,” featuring rock icon Billy Gibbons. Other notable singles include “Proud of The House,” “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” featuring Reba McEntire, and the mega-hit “If You See Him/If You See Her,” also with Reba.
“If You See Him/If You See Her” served as the title track to each artist's respective 1998 albums (If You See Him for Reba, and If You See Her for Brooks & Dunn), and were both released on June 2 of that year. The albums debuted on the charts at #1 and #2, with Reba coming out on top, and the single went on to spend two weeks at #1. Ronnie and Terry struck gold yet again with Reba for the title cut and hit single “I Keep On Loving You” in 2009.
His diversity as a writer is evident through his cross-genre hits such as “Are You With Me,” originally recorded by Easton Corbin in 2012, the song went on to be remixed by Belgian DJ/Producer “Lost Frequencies” where it reached #1 on the pop charts in over 18 countries and top 5 in dozens of others. It entered the UK charts at #2 and the following week landed at #1 on the Top 40, Hot 100, Dance, Download, Sales and Streaming chart. To date the video has over 400 million views on YouTube and racked up over a billion streams.
In 2017, Terry stepped back into the spotlight with the EP Hotels & Highways, and began touring as a solo artist. Three years later he released his debut solo Album, Rebels & Angels, featuring Patty Loveless on the title cut co-written with Chris Stapleton. Delbert McClinton can also be found on the record on “Went For One,” the number one Red Dirt single, “Callin’ All Hearts,” the top 5 single “She Shows Up,” and “Corpus Christi Wind,” a charted single written and recorded by Terry’s father, Dale McBride, back in 1970.