| Gary
Grier
First Tenor, Second Tenor and Lead
Gary Grier was born on November 8, 1952, in Detroit, and
grew up on its north end. He was influenced by the popular
groups of the day such as The Coasters and The Drifters and
solo acts like Brook Benton, Sam Cooke, Dinah Washington and
Sarah Vaughan. Coached by his mother, Catherine Grier, Gary
began singing, at first just entertaining his family and their
friends. While attending Hutchins Junior High, a classmate
named Gloria Wier got him an audition for the mixed chorus.
The mixed chorus took Gary's joy of singing to another level.
The group, under the direction of Ms. Barbara Williams, performed
at a number of venues in the area, including other schools
and at the Ford Auditorium in downtown Detroit. While in school,
Gary joined the Illusions, a five member vocal group. Their
first big gig was called the Hutcha-balao, and pitted students
versus teachers.
After graduating from the Atterbury Job Corps, he joined
the Soul Impressions and sang with the group for about five
years. In the early seventies, Gary became a member of the
Sons Of Truth. The group cut a rock-gospel album for Stax
Record Company (which launched the careers of major pop soul
stars Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla & Rufus Thomas,
Booker T. & the MGs, the Mar-Keys, Isaac Hayes, etc.)
Sadly, shortly afterward, Stax shut down before the album
had a chance to get out of the gate. After about 18 months
with the Sons Of Truth, a four-man group called Rare Quality,
featuring Gary Grier, Steve Spears, Dwjuan Brock and Ed Range
was formed. Gary stayed with this group for 2-3 years. After
leaving Rare Quality, Gary kept his musical skills sharp by
singing at local Karaoke venues and participating in Karaoke
contests.
At his day job, Gary worked with a singer named Joyce Johnson,
who was an opening act with THE CONTOURS. While Gary was rehearsing
with The Illusions in preparation for a group reunion, Joyce
introduced him to Joe Billingslea of THE CONTOURS. This led
to an audition, and in the fall of 1993, Gary Grier joined
THE CONTOURS. Gary debuted with the group at the Hyatt Regency
in Dearborn, Michigan. He was thrilled, but his biggest fan,
his mother, was even more excited.
Since joined THE CONTOURS, Gary has toured extensively in
North America and Europe. He has received several awards,
including the Smokey Robinson Heroes and Legend Award. In
addition to singing, Gary is the group's choreographer.
Gary is married to Delariece and has three children, Gary,
Sherita and Shaquita. He dedicated his career and success
as a Contour to his mother, Catherine Grier. |
