RCA Recording Star Andy Griggs Visits WXBQ!
Andy talked about his life, his career, and his new album in an interview on the Rabbit Station!
The big tour bus turned into the parking lot, and Andy stepped off. Andy Griggs stopped by the Rabbit Station studio for an on air-interview to promote his new CD.
In his interview with Tragler on WXBQ, Andy talked about making the new album. "It’s a hard thing to make an album," Andy admitted. "I don’t know if an architect has to 
go through that many ulcers building a house. It’s sweat, tears and laughter, and fights and love. It’s passion and it’s something that can’t be rushed."
Andy also showed his hometown pride when he talked about growing up in Monroe, Louisiana. He didn’t dream of a career in music as a child, yet he understood the power of music early on. Music helped him.
In 1991, when Andy was 18, music delivered him from the depths of grief. "My brother played guitar, wrote, sang, had his band. He was the talent of the family. I was the athletic, outdoors kind of guy. It wasn’t until he passed away that I wanted to learn how to pick and sing. That was my way of being close to him still, to learn how to play his songs. For about a year, that was all I did. I wouldn’t let anybody hear me - not even Mama."
Then something started to change in Andy. He wasn’t just playing his brother's music any more. He started playing songs by Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, let a few friends hear him. And most importantly, he started believing in himself."Something started progressing in me, took me away from my little scared closet. I ended up getting with my brother’s old group, singing lead and playing rhythm. That’s where that started."
Seven years later, Andy was ready to share his music with the world.
The evolution from self-taught beginner to self-assured performer was gradual, as Andy took over his brother's band and began playing festivals and churches. At first unsure of his talent, he found encouragement from Jerry and Tammy Sullivan, the famed gospel duo. "They really believed in me, and when my band wasn't playin', I'd go out on the road with them."
He also found his soulmate, Stephanie Sullivan, youngest daughter of gospel great Jerry Sullivan. Her belief in his talent was the catalyst that brought him to Music City. "She's definitely my backbone. It was Stephanie, telling me before we got married, "I think you can do it.’ That’s the first time I really thought about it seriously. When she said it, I listened. We got married in February '95, loaded everything up in a truck, and moved up. Scared to death. Didn’t have a job, didn’t have a place to stay. That was our honeymoon."
A few weeks later, Andy got the call telling him he had a record deal. "On the way home, I bought a dozen roses and wrote on the card, ‘We did it.’ I gave them to Stephanie. She just looked at me. She didn’t even read the card. She just said, ‘Andy, we can’t afford roses. Is there any way we can take these back?’ So I told her, and we sat and cried together."
In 1999, Andy scored a number one hit with his debut single, "You Won't Ever Be Lonely", becoming the only new male artist to reach the top of the charts with his first release since 1995. He followed up with "I'll Go Crazy", hitting the top 10 and firmly solidifying his spot as the new voice in country music. His album, You Won't Ever Be Lonely, entered the Billboard Country Album Chart at number 15, an impressive debut for a new artist.
The accolades have poured in. "Griggs positions himself as a man for the moment," wrote Entertainment Weekly. Country Music Magazine said, "In one fell swoop, Griggs has proven he's got it, the right stuff country careers are made of." The folks at CountryCool.com wrote, "Griggs’ independent spirit has separated him from the pack & earned him a reputation as a new breed of country outlaw."
Andy Griggs. Music from the soul to the soul. The future of country music has arrived.
View the photos of Andy's visit to the Rabbit Station