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photo by AlexaArt
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photo by AlexaArt
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Tom Apathy Photography
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Tom Apathy Photography
Rachel Brown’s musical journey has been twisting and turning her whole life. She grew up on a farm in Sharon Center, where — for as long as she can remember — her music-loving parents have held a weekly barn jam. By the time Brown hit her teens, she was a staple in what was then Akron’s honky tonk circuit, playing Jackie Lees five nights a week.
After graduating high school early, she hit the road, playing through states such as Maryland and Pennsylvania. Now, whether solo with her piano and guitar, with the three-part harmony group Sisters in Song or in concert with her eclectic band, Rachel Brown and the Beatnik Playboys, Brown presses on with her art. Having earned a master of music degree, she’s currently a music and choir director at Elyria City Schools. The Cleveland resident has released several albums, including her latest with the Beatnik Playboys, “Full Moon Rendezvous.”
Jim Ballard: You got on the road at a young age.
Rachel Brown: I traveled in country rock bands, where we played what you might call the “truck stop” circuit. They were big, multi-story complexes with a restaurant on the ground floor and hotel rooms several stories above. Below the restaurant, they would have a club that held several hundred people. The only women in the place would be the two of us in the band and the waitresses.
JB: Special memories?
RB: My aunt, Rachel, performed with many of the folks who played at the Grand Ole Opry. I’ve been there many times through the years, but when I was 11, I got to sing for Roy Acuff backstage. I’ve also opened for Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and the Judds, to mention a few.
JB: How about our area? What venues make you happy?
RB: The G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula is practically my musical home. I love playing at Jilly’s Music Room with my band. I’m looking forward to our date at the Rialto Theatre. It’s so great that they welcome original songs and songwriters. We’re blessed in this area because we have a self-contained support system of great recording studios, producers, backup musicians … and audiences looking for just that!
JB: Your new album strikes me as country from a golden era.
RB: That’s what we were after. And we had such a great time recording it at Suma [Recording Studio]. … It includes several cameos by great area musicians including Robert and Jack Kidney of the Numbers Band, Paul Kovac, David Mayfield, Al Moss and Austin Walkin’ Cane.
JB: Is there a song you’ve written that connects with the audience most?
RB: People are always requesting “This Old Place.” I’m so honored that they care that much about a song I’ve written.
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Tom Apathy Photography
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Tom Apathy Photography
Born in Texas and raised in Shaker Heights, Cathy Towns Grady is a luthier, music teacher, songwriter, vocalist, guitarist and fiddler who now resides in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. Along with husband Michael Grady, she writes, records and performs in The 330 and beyond as folk, blues and Americana duo Grady Miller.
Jim Ballard: What got you started in music?
Cathy Towns Grady: When I was about 8 years old, I wanted to play in our school orchestra. I actually wanted to play flute — but being one of the tallest kids, they handed me a viola, which I took to right away. By the time I was 9, I knew that was where I was headed.
JB: You went to the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University and majored in viola performance and classical music. How did you end up playing folk, blues and Americana?
CG: Along with my school ensemble, I also got to take private lessons, so I jumped ahead. I auditioned for and got into the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and got to perform under the batons of Jahja Ling and Kurt Masur. At the same time, my folk roots were on a parallel path because of my dad, who is an excellent Chet Atkins-style guitar player. … My dad sat me down, and we figured out how to play “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” That was when the light went on for me that I could not only read music but also improvise. By the time I headed to Vanderbilt at 18, I’d been playing for 10 years.
JB: Do you have favorite Grady Miller gigs or venues?
CG: Getting to play in Austin at South by Southwest with Chuck Auerbach. Locally, we love playing at the Rialto Theatre and at Prime Vine Winery. I love that, in our area, there’s an audience for original musicians and songwriters. Audiences are so supportive and appreciative.
JB: What projects do you have planned?
CG: We have a new Grady Miller album coming out in early fall, “Keepsakes and Reminders.” We’re pretty excited about how it turned out. We’re also going to be recording a Christmas song this year.
