We fortunate to grow up in the 1970's. The world of rock and pop music was hitting its zenith, and we were there. We had some amazing live bands at our school dances. I have already profiled Downchild Blues Band. We also had the rock group Wednesday, with their North American Hit "Oh Where Oh Where has my baby gone?". There were others.
I have a deep admiration for songwriters who have the talent to emotionally move the masses through their craft. My personal list includes Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and a whole host of others. One of the people making that list is Oshawa's own Paul Grady. He richly deserves fame that he never got in full measure, but he has made his mark on the music world.
The first Paul Grady song that I heard, was Get There by Dawn recorded by John Allan Cameron. The second Grady song to move me, was Another Pot 'o Tea. The song was recorded by both Anne Murray, and Emmy Lou Harris.
The above picture was digitized from a Polaroid snapshot. It shows songwriter Paul Grady taking the stage at OCHS. John Allan Cameron was there as well, but not pictured. The other musicians in the photo are luminaries in their own right. They are from Anne Murray's band who were a monstrous hit machine for a number of years. Shown in the pic are Andy Cree on drums, Bill Spear on piano, Miles Wilkinson on guitar, Paul Grady at the mike, and 16 year old Peter Grady, Paul's younger brother on bass. I went to St. Joe's with Peter who was in my class.
Below are some Youtube cuts of the talent of these people. The first is not a Grady song, but John Allan Cameron's hit "Lord of the Dance" (I couldn't find "Get There By Dawn"). Next is Paul Grady's "Another Pot o Tea" sung by Anne Murray. (email me if you want Paul's explanation of what the lyrics mean).
Paul Grady can be found on the internet at
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