In February, Dave Ellis Grim was ranked Number 1 in the MySpace Top 100 unsigned country artists from Arkansas!
Dave Ellis Grim, 36, was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on Groundhog Day, February 2, 1971.
Grim started singing at a very young age. In 1975, when he was only 4 years old, he performed on stage for the first time in Hot Springs, singing Feelings by Albert Morris. Although he did not begin singing professionally until 1993, Grim made his first recording in 1989 when he sang Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison in a portable recording studio at Six Flags Over Dallas.
One day in October, 1993, Grim stumbled on an audition for singers in a new cabaret style club opening in Hot Springs. Grim auditioned with the song Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me by Elton John. The audition landed Grim a job at the club, called Rhythms, where he would work continuously under the stage name Dave Ellis until January, 1997, when Rhythms closed its doors.
Grim was promoted to emcee of the Rhythms show in 1994 when the original emcee, Chris Nolen, moved to Branson, Missouri, to further his career. Grim served as emcee, promotions director and head sound technician for the remainder of his time at Rhythms. Shortly after taking over as the emcee, Grim was named the Hot Springs Entertainer Of The Year in July, 1994.
In addition to his duties at Rhythms, Grim began emceeing karaoke shows in 1995. He hosted shows all over central Arkansas from 1995 until 2002. In late 1999, Grim turned what was supposed to have been a two week vacation in Phoenix, Arizona, into a two month working vacation when he signed on with AAA Karaoke. Grim emceed six shows a week in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and Mesa until returning to Arkansas just before Christmas.
While in Arizona, Grim's "big break" slipped away. An executive from Imagine Films saw his show. Grim was offered a part in an upcoming film as a bar singer. The film was to have starred Gary Busey and Rick Schroeder, and was to begin filming in February, 2000. However, the project was cancelled, and Grim's opportunity went with it.
In August, 2002, Grim moved to Paragould, Arkansas, a stone's throw from the bootheel of Missouri. In addition to doing commercial voice work for local television and radio commercials, Grim has been emceeing karaoke shows for Ryan Sounds since his arrival in Paragould. His shows have been located all over northeast Arkansas and the Missouri bootheel, including Kennett, Missouri, the hometown of Sheryl Crow.
In September, 2004, a decade after his Entertainer Of The Year award in Hot Springs, Grim won the inaugural Greene County Fair Karaoke Championship, singing Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett, and Hook by Blues Traveler.
Most recently, in the summer of 2006, Grim and a handful of other local singers opened for Percy Sledge at a show in Pocahontas, Arkansas.
Grim sings almost any style of music, but is particularly fond of singing Southern Rock and Country music.
Grim has been married to his beautiful wife, Melissa, for over five years. Their "Brady Bunch" family includes Melissa's daughter, Mica, 20, Dave's sons Kyle, 13, and Todd, 12, and their latest addition, Drew, who turns 3 years old on October 15, 2007.
