Dean Gray profile picture

Dean Gray

Dean Gray - Steel, Guitar, Mandolin

About Me

Dean Gray is a wonderful and accomplished Steel Guitarist. He regularly performs as a solo act, and with various Groups and Artists, on both acoustic steel/resonator/dobro, and electric/Hawaiian/non-pedal steel.He has recently performed a string of shows on Brampton Island with the celebrated singer/songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire Matt Zarb, who regularly perfoms (and resides) in Kentucky, USA with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel.As a member of THE LONG-GRASS BAND, he uses the haunting, lonesome and intiguing qualities of his instruments to add colour, texture and atmosphere to each arrangement.Dean learned to play classical and spanish guitar as a teenager, spent the early nineties growing his hair and playing electric guitar in various "alternative" bands, and focused his energies on accelating the onset of tinnitus and other various superfluous pusuits.As he matured in time, he developed a deep appreciation of a wide variety of music from around the world, and has a list of influences a mile long...He is now focused primarily on both acoustic and electric steel (as well as playing/performing/recording on guitar, mandolin and banjo). The steel is the instrument that "fits his skin best" however, and allows him to slide his way in and out of hardcore banjo-like bluegrass breakdowns, weepy Honky Tonk heartbreakers, and the sweet, languid melodies of the Hawaiian Islands.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/11/2007
Band Website: myspace.com/deangraysteel
Influences: Too many to include them all.... However,Flatt and Scruggs, Josh Graves and all the original Bluegrass Artists;Sol Hoopi and all the old Hawaiian musicians;Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli (love that Gypsy Jazz!);Mark Knopfler - the best guitarist ever!!;Hank Marvin - also the best guitarist ever!!;Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes, Mike Auldridge, Matt Despain... Awesome dobro players;Ry Cooder, Stacy Phillips, Curtis Birch;Tommy and Phil Emmanuel - the best guitarists ever!!;All those old Irish Fiddle Tunes, and the people who still play them today.;The Blues Brothers!;LLoyd Green, Buddy Emmons, Jerry Byrd, Bob Wills and his great steel guitarists; Santo and Johnny; Little Roy Wiggins; Billy Robinson; Herb Remington.;Miles Davis - "Kind Of Blue" - best album ever - listen to it!!Bill Evans - piano supremo;Grant Green - jazz guitar pioneer;Roy Buchanon - Tele-Master - left us too soon...Bill Chambers, Kasey Chambers - Australia's premier country artists ;Hank Williams - timeless country songs;Don Helms - Awesome early steel pioneer-probably the first steel guitarist I heard;Nickel Creek - great songs, and the incredible mandolin of Chris Thile!Matt Zarb - Australia's own Bushbilly Bastard - described as sounding like a collision between a hillbilly and a convict! Awesome singer, songwriter and awesome guitarist. Writes beautiful, powerful, haunting songs, and has a solo live show with all the energy, momentum and force of a runaway train!!!I am sure there are more, I'll add them next time....Oh wait!Emmylou Harris... what a voice;Neil Young - Best Song Writer Ever! Watch the Heart Of Gold DVD.....Bye for now.
Sounds Like: A melting down of all the things in my head... Classical-Spanish-Hawaiian-Country-Jazz-Grass??Maybe just "folk music"...It depends on the people I am playing with...if I am with a country band, or a bluegrass group, I will try to make sounds that make musical sense with what is occuring around me.Same goes for Singer-Songwriter gigs, or more Hawaiian settings - I try to serve the music and not my ego...it is a matter of listening first, and not just playing for the sake of it.If you would like me to play or record with you, I will do my best to come up with parts that enhance your songs.
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None

My Blog

1st ever Blog....

Howdy, Aloha and G'day, Welcome to my corner of the web, my name is Dean Gray, I am from Sydney, Australia and I am a steel guitarist. I have a deep love of music, and am compelled to play, write, lea...
Posted by Dean Gray on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:22:00 PST