Though born in San Francisco, Nashville Americana singer-songwriter Josh Gray grew up thousands of miles away in Montgomery County, Maryland. From an early age, he showed an interest in language and an affinity for writing. At age 16 he got his first guitar, but didn’t play his first live show until 15 years later. When asked what took so long, he simply says, “I wasn’t ready.”

This theme of taking time to get things right becomes apparent when you hear his music. His thoughtful and often poetic lyrics stick with you long after the songs end. Josh Gray’s sound is a mixture of the folk, blues, country, rock, and bluegrass that first inspired him to pick up a guitar. He’s a storyteller at heart, bridging both generations and genres to form his signature style of Americana songwriting.

The new album Songs of the Highway shows he has come a long way from his sparse acoustic singer-songwriter EP released in 2015. After moving to Nashville in 2016, he wrangled together some of the best musicians in Music City to form his band, Josh Gray and the Dark Features. Wanting to record but not having the money, the band turned to crowdfunding through Kickstarter. In just 30 days they had surpassed their goal, raising nearly $9,000 dollars.

The album was recorded to tape at the renowned Bomb Shelter in East Nashville, produced by Drew Carroll (Promised Land Sound, The Deslondes), with additional production and mixing provided by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Margo Price), and mastered by John Baldwin (Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson).

The long-awaited, full-length album from Josh Gray features powerful lyric-driven storytelling. It cements Josh Gray as one of Americana music’s most promising up-and-coming singer-songwriters. It truly is a poetic lyric-lover’s dream and has something for everyone from folk rock to spoken word, and protest songs. The CD also features a lyric booklet, an addition Josh Gray insisted be included. While the new album is clearly more great music from Josh Gray, it’s also clear that he has honed his craft and is now a Nashville songwriter.

Since its release, Songs of the Highway has garnered glowing reviews in Nashville and beyond. It was named one of the top albums of the decade by Hi-Tones Record Store in Rocklin, CA. In the Netherlands, it was voted a top ten album of 2019 out of 600 albums at Cd-afdeling Warenhuis Vanderveen Assen.

An interviewer with Red Barn Radio in Lexington, Kentucky recently asked Josh Gray if it’s possible for a singer-songwriter to be a household name, releasing an album once every two to three years. Josh explained that he believes good things take time, and he’s not going to let an app like Spotify dictate how he makes art. Put simply, he says, “My favorite artists release albums and I’m going to release albums.”   

Josh Gray is currently writing songs for his next album, and says he’s about halfway there. He has been livestreaming weekly for a good portion of the pandemic and averages a couple hours a week. He has also started a Patreon account where he releases weekly exclusive content like unreleased songs, behind-the-music stories, new songs previews, and early footage.

Recently, Josh Gray participated in National Read Across America Day 2021 and read a book about Woody Guthrie to elementary school children. Josh Gray also played a set at Mercury Rising, Mercury Lounge Tulsa’s first ever three-day live streaming music festival.

Big things are on the horizon for this Nashville Singer-Songwriter, join the email list today and stay tuned!