Randy Granger

New Mexico musician Randy Granger blends Native American flute music, Singer-Songwriter, Hang Drum and percussion into a unique style of music called "Southwest Americana."  It is fitting that this native of the American Southwest would be influenced by the ancient cultures and landscapes seeped in mysticism, history and characters ranging from Geronimo, Billy the Kid, Georgia O’Keefe and hard scrabble settlers. Born during a thunderstorm in a small Oil-field boom town on the Llano Estacado in the south east part of New Mexico where Pumpjacks, Mesquite and Oil Derricks dot the flat landscapes--one of the largest and most flattest areas of its size in the world.  Oil field Roughnecks mixed with Mexicans and a large African American community all influenced him.  Musically his sister and cousins were his earliest fans claiming he had such a beautiful cry as a baby they would often let him cry. Whether or not that has impacted him has yet to be seen.....

Like most natural musicians Granger showed a quick aptitude for music early in life.  For entertainment he would read and reread the entire Encyclopedia Britannica as a child sparking a deep curiosity that continues. Forgoing pre-school he traveled with his father, a general contractor, and his crew on the long stretches of road of eastern New Mexico, west Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. When the Country stations were out of range he would sing for them--every song he knew. A 50-cent pair of drumsticks, his brother's KISS music and a hand-me-down drum kit lit the fire for drums. Awards, scholarships, and work as a private percussion teacher as well as a private guitar instructor for the Yamaha School of Music sparked the idea to make a living at music.  Nothing in Granger’s experience, upbringing or exposure in the small oil-field town led him to believe it was possible.  A band director planted the idea in his mind and he began to charge for all the weddings, parties and funerals he was already working for free since about age 10. He got work as a pit musician, paid vocalist, soloist and percussionist performing at both Disney World and Disneyland. He has been a principal singer with Opera Southwest, La Zarzuela de Albuquerque, a paid choir member and soloist at churches and delivering singing telegrams for a florist and the usual private parties, banquets even performing in the Ms. New Mexico pageants as a singer and dancer.