Childhood & Early Life
Andrew Charles Grammer was born on December 3, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, but was raised in Chester, New York. His father, Robert Crane "Red" Grammer, is a Grammy-nominated recording artist known for writing and performing songs for children, while his mother, Kathryn Willoughby Grammer, was a women's rights activist.
The first instrument he learned to play is the trumpet, which he started playing when he was in the fourth grade. He later learned to play the guitar and the piano, and also mastered making unique sound in his mouth with “lots of practice in the car!”
He started writing songs, at the age of 15, when he was in the ninth grade. He was also interested in sports during his early years and played for his high school basketball team. He even had a letterman jacket representing his varsity.
After graduating from Monroe-Woodbury High School in Central Valley, he enrolled into Binghamton University in Vestal, New York, but left the university after a failed audition for the Binghamton Crosbys a cappella group. After moving to California, he completed his bachelor's degree in Music Industry Studies at California State University, Northridge, in 2007.
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Career
At the age of 20, Andy Grammer moved to his birthplace, Los Angeles, California, with the goal of pursuing a music career. However, he had humble beginning, working as a booker for the Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard, where he also performed occasionally.
He used to write songs in his spare time, and later decided to perform on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. During this time, he was in a musical duo for some time, released a short EP, and finally self-produced a Live CD with the best of his songs that far.
He started selling his Live CDs on the streets between his performances, and managed to sell seven to eight thousand copies of the album. He first experienced success in 2007 while opening for Tyrone Wells and Emerson Drive in front of a crowd of thousands, following which the demand for his CDs increased.
After he failed to sell enough CDs one day, he wrote his breakthrough song, “Keep Your Head Up”, which became an instant hit. He met actor Rainn Wilson via his roommate, and created a music video for the song featuring the actor, which was an iTunes Video of the Week, in 2010.
He later released an interactive version of the video on his website, in which the viewers could send him into "goofy scenarios". He also performed the song on 'The Rachael Ray Show' on November 17, 2010.
The song “Keep Your Head Up” was later officially released on February 24, 2011, as the lead single of his self-titled debut album, ‘Andy Grammer’, for which he also co-wrote the songs. The album was released on June 14, 2011, by S-Curve Records, with which he had signed a record deal back in April 2010 after being discovered by his manager Aeety.
In March 2011, he performed alongside other artists at SXSW 2011, on a track by the band Hanson to support the victims of the Japan earthquake. In early 2011, he opened for Plain White T's 'Wonders of the Younger' tour, and later participated in Natasha Bedingfield's 'Less is More Tour' in June and Colbie Caillat's US and Canada tour in August.
In May 2011, Andy Grammer was featured on the first installment of the 'Homegrown' series at The Grammy Museum, in Los Angeles. On September 17, 2011, he appeared as a guest at Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' tour in Nashville and performed a duet version of his hit song 'Keep Your Head Up'.
On March 13, 2012, he released his third EP, 'Live from L.A.', which was also his first EP from S-Curve Records. He released another EP from the record label, 'Crazy Beautiful', on May 21, 2013.
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His second studio album, ‘Magazines or Novels', was released on August 5, 2014, followed by its lead single “Back Home”, which was released on March 25, 2014. The album also included his most successful single, 'Honey, I'm Good.'
He participated in the 21st season of 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2015, partnering with professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd. After his partner suffered an ankle injury, he teamed up with Allison Holker and finished the competition in the 7th place.
While competing on the dance reality show, he released a new single titled “Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)”, which was later included in the deluxe version of the album, ‘Magazines or Novels', released on November 6, 2015.
His latest single, “Give Love”, featuring LunchMoney Lewis, was released on June 9, 2017.
Major Works
The lead track, “Keep Your Head Up”, of Andy Grammer's eponymous debut album, was certified platinum by RIAA, selling over 1 million copies. The album peaked at 105 on the US 'Billboard 200' list and topped the 'Billboard Heatseekers Albums' chart, subsequently earning him the top spot on the 'Billboard New Artist' chart.
The single, “Honey, I'm Good”, from his second studio album, 'Magazines or Novels', became his top charting single at number 9 on the 'Billboard Hot 100'. It also received triple platinum certification from RIAA.
