Roy "Gramps" Morgan (born July 7, 1976), is a Jamaican singer, instrumentalist, producer, record executive, and entrepreneur. Gramps was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, but was raised partially in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is the son of well-known reggae artiste

Denroy Morgan Denroy Morgan (15 May 1945 – 3 March 2022) was a Jamaican-born American reggae artist. Morgan traveled to the United States in 1965, at the age of 20, to become a musician. He was part of the formation of the Black Eagles, a New York City regga ...

, and member of

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-winning reggae band

Morgan Heritage Morgan Heritage is a Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae band formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan, namely Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan, and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan. ...

. Most of his brothers and sisters are also in the music business.

Early life

Gramps Morgan was born in Brooklyn, New York, in a large family of 30 children. He was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts by his mother, Pearl Foster, and father,

. He attended

Springfield Central High School Springfield Central High School (SCHS) is a public high school located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The high school is for students in grades 9–12. With an enrollment of more than 2,000 students, Springfield Central High School ...

in Springfield, Massachusetts with the likes of former NBA player

Travis Best Travis Best (born July 12, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in Europe. High school career Best attended Springfield Central High School, starring on teams tha ...

. Gramps was a star football player and had multiple scholarship offers to colleges and universities around the country. His passion for music that was embedded at such a young age won the battle between a future in sports versus music. Nevertheless, Gramps was destined for a life in entertainment and continues to do so through his band and on his solo career path.

Career

Following in the steps of his father, he became part of the

formed in 1994 together with four of his siblings. The other band members are Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan. Gramps Morgan plays the keyboard in the band and is also a vocalist alongside Peetah Morgan, the main vocalist. For over two decades, they have had a number of successful reggae albums. To date, the band has released 12 albums, including 2016 Grammy Award Winning Best Reggae Album '' Strictly Roots''. Additionally, Morgan Heritage received 2 Grammy nominations for their album Avrakedabra released in 2017 and feature on

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer * Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse * Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspor ...

and Sting's album titled ''

44/876 ''44/876'' is a collaborative album by English musician Sting and Jamaican musician Shaggy. It was released on 20 April 2018 by A&M Records, Interscope Records and Cherrytree Records. The album's title refers to the country calling code for t ...

''.

Solo career

Gramps Morgan has also flourished as a successful solo artist and created his own label, Dada Son Entertainment. Gramps has toured and performed with the likes of

India.Arie India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards ...

Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, professionally known by his stage name Buju Banton, is a Jamaican reggae dancehall musician. He is considered to be one of the most s ...

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

Tarrus Riley Omar "Tarrus" Riley (born April 26, 1979, Bronx, New York, United States) is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and member of the Rastafari movement.Kenner, Rob (2009)Reggae Singer With a Legacy, a Following and a Mission. ''New York Times''. 21 ...

, and

Kymani Marley Ky-Mani Marley (born 26 February 1976) is a Jamaican singer and musician. His name is of East African origin, and means "Adventurous Traveler". He is the only child of Bob Marley with Anita Belnavis, a Jamaican table tennis champion. In 2001 ...

. In 2009, Gramps released his debut solo album entitled ''2 Sides of My Heart, Vol. 1'', which earned him a number awards. He was also featured on the

song "Therapy" that charted in the United States. His second solo album, ''Reggae Music Lives'', was released in 2012. Again, Gramps featured on an India.Arie album entitled ''

Songversation ''Songversation'' is the fifth studio album by American singer India.Arie. The album was released on June 25, 2013, by Soulbird Music and Motown Records. It includes the singles "6th Avenue" (released in 2012), "Cocoa Butter" and "Just Do You" (bo ...

''. Gramps continues to expand his vocal diversity with upcoming music in a variety of genres recording from all parts of the world. In 2020, Gramps Morgan released several solo singles including "Runaway Bay" and "People Like You." The latter was nominated in 2021 for three International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) in the categories of Best Song, Best Crossover Song and Best Gospel Song, and won the award for Best Gospel Song. Gramps Morgan was also nominated for Best Male Vocalist. In August 2021, Gramps Morgan released his third solo album, Positive Vibration, produced by Canadian Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter Johnny Reid. The album features guest appearances by

, Lybran,

and Jemere Morgan. Gramps Morgan Solo Artist

Personal life

Gramps Morgan currently resides in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, where he is an active community member and hosts his own radio show on Acme Radio. He is married to cell and developmental biologist, Dr. Annabelle Manalo. Also known as Dr. Annabelle or Dr. Annabelle Morgan, Gramps's wife received her doctorate from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. Gramps has 11 children, with his oldest child being Jemere Morgan, who is the pinnacle of the Morgan family's 3rd generation of music.Henry, Davina (2012)
Chatting With Gramps
, '' Jamaica Gleaner'', 2 July 2012, retrieved 2012-07-03 Jemere Morgan has released 2 of his own albums, entitled ''Transitions'' and ''Self Confidence'', through Dada Son Entertainment. Jemere frequently tours worldwide both alongside his family and with various other acts.

Discography

Albums

*''2 Sides of My Heart, Vol. 1'' (2009) *''Reggae Music Lives'' (2012) *''Positive Vibration'' (2021)

Singles

References

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Gramps Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican emigrants to the United States 1976 births Living people