Fa'anana Jerome Grey (born 23 March 1947) is a

Samoan-American Samoan Americans are Americans of Samoan origin, including those who emigrated from the Independent State of Samoa or American Samoa to the United States. Samoan Americans are Pacific Islanders in the United States Census, and are the second l ...

singer, songwriter, musician and composer.

Career

Jerome Grey is a musician based in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. His song "We are Samoa" was popular and became an unofficial anthem for the country. Among the musicians he has worked with are Seminary Uesele and Harry Sinapi, collectively known as the Samoan Three. He released recordings on New Zealand-based

Hibiscus Records Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd (formerly A. H. Reed Ltd and A. H. and A. W. Reed Ltd) was one of the leading publishers in New Zealand. It was founded by Alfred Hamish Reed and his wife Isabel in 1907. Reed's nephew Alexander Wyclif Reed joined the fi ...

. His first single was "Olaga O Samoa". The Samoa three, the group he started in 1971 was a popular trio who played contemporary, oldies and ballads including covers of Frank Sinatra,

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

and Sammy Davis. They were best known for their versatility in cultural songs, from Spanish to Latin, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Fijian. He raised the house with his rendition of the

Hava Nagila Hava Nagila ( he, הָבָה נָגִילָה, ''Hāvā Nāgīlā'', "Let us rejoice") is a Jewish folk song. It is traditionally sung at celebrations, such as weddings. Written in 1918, it quickly spread through the Jewish diaspora. History ...

. Grey's passion was country music. He loved the humour and the story-telling about everyday life. He enjoyed covering Johnny Cash, George Strait,

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

and

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

. With two children and his wife he returned to Samoa to help with his father in-law's restaurant, Soli's. While there he recorded many island songs. The ''Ava band'' LP was released on Bluewater Records, produced by Frank Day and executive producer Tom Moffatt. They recorded two other albums in Hawaii and Hollywood at Conway Records. In January 2007 Grey suffered a mild stroke while working at Mai Tai in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. After four months he was back to work, slowly improving. In August 2021 he was named as "Polynesia’s Artist of the Decade" by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. In July 2022 the

Pacific Music Awards The Pacific Music Awards are an annual New Zealand music award ceremony since 2005 that honours excellence in Pacific music in New Zealand. The awards honour musicians who primarily work in the Pacific Island style of music from the Cook Islands, ...

announced that he would receive their 2022 lifetime achievement award.

Family

His eldest son Tinifu Loa Grey is a singer, composer and musician. Youngest son Taumata is a songwriter and lead guitarist for

Common Kings Common Kings are an American, Hawaiian, and Samoan reggae band from Orange County, California. The band's debut album, ''Lost in Paradise'', was nominated for a Grammy Award. History Formation (2011) Born in the South Pacific and raised in Orang ...

. His daughter, Sisa Grey, is an actress. Anamativa works for the health industry and is an event planner for charities. Julie works for an insurance company, but shares the family joy and extraordinary gift of music.

Discography

45 RPM EP

* ''Jerome Grey at the Intercontinental, Songs of Samoa'' – Hisbiscus Records HE.6

Albums

* ''We Are Samoa'' – Jerome Grey Productions / Reminisce Music Publishing (1980)Island Beat
Jerome Grey We Are Samoa
/ref> * ''Footprints (compact disc) * ''Coconut Woman'' – - Jerome Grey Productions / Reminisce Music Publishing (1989)

The Ava Band

* ''Ava'' – Bluewater Records- STP 633

References

Links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Jerome Samoan music Hibiscus Records artists Living people 1947 births People from Apia