Fa'anana Jerome Grey (born 23 March 1947) is a
Samoan-American singer, songwriter, musician and composer.
Career
Jerome Grey is a musician based in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. 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
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
,
Tony Bennett,
Nat King Cole 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
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
,
George Strait
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...
,
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 mo ...
and
Glen Campbell.
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
Conway may refer to:
Places
United States
* Conway, Arkansas
* Conway County, Arkansas
* Lake Conway, Arkansas
* Conway, Florida
* Conway, Iowa
* Conway, Kansas
* Conway, Louisiana
* Conway, Massachusetts
* Conway, Michigan
* Conway Towns ...
.
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 on ...
. 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