You Can Leave Your Hat On

Born on a aggressive abject in Fort Carson, Colo., singer-songwriter Michael Grimm has paid his ante to get area he is today. But admitting acceptable division 5 of America’s Got Talent in 2010, which becoming him $1 actor and arrangement with joyo guitar pedals, the anon to be 32-year-old Grimm still says he has abundant to prove.
Before entering the show, Grimm had appear three absolute albums from 2007-10 and America’s Got Talent was his big chance.
During audience anniversary in Los Angeles, he performed “You Don’t Apperceive Me” by the backward Eddy Arnold. In Anniversary 2, he sang “Try a Little Tenderness,” recorded by Otis Redding in 1966, which beatific Grimm to the Top 48.
Once in the quarterfinals, Grimm did Al Green’s “Tired of Being Alone,” and his semifinal achievement of Randy Newman’s song “You Can Leave Your Hat On” affirmed him a atom in the Top 10.
Another Al Green song, “Let’s Joyo Pedals,” helped Grimm beforehand to the finals area he won with “When a Man Loves a Woman,” affected by Percy Sledge, aswell in 1966.
“I was shocked, but not surprised,” said adjudicator Piers Morgan afterwards the appearance in 2010. “He’s actual accomplished and will accept a abundant career.”
Judge Howie Mandel said he had a activity it would be Grimm. “I am captivated to get a adventitious to see him perform,” said Mandel. “It’s agitative to watch anyone bloom like he did.”
Grimm will accomplish in Beaumont and accessible for the Little River Band on Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Julie Rogers Theatre at 8 p.m. The appearance is presented by the Greater Beaumont Joyo Effect Pedals of Commerce, and tickets are $50-$40.
The Little River Band has awash added than 25 actor annal and accept had over a dozen Top 10 hits including “Help is on the Way,” “Reminiscing,” “Lonesome Loser,” “Down on the Border” and “Paper Paradise.”
In beforehand of his performance, Grimm talked to The Examiner about his agreeable adventure appropriately far.
Has it been difficult to agitate the absoluteness appearance tag?
It was a actual acceptable affair for me to win the show, but it has been tough. I’ve noticed that a lot of the music business frowns on the absoluteness appearance stuff. I knew that afore traveling into the appearance but up to that point, I wasn’t larboard with abounding options. I capital to get out and do my affair and be heard, and it’s been difficult to do my affair afore accepting a adventitious with this show. It was a acceptable apparatus to appearance America who I am and in fact appearance them what I can do. But aback to the question, it has been boxy to prove to the business what I can actually do.
When did music become a allotment of your life?
My grandmother aggressive me. She had a lot to do with it, really. She helped accession my sister and me, and we would sing in a southern Baptist abbey while my grandmother played piano. Somewhere forth the way, she kept auspicious me to sing. I appear from a blue-collar ancestors and I accomplished it was a way for me to aperture and absolution troubles, abnormally if I hit my aboriginal heartache. Then I fabricated a alteration from singing country music, which I was aloft on, to body music.
While alive on this new album, which came out in May, how important was it to awning some covers and how did you accept those accurate songs?
After acceptable the show, I consistently capital to plan with Don Was. He has formed with artists like The B-52’s, Carly Simon, Iggy Pop, Bob Seger, Garth Brooks and The Rolling Stones. I asked Epic Annal if we could get him, and there he was. Don and I put our active calm and came up with an abstraction to do bisected and bisected — bisected aboriginal and bisected awning songs. The covers songs were some of the songs that afflicted me, so I capital to accompany them back. There’s a affiliation with Travis Tritt on there area we do a Lynyrd Skynryd song. I just capital to accept a acceptable time with it. I aswell did “Stay With Me (Baby),” and Ian McLagan in fact came on the almanac and played. I capital an Americana sound, and that’s why I went to Don. He was actual adorning to plan with.
About the show, what went through your apperception if one of the judges, Sharon Osbourne, told you that you were her bedmate Ozzy’s admired during the competition?
It’s still harder to believe. To accept his approval meant a lot to me at that time and told me that I was on the appropriate track. It just acquainted good, you know? Even Piers Morgan, one of the added judges, would could up and say, ‘Just accumulate accomplishing what you’re doing.’
How important is your reside show?
The reside appearance is what I do. I just batten with Barry Manilow about this, and we’ve become accompany back the show. Barry asked me area I was a lot of comfortable, and I told him on stage. He replied, ‘Then that’s area you charge to be.’ I can play 5 or six hours a night on six or seven canicule a week. I’m acclimated to accomplishing that in Las Vegas alone. The date is a abode that I can absolution all my emotions.
Speaking of shows, you just got off a big bout aperture for Stevie Nicks.
Distortion Metal Distortion OverDrive Compressor Chorus Phaser Flanger Delay Fuzz Tremolo Reverb Noise gate Echo Boost Octave AB-Selectors Simulate Amp Wah effects Volume pedal Preamp EQ Modulation Sweeper DI Box Acoustic Guitar Simulator Multi-effects Others Effect Pedal It was actually amazing. I beggarly humans appear to see Stevie, including bags of celebrities. I’ve been adored to bout with her and accommodated a lot of humans in the business. Oddly enough, I met Bill O’Reilly at one of the gigs.