Ask a group of Red Grammer fans to name their favorite song, and instead of making a list, you’re liable to start a sing-along.
“I think you’re wonderful,” started Kelly Laird, breaking
into song at a gathering in Pullman on Sunday.
into song at a gathering in Pullman on Sunday.
“When somebody says that to me,” a friend joined in, and suddenly a trio was swaying along with the sweet melody that Laird sings with her second grade students at Sunnyside School. “It makes me want to say, the same thing to somebody new….”
Laird and her family were thrilled to learn that Grammer will be performing at 7 p.m. Monday in Bryan Hall on the WSU campus. “That’s what we listened to all the time in the car,” said Emma Laird, now a 7th grader at Lincoln Middle School. She also saw him perform once in Boise, she said, and it was an awesome show. Emma couldn’t decide which song was her favorite, but her dad, Chip Laird, named two or three songs and then settled on “Listen,” a song about hearts beating all around the world. “That’s probably our favorite song,” he said.
But there are so many. Grammer, whose “Be Bop Your Best” was nominated for a Grammy in 2005, has been creating music for young and old since the 1980s when he replaced Glenn Yarborough as the lead tenor in the renowned folk trio, The Limeliters. But, he has come to be best known for his children’s music. Indeed, his “Teaching Peace” CD has been named by The All Music Guide as one of the five best children’s CDs of all time. Parent’s Magazine has said Grammer is “the best voice in children’s music.”
Web sites and various reviews talk about the positive messages embedded in Grammer’s songs, but for most fans, it’s just about the music. Nearly 500 people belong to a facebook group titled “I grew up with Red Grammer ” and they post messages like Brian from Colorado: “I love the fact that still 20 years later I can still sing EVERY word to EVERY song! Simply…AMAZING! Thank you Mr. Grammer.
