In Full Bloom, Grammer Set to Uplift Northwest Park Through Song

For folk artist Tracy Grammer, it's been a long, hard road to where she sits as a champion of song and spirit.

Since she arrived on the music scene in the late 1990's, Grammer has toured and performed with the likes of Joan Baez and Mary Chapin Carpenter on her way to standing among the preeminent American folk musicians in recent years.

Equipped with her string instrument of choice — she plays the violin, mandolin and guitar — and the poetry of a loved one, Grammer has brought joy to audiences worldwide through her ability to illuminate song and story with love and the warmth of her abundantly textured voice.

On Saturday, Jan. 7, she will share her musical journey through song with an audience at Northwest Park as a part of the Coffeehouse Music Series.

However, nearly a decade ago it was the journey to finding her voice the almost led her to cast her performing career aside.

"The only reason I became a solo artist is through the death of my beloved partner [Dave Carter]," Grammer said.

From 1998-2002, Grammer performed alongside Carter, whose song-writing talent continues to be heralded throughout the industry today. Carter suffered a fatal heart attack in the summer of 2002 at the age of 49 while the duo was on tour in Hadley, MA.

A mournful Grammer returned to the stage a week after Carter's passing, flanked by friends and fellow musicians, singing his words, and she has continued to do so ever since.

"Was I ready? Maybe, but maybe not," she said of her solo debut.

"It would be fair to say that I was something like a tender bud when I started as a solo artist, and a very sad one at that, but I am in full bloom now, with a deep understanding of, and gratitude for, my journey," Grammer said.

Grammer said that she "struggled to sing, much less shine" at first, having felt inadequate as "one-half of something great, and an unknown quantity going forward."

With her future in question, Grammer almost called it quits.

"Then something happened," she said. "I began playing solo shows and got a great empowerment from that. I branched out and began singing songs by other writers; even started writing some of my own.”

Fellow troubadours like Vance Gilbert, Richard Shindell, Eliza Gilkyson and Lucy Kaplansky offered encouragement at critical moments.

"I found my voice. I understood the songs in an even deeper way, understood my connection to them, and yes, it's all different now."

The "tender bud" that blew in the breeze of sorrow and loss began to bloom.

"Time is the great healer, and so is love," she said. "We've gone from grey to Technicolor over these past 10 years."

Her "Technicolor" show is all about having a good time these days.

Grammer, who is set to release a new album of unreleased material titled Little Blue Egg (Red House Records) on Valentines Day, sings songs that present a sense of personal truth that she can convey and a story she feels the audience can get lost in.

Through those songs, she hopes to provide audiences with a deeper appreciation for Carter "and his wonderful, deep writing," in addition to "the possibility that they too could follow a long-held dream into reality."

"Anyone can do what they most love and have it be sustaining," she says.

Tracey Grammer will perform at Northwest Park as a part of the park's Coffeehouse Music Series on Sat., Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. She'll perform alongside her long-time musical partner, Jim Henry, who is a member of Mary Chapin Carpenter's band. Henry will provide accompaniment on vocals, Dobro, mandolin and guitar.

Tickets for Saturday's show are only available for purchase through the Northwest Park website.