Rivers Grayson on ‘The Voice’ with John Legend
Rivers Grayson was understandably anxious as he stepped onto the stage for a shot at season 25 of NBC’s “The Voice.”
Fortunately, the Florence resident had a piece of home with him. The first people he saw on set were his parents. Their faces brought a full-circle moment from nights when he was a child sitting with them watching “The Voice.”
“My family would always have the show on in the house, like in the early days of it,” said Grayson, who spoke to the Advertiser from Los Angeles.
On Monday’s episode, Grayson sang a smooth, flowing version of a David Gray’s “Babylon” and used a line from the chorus to steady his nerves: “Let go your heart, let go your head and feel it now.”
Before the song’s end, a chair did turn, guaranteeing Grayson would move forward in the competition. It was celebrity coach John Legend, who was drawn in by Grayson’s version of the song. Grayson said he’s always loved “Babylon,” which he learned as a kid. Before the blind auditions, he hadn’t performed it in years.
“David Gray is actually an artist that my dad showed me when I was younger,” said Grayson, who recalled going with his dad to see Gray in concert. “When I first started playing music, I kind of just went with some of the songs I’d hear (my dad) play a lot.”
Legend said Grayson has a gorgeous tone.
“Your performance was so subtle, and you just executed it with beauty and precision and taste,” Legend said on the show. “And that’s what I want on Team Legend.”
Grayson said Legend is the coach he was hoping to get. “I love John Legend,” Grayson said.
Most of Grayson’s performances back home have been in church. Before “The Voice,” he’d been branching out to other venues to play songs from his recently released EP “Vignettes.”
“I’m writing with different people in the area,” Grayson said. “Songwriting’s a big part of my life.”
Blind auditions on “The Voice” continue Monday and Tuesday, March 11 and 12. The week after, when team rosters are full, battle rounds begin.
Grayson will return to the show with Team Legend at some point during that.
“Every step in the process is helping me build confidence,” Grayson said. “I’m very interested in the mentorship aspect of the coaching. Being able to work with John Legend, he can see things in me that I don’t see in myself. I’m interested in what kind of song choices he would have moving forward. What he thinks I would sound good singing.”
Along with Grayson, Alabama is also represented in season 25 by Selma native Asher HaVon, who is a member of country icon Reba McEntire’s team.
“I’m thankful for all the support,” Grayson said. “I’m proud to be from here, and it’s very cool to see different genres of music this close from Alabama. I’m glad to represent a piece of that.”
On Grayson’s episode, Legend had a word of warning for the other celebrity coaches: McEntire, the duo of Dan and Shay, and veteran coach Chance the Rapper.
“I’m going to make them regret not turning for Rivers,” Legend said.
A sound straight out of the Shoals
Up in the northwest corner of Alabama, the area many simply call the Shoals is actually two counties. On the Lauderdale County side of the Tennessee River is Florence. On the other side, Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County.
Grayson’s a son of both sides of the river, and a little beyond in Huntsville — home of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. He spent his school years in that city before becoming a homeschooled student.
“All my family’s from this area, the Shoals. Some in Muscle Shoals, some in Florence,” Grayson said. “I guess when I was about five or so, my dad got a job in Huntsville. We were always coming back and forth between the Shoals and Huntsville.”
Today, Grayson makes his home in Florence, and these days he’s much more aware of the rich, world-class music history that came out of nearby Muscle Shoals.
“My family’s not musical, so I didn’t really grow up around musicians or singers,” Grayson said. “I was unaware of the musical influence here, even when I got into music which was around middle school, high school. It still didn’t really hit me. I didn’t understand the scope of it until a documentary came out.”
He’s referring to the 2013 film “Muscle Shoals,” which celebrates FAME Studios and its founder Rick Hall. The studio’s roster includes greats like Clarence Carter, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Gregg Allman, Otis Redding, Jason Isbell, Alicia Keys, Paul Thorn, Blind Boys of Alabama, and many others.
There’s also Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, formed by band members of the house band The Swampers after leaving FAME. They worked greats like Boz Scaggs, R.B. Greaves, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson and many others.
“I was kind of blown away by it, because I’ve driven by FAME studios so many times and didn’t realize it, and the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio,” Grayson said. “The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, people that influenced me a lot were in my town. It does feel cool to kind of own that now that I’ve stepped into music to the degree that I have. I am proud to be from here.”
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com