Country singer Adam Gregory will be in Red Deer this weekend for his annual ‘Adam Helps The House’ Ronald McDonald House benefit concert.
The event, which includes a silent auction, runs March 31 at the Black Knight Inn with dinner at 6 p.m. followed by the concert.
A formal ribbon cutting at the facility took place Feb. 27th. The House has been built to hospital standards to ensure the wellness of children who are recuperating from illness as well as the family members staying with them. The facility also has a special care nursery.
Officials said operating costs will be about $1.1 million annually and fundraising will be ongoing to raise that money.
Meanwhile, Gregory, 26, hails from Edmonton and is pretty much considered a music veteran despite his young age. Signed to his first record deal with Sony Music Canada at 13, Gregory went into the studio and embarked on a career that would propel him to success not only across Canada but also the United States.
In 2000, he released his debut The Way I’m Made. The release earned him a gold record in Canada and led to a pair of nominations at the Juno Awards for ‘Best Country Male Artist’ and ‘Best New Solo Artist.’
It also set the tables for a string of Top 10 hits on the Canadian country music charts, starting with the project’s first single Horseshoes. No sooner had he learned to drive than Gregory was opening shows for the likes of Alan Jackson, Keith Urban and Lonestar.
“I was touring pretty heavily through junior high and high school,” he recalls. “I’d take my homework on the road and then stand by the stage every night and sing every word to those artists’ songs. It was a great way to pick up a few pointers that I still remember and use today.”
By the time he was 21, Adam had released three CDs (The Way I’m Made, Workin’ On It and Adam Gregory), garnered four Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) nominations and emerged as a bona fide star in Canada. With nearly a decade of touring and recording under his belt, he decided the time was right to relocate to Music City – Nashville in 2006.
In 2008, he released his first U.S. single Crazy Days. The song proved to be a Top 40 success on the national charts and established Gregory as one of the up-and-coming new artists to watch. The tune also snapped up the attention of Nashville Label Big Machine Records, which signed Gregory to a distribution deal that same year.
His next single, What It Takes, also spawned his first chance to star in a film in 2009. He accepted a role alongside John Schneider in the inspirational film WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) which hit screens in 2010.
Gregory eventually left the Big Machine label to focus on his songwriting and wrap up some tour commitments in Canada. He also recorded a new CD called Different Places.
“The music on this record reflects who I am and where I am in my life. It’s positive and refreshing. It’s funny — music can be very influential; it’s with people through the best of times and heals people through the worst of times. I’m really so thankful that I’m able to do this for a living.”
For ticket information for Adam Helps the House, call 403-755-6626 or go to http://www.blackknightinn.ca/black-knight-inn-ticket-centre_other.html.
-Weber
