Joey DeGraw
| Joey DeGraw | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 21, 1973 |
| Origin | South Fallsburg, New York, United States. |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Labels | The National Underground Records |
| Website | Official website |
Joseph "Joey" Wayne DeGraw (born August 21, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, voiceover actor & co-owner of The National Underground bar and record label, and brother of singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw. His first commercial release was the 2009 album, Say Something Strong.
The middle child of Wayne and Lynne DeGraw, he grew up in the Catskills, in South Fallsburg, New York, along with his sister, Neeka and brother, Gavin, who is also a singer-songwriter. His father was a prison guard and his mother was a detox specialist, as mentioned in his brother's song "I Don't Want to Be". His father is of Irish descent and his mother's family was of Russian-Jewish ancestry. He started playing the guitar at the age of five and piano at the age of eight. Inspired by the likes of Chris Whitley, Queen, Tom Petty and The Beatles, DeGraw continued his passion for music throughout his schooling, having written over 50 songs by the age of 18. After leaving high school, he decided not to study "institutionalized creativity" stating that "music school can't teach you how to write great songs."
DeGraw moved to Manhattan in 1998 with his brother, Gavin, and shared a small apartment, sleeping in the same room. From there, he watched the collapse of the World Trade Center, a mile away, in 2001.
Following the move, DeGraw eventually landed a weekly gig at The Bitter End on Wednesday nights, which he continued until late 2006. During this time, DeGraw became well known in the New York City music scene and eventually filling the venue and other venues such as The Knitting Factory.
However, it was when local musicians began to cover DeGraw's songs that people began to notice his talent. Chris Whitley noted, "What makes Joey such a deep writer and overwhelming talent, besides his god given gifts, is that ... it is all about music as an art form. He is a purist and the only young blood in music today that gives me hope."
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Wikipedia