Jerome Grey | |
|---|---|
 Tinifu Loa Grey and Jerome Faʻanana Grey (right) sing for the 2020 United States Census | |
| Background information | |
| Born | March 23, 1947 [1] Apia, Western Samoa |
| Origin | Anaheim, California, US |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Spouse(s) | Emily |
Fa'anana Jerome Grey (born 23 March 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer.
Jerome Grey is a Samoan musician based in California. His song "We Are Samoa" was popular and became an unofficial anthem for the country. [2]
Grey was educated at Chanel College in Apia. [3]
Among the musicians he has worked with are Seminary Uesele and Harry Sinapi, collectively known as the Samoan Three.
He released recordings on New Zealand-based Hibiscus Records. His first single was "Olaga O Samoa". The Samoa Three, the group he started in 1971 was a popular trio who played contemporary, oldies and ballads including covers of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis. They were best known for their versatility in cultural songs, from Spanish to Latin, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Fijian. He raised the house with his rendition of the Hava Nagila.
Grey's passion was country music. He loved the humour and the story-telling about everyday life. He enjoyed covering Johnny Cash, George Strait, Kenny Rogers and Glen Campbell.
With two children and his wife he returned to Samoa to help with his father in-law's restaurant, Soli's. While there he recorded many island songs. With Aleki Fuimaono and Harry Miller as The Ava Band, the Ava LP was released in 1979 on Bluewater Records, produced by Frank Day and executive producer Tom Moffatt. The LP We Are Samoa followed in 1980, recorded in Hawaii and in Hollywood at Conway Records.
In 1973 he was awarded the matai title of Fepuleai. [4]
In January 2007 Grey suffered a mild stroke while working at Mai Tai in Long Beach, California. After four months he was back to work, slowly improving. [5]
In August 2021 he was named as "Polynesia’s Artist of the Decade" by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma, Washington. [6] In July 2022 the Pacific Music Awards announced that he would receive their 2022 lifetime achievement award. [7]
His eldest son Tinifu Loa Grey is a singer, composer and musician. [8] Youngest son Taumata is a songwriter and lead guitarist for Common Kings. His daughter, Sisa Grey, is an actress. [9]
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is 75 kilometres long and 1,125 square kilometres in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximately 145,000 inhabitants, it is by far the most populous of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the southeast of Savai'i, the "big island". Apia, the capital, is in the middle of the north coast, and Faleolo International Airport at the western end of the island. The island has not had any historically recorded eruptions, although there is evidence of three lava flows, dating back only to between a few hundred and a few thousand years ago.
The Music of Samoa is a complex mix of cultures and traditions, with pre- and post-European contact histories. Since American colonization, popular traditions such as rap and hip hop have been integrated into Samoan music.
Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd was one of the leading publishers in New Zealand. It was founded by Alfred Hamish Reed and his wife Isabel in 1907. Reed's nephew Alexander Wyclif Reed joined the firm in 1925. It was a New Zealand literature specialist and general titles publisher, releasing over 100 titles a year including a number of significant New Zealand authors such as Barry Crump, Janet Frame and Witi Ihimaera.
Asuemu Ulufale Fuimaono was an American Samoan politician and Paramount Chief who served as American Samoa's first Delegate-at-Large to the United States House of Representatives in a four-year term from 1971 until 1975. Fuimaono also served as the governor of Western District, American Samoa on the island of Tutuila from his appointment in 1993 until his death in 2008.
Viking Records was an independent record label that featured many New Zealand and Polynesian recording artists.
Benjamin John Howard is an English singer songwriter, musician and composer. His self-released debut EP Games in the Dark (2008) was followed by two more EPs, These Waters (2009) and Old Pine (2010). Signed to Island Records, his debut studio album came in 2011 titled Every Kingdom. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart and was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Howard later released two more EPs, Ben Howard Live (2011) and The Burgh Island E.P. (2012).
Martina Stoessel, known professionally as Tini, is an Argentine singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She began her career by appearing on the Argentine children's television series Patito Feo (2007). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for her lead role as Violetta Castillo in the Disney Channel Latin America original telenovela, Violetta (2012–2015), and reprised the character in the series' sequel film Tini: The Movie (2016).
Daniel Rae Costello was a Rotuman Fijian guitarist based in Samoa.
Alan Olav Walker is a Norwegian DJ and music producer. At the age of 16, Walker released "Fade" on NoCopyrightSounds, which led to a contract with MER Musikk. He rose to fame with his 2015 single "Faded". The song was a worldwide commercial success upon its release, reaching number one on the singles charts in Norway, Finland, and Sweden, and in the top three on the Danish singles chart. The song peaked at number one in over 10 of his countries and entered the top five in over 25 countries. Walker's debut album, Different World (2018), features artists such as Steve Aoki, Noah Cyrus, and Digital Farm Animals, and includes "famous releases'' such as "Faded" and "new songs" such as "Lost Control." is known for its combination.
Guy James Robin, known professionally as Jonas Blue, is an English DJ and record producer. He is widely known for recruiting young artists for his dance productions, which blends pop.
Let me Hear You Whisper is a popular Samoan song that has been covered by a multitude of artists that include Jo Stafford, Nephi Hannemann, the Samoan Surf Riders, Fatu, and many others. The song is a staple in Samoan music and has great popularity in the Pacific. The title in Samoan is "Tele i’a o le sami".
FaʻanānāEfeso Collins was a New Zealand politician, activist, and academic. A former long-serving member of the New Zealand Labour Party, local body politician, and advocate for the Pasifika community of Auckland, he was a Member of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from October 2023 until his sudden death in February 2024.
William Prince is a Canadian folk and country singer-songwriter based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Common Kings are an American, Hawaiian, and Samoan reggae rock/pop band from Orange County, California. The band's debut album, Lost in Paradise, was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Aaron Fredrick "AJ" Mitchell Jr., is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is currently signed to Insanity Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. He gained a following in 2017 after posting clips of himself singing and performing covers on YouTube and Instagram. His first independent single, "Used To Be", was written by Mitchell at age 13 and has over 100 million streams.
Fonoti Matautia Ioane (John) Brown was a Western Samoan chief, businessman and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly in two spells between 1948 and 1957, and held the portfolios of Agriculture and Health.
"Miénteme" is a song by Argentine singers Tini and María Becerra. It was released on April 29, 2021, by Sony Music Latin and Hollywood Records as the lead single from Tini's fourth studio album, Cupido (2023). The song was written by two singers alongside FMK, Enzo Ezequiel Sauthier, Elena Rose, Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo, and was produced by the latter two. It is Tini's and Becerra's second collaboration, following the "High" remix, released in September 2020.
"Maldita Foto" is a song by Argentine singer Tini and Colombian singer Manuel Turizo. It was written by Tini and Turizo, alongside songwriters Julián Turizo, Juan Diego Medina and its producers Mauricio Rengifo and Andrés Torres. This is the first collaboration between Tini and Turizo on a Latin pop song, that features sounds of reggaeton and some sounds of electric guitar for a few seconds at the beginning and the end. Lyrically, the song talks about a breakup in a relationship, a two exes who are noticed each other in a photo taken at the right moment, and then on its a trip down memory lane reminiscing on their time together. The song, along with its music video was released on August 19, 2021, through Sony Music Latin and Hollywood Records as the second single from her fourth studio album, Cupido (2023).
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