Center Theatre Group
As a boy, Grey was drawn to country-rockers, together with Jerry Reed, and to Otis Redding and the opposite luminaries of Memphis soul; Run-D.M.C., meanwhile, performed on repeat in the parking lot of his highschool (note the hip-hop inflections on “A Night to Remember”). Soon, he was expanding his excursions beyond America and the U.K., playing ever-larger golf equipment and finally huge festivals, as his fan base grew from a modest group of loyal initiates into one thing resembling a nationwide coalition. Grey takes no shortcuts on the homestead, and he certainly takes no shortcuts in his music.
On a sizzling day in October, a black highschool senior breaks one too many guidelines when she decides to hunt shade under an oak tree. The tree is positioned within the school’s courtyard and is historically a gathering place for white students. The next day, racial tensions mount when a school yard …