I started my musical career as a little girl, standing in front of the fireplace in our living room, holding a wooden spoon as my microphone, singing songs I made up on the spot for my imaginary audiences. Boy, could I work the crowd! But I was shy and rarely let anyone outside the family hear me sing. Then, at the age of 27, I met someone who opened the door for me musically. And my life has never been the same.
Jerry (or Jabo, as he has come to be known) was a professor of music at the University of Texas and Pat had a pretty singing voice. We soon discovered the joy of singing together. It wasn’t long before we began writing our own songs. Pat wrote the lyrics and Jabo put them to music. Since we were both natural hams, we quickly made the leap to performing in public, billing ourselves as “Grigadean & Friends” – the “Friends” being the members of our audience who were encouraged to sing, play percussion instruments, dance and otherwise participate in the fun. In fact, our motto became “Grigadean & Friends Have Fun”. In 1983 we released a four-song, extended play album by that name. We did music videos of Sugar Rush, our most popular song, and Billy and the Nuke, a sort of insect-rap number. We also produced four musical variety television programs: Grigadean & Friends Have Fun, Grigadean & Friends Christmas Special, Grigadean & Friends Spring Fling, and Grigadean & Friends in Paradise.
In addition to our Grigadean & Friends endeavors, we also played with other friends/musicians and were part of some memorable groups, including “Judy Judy Judy” (with K.D. Novak – aka “Miss Kay Dee”), “The Fabulous Cooties” (with K.D., and Jerry & Nancy Stevens), and “Max & the Mayors” (with K.D. & Max Nofziger).
It’s been awhile since we’ve appeared on stage, but the Internet has given our old videos new life, and our EP keeps turning up on Ebay, so a new generation of Grigadean fans has emerged. So, with thanks to them, and to all our Friends, we present some of our favorite songs and videos. Have Fun!