Meet twenty-two year old singer-songwriter, and lead singer for the Marty Manous Band, Spencer Durham.
SUMMARY:
“Spencer is a musical chameleon whose colors reflect the classic rock icons who helped shape his original music. Spencer’s singing style has a natural leaning towards the blues, with his writing guided by introspection and observation of the world around him. When performing with the Marty Manous Band one will be reminded of early Led Zeppelin.
BIOGRAPHY:
Spencer’s writing attracts seasoned studio musicians who feel the vibe that made the classic music from the 70’s so special. The upcoming release “Grow” (to be released in the fall of 2009) features legends:
-Chuck Leavell (The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers)
-Randall Bramblett (Traffic, Widespread Panic, Sea Level)
-Davis Causey (Sea Level, Randall Bramblett Band, The Jesters)
-Dave LaBruyere (John Mayer, Shawn Mullins)
-Gerry Hansen (Shawn Mullins Band, Randall Bramblett Band)
-Tom Ryan (Widespread Panic, The Jesters)
Legendary performer Randall Bramblett says of Spencer, "There's an old soul inside that young man. Spencer's got a great future ahead of him."
Davis Causey, Tom Ryan, and Gerry Hansen also played on Spencer’s May 2009 release “Smile, Smile, Smile”. His fourth release, this project is a tribute to the music of Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead and how it influenced Spencer’s writing. It contains four covers and three originals that will appeal to lovers of The Grateful Dead.
Spencer’s solo shows are high energy acoustic affairs tempered with a healthy dose of blues. His vocals are particularly strong making his earthy lyrics easy to understand. Fans of Chris Robinson, Gregg Allman and Van Morrison love seeing Spencer perform live. Spencer often performs live with eighteen year old Connelly Crowe in an acoustic duo named Durham-Crowe. Their shows feature fantastic harmonies and duets that allow both singers to shine.
Although his music is a bit of a return to days gone by, Spencer is very much in touch with the music business of today. Part musician, part businessman, but always fearless, hard working, and independent. He is the co-founder of Auraria Entertainment LLC; an artist management company, and the independent record label, Auraria Records. All of Spencer’s new projects are being released under the Auraria Records label.
“Grow” is Spencer’s fifth release. His first CD “I Wonder Why” was released when he was just sixteen years old. His follow-up effort, “Much More Than Words” was released at age eighteen. Having just turned twenty-one years old, Spencer has played over one thousand shows over the past six years.”
“Grow” was co-produced by Gerry Hansen and Davis Causey. Much of the material was engineered and mixed by John Keane at John Keane Studios in Athens, Ga. (Engineer/Producer R.E.M. Widespread Panic, Indigo Girls, B-52s). Keane also played a variety of instruments and sang harmony on “Grow”. The balance was engineered and mixed by Hansen and Causey. The project was mastered by Glenn Schick in Atlanta.”
Spencer has played over 1000 shows since his debut as a professional performer at the tender age of fourteen. He is the only artist to make it to the finals of Atlanta's Open Mic Madness as BOTH a solo artist (2005) and with a band (2007 with The Spencer Durham Group). He has played twice on the side stage of Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater in Atlanta before shows headlined by The Black Crowes and The Allman Brothers.
The Spencer Durham Group has shared the bill with Ziggy Marley, Del McCoury and David Grisman. The band also played at the first Echo-Project Festival outside of Atlanta that was attended by over 20,000 fans. Spencer has opened as a solo act for Sara Evans, Zac Brown Band, Randall Bramblett, Corey Smith, Devon Allman's Honeytribe, Craig Collins, and Kurt Thomas.
DISCOGRAPHY:
I WONDER WHY- Cavender Castle Entertainment (2005)
MUCH MORE THAN WORDS- Cavender Castle Entertainment (Released 3-13-07)
SAND CEREMONY SONGS- Auraria Records (Released March 2009)
SMILE, SMILE, SMILE- Auraria Records (Released May 2009)
GROW- Auraria Records (To Be Released September 2010)
FINDING WATER IN THE FLAMES (To Be Released December 2010)
