Jack Granger

I am a blues player from Upstate NY, now living in Nashville, TN. I started playing guitar at about 16 after playing saxophone since middle school. Growing up on a fruit farm near Lake Ontario there was always work after school, but my dad and my grandfather always had a radio on in the shop almost always playing classic rock or some old blues. Like so many other kids my age, as soon as finding tablature online became a new norm, we all wanted to learn instruments. I wanted to play the guitar because I was a huge Jimmy Paige fan at the time. I loved all of Led Zeppelin, but the guitar work is what really stood out.

                After high school I enrolled in the audio engineering program at Finger Lakes Community College. I knew I wanted to be involved in the music program, I just wasn’t sure to what end. I took a lot of interest in the guitar ensemble and the personal instruction from amazing players like Paul McArdle, Leo Medler, and Craig Snyder. After I completed my requirements in audio I was encouraged to stay to get another degree in Music Theory. That lead to great opportunities and connections.

                Right after college I found an open position for a guitar instructor at Area Records and Music, a cool little music shop in Geneva, NY. This position was by far my favorite job I’ve ever had. I was lucky enough to inherit the former instructors’ students, so it gave a great opportunity to really feel what consistent teaching felt like, and how much I enjoyed it.

                That led to being picked up for a pit band in the opera house next door, the Smith. The show was Avenue Q, an off-Broadway show. It was a hilarious and an unbelievably fun experience. After the last show I went up the road with a friend of mine from the pit and sat in with his band, Darwin. After that show, I was given a full-time position within the band, and still occasionally play with them when I’m in New York. The opportunity with Darwin granted me additional opportunities to play guitar for about a dozen bands throughout the Finger Lakes area. Some of those bands included Anything and Everything Orchestra, Mainstream Music, B Side Music, Lonesome Train, and also solo acts. I work well independently, but prefer working within a group environment.

                After a few successful years, the owner of Area Records told me he was retiring, so I had to make a decision to stay, or continue to go forward with my education. That is when I chose to enroll in Belmont University's commercial music guitar program with an emphasis on performance. Learning about music had provided me with so much fulfillment throughout my 20s, I figured learning more and going further into the music industry would continue to provide sustenance throughout my 30s.