Alberta country music sensation and local musician Drew Gregory recently signed with the record label Willing Records, which marks his first-ever label signing.
Gregory also just released his new hit single "Neon Time," which combines the old-school honky-tonk feel with a bit of new school, plus the classic Drew Gregory charm. An undeniably catchy tune and a definite crowd-pleaser, Gregory explained the song was born from a simple idea and once it stuck, he knew he had to see it through. Working with legendary songwriters Jim Collins (worked with Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Gretchen Wilson) and Wade Kirby (George Strait, Blake Shelton, Faith Hill), Gregory explained Collins came up with the hook 'That's just me on neon time,' and the rest is history.
"We just scrapped all the other ideas that Jim and I have been working on because that just sounded like such a good hook to us. Those guys just hammered down on melodies and when you have that many hits, they kind of just know what's going to work and what's not. That was awesome to see those guys work and I get to put my two cents in on it, it was just amazing working with those guys," he said.
"It's exciting to have this kind of sound now because that's what we've always kind of been pushing for and kind of been going forward. But I think we really nailed it on this on this one."
As for signing with Willing Records, Gregory said everything just fell into place perfectly to make it happen. Gregory explained the founder of Willing Records Bobby Wills understood exactly what Gregory was about, so signing with Willing Records was an easy choice.
"The thing that's always been on that pedestal is the record label for artists, and Bobby said 'man, we should do a honky-tonk record together,' and that got me pretty excited. Not only because that's the kind of music I always really wanted to make and love making and love playing live, but also because Bob, he's just such a great dude and he's always been really, really good with advice and very honest and very respected in the industry."
It's not just record labels and new tracks Gregory is busy with; he's also been travelling across the province performing. His next shows will be at the upcoming Rockyford Rodeo and his annual show at the Origin Taproom birthday party on Aug. 3rd, and it will also be Gregory's first time performing at the Rockyford Rodeo. Given that he is from Standard, he's very familiar with the rodeo and is looking forward to putting on a show.
"It's so close to home for me here, it was always something we went to as kids and always had such a blast. I heard they got the Stampede wrestling back this year too, which is awesome because I always remember that and it being so much fun. That's always been just a great small-town rodeo and I'm very excited to be a part of it this year," he said.
Gregory enjoys the Rockyford Rodeo so much he's actually going to camp there the entire weekend with his family! Summers are always a busy time for him with all the performing he does so having the chance to spend some downtime with the family is always a huge plus.
Gregory is planning on releasing more singles later this year before dropping his new album in 2024. To stay updated with Gregory you can visit his Facebook, Instagram, or website drewgregorymusic.com. You can also listen to Neon Time here.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@strathmorenow.com
Sun, May 5, 2:00 PM
