Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 17, 1992 TAG: 9201170367
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
FREEBORN FIDDLER
The last time Clinton Gregory performed in Roanoke he was about 10 years old - and his musical competition that night at the Roanoke Civic Center was the Doobie Brothers."Of course, I would rather have been playing with the Doobie Brothers," the 25-year-old, Martinsville-born Gregory says now.
But back then, he didn't complain.
His few proud minutes on stage at the Roanoke Fiddle and Banjo Club in the Civic Center auditorium suited him just fine.
The only drawback was that the big rock show next door in the coliseum made it harder for his parents to find a place to park beforehand.
This time around, when Gregory performs at the Top Rail in Salem on Sunday, parking again may pose a problem. Not because of the Doobies, but because of "(If It Weren't For Country Music) I'd Go Crazy."
A familiar tune to anyone who has listened to country radio in the past year, it is the title of Gregory's breakthrough song in country music. It also has taken the former Laurel Park High School student to the brink of stardom in Nashville.
And to jam sessions with, ironically, the Doobie Brothers.
In a telephone interview earlier this week from Step One Records, his record company in Nashville, Gregory said it was a thrill sitting in with the rock group. He and the Doobies have similar influences in Southern music, and he fit right in.
The sessions also made him think back to his Roanoke debut.
He played at the Fiddle and Banjo Club with a group from Martinsville. He says he can't recall its name or the song he performed.
He does remember playing the fiddle, which is still Gregory's main instrument.
He also remembered thinking that he wanted to be a professional musician when he grew up, maybe even before he grew up.
So it was no surprise when, six years later, Gregory dropped out of the 10th grade at Laurel Park High and became the professional musician he always hoped to be.
At 16, he moved from Leatherwood in Henry County to Asheville, N.C., and joined a regional square-dance band. Then it was on to Nashville and stints with the McCarters, Suzy Bogguss and a USO tour with Ricky Skaggs.
In 1990, he released his solo debut, "Music `N' Me," on Step One Records, which was followed last year with "(If It Weren't For Country Music) I'd Go Crazy." In the meantime, he has opened concerts for such notables as Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr.
He never finished school. But he did return to his old high school recently, invited back as a musician and performer, and was surprised with an honorary diploma, "which I thought was kind of strange considering how much I hated school," he says. "That's the last thing I ever expected."
On the other hand, it should not have come as a surprise that Gregory eventually would return to his hometown a celebrity. It was inevitable that someone from the Gregory family would.
He is the fifth generation in the family to pack a mean fiddle, starting with his great-great-great-grandfather.
He even owns one of his great-great-grandfather's old fiddles - made in 1840 - which he played in recording "(If It Weren't For Country Music) I'd Go Crazy."
It was his father, Willie, however, who had the most profound influence, he says. A respected fiddler and former member of the renowned Martinsville bluegrass group, the Shenandoah Valley Boys, led by Jim Eanes, Willie Gregory shared stages with the likes of Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe.
Often, little Clinton tagged along, chirping in his fiddle wherever he could. He also followed his father to the Grand Ole Opry, after the elder Gregory won a fiddle contest and a chance to perform there.
At the Opry, they met Lester Flatt, Marty Robbins and Roy Acuff, among others. Clinton was about 12 years old at the time and remembers being taller than Robbins.
He also remembers that his earlier aspirations felt on stage in Roanoke to become a Nashville singer were confirmed after visiting the Opry.
His father taught him how to play fiddle, but Clinton would not say whether he passed along any family tips that have been carried down through the generations. All he would say was that to this day his father, at 57, is still the better musician.
Gregory calls his father the most knowledgeable fiddle player he has ever met. "He's kind of like an elephant. He never forgets," he says.
He also says his father is very supportive.
"He just wants me to make sure I remember where I came from, and the way the original fiddle tunes were played."
Gregory says he would like to record with his father, possibly even hire him for his road band, "although I don't think there's money enough to pay him what he's worth."
He says he would settle for sharing the stage with his dad for a few songs on Sunday night at the Top Rail. But even that may not be possible. The elder Gregory suffered a minor stroke a few months ago.
Meanwhile, Clinton Gregory is hitting the club circuit and will be making the fairground rounds this summer in hopes of capitalizing on the past year's momentum.
A new single, "Play, Ruby, Play," was just released on Wednesday, and his third album, "Freeborn Man," is due in March. He is also fielding offers from the major record labels, although he says he is happy with the relatively small Step One Records. "They treat me like a king, and you don't have to go through 20 people to get anywhere," he explained.
He hopes to headline some shows soon, too.
"Of course, you've got to crawl before you can walk."
Then again, when you go from the Fiddle and Banjo Club to jamming with the Doobie Brothers and making hit records, who can argue?
Clinton Gregory, Sunday, 8 p.m., Top Rail, 1106 Kessler Mill Road, Salem. With guest, Cimmaron. $6. 389-0917.
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