THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9408180038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
HIS FIRST ALBUM, the self-titled ``Ricky Lynn Gregg,'' was an up-tempo, let's-have-a-blast job.
``It sold over 300,000 copies,'' Gregg said during a phone interview from Skowhegan, Maine. ``I have a lot to be proud of.''
Gregg seems even prouder of ``Get a Little Closer'' - album No. 2.
``It has a different attitude and music,'' said Gregg, who plays at Country World and Billiards in Virginia Beach tonight. ``The first release only had two ballads. This one is a mix.''
It is a mix of tempo and the old and new. One surprise is his version of ``Silver Wings,'' an old Merle Haggard hit - ``about the third song I ever learned on guitar,'' said Gregg who has been playing that instrument since he could lift it.
Another oldie on the new album is ``After the Fire is Gone,'' a Conway Twitty ballad transformed into an upbeat piece.
It is the album's title tune, ``Get a Little Closer,'' that hit the charts with a bullet.
What's next from the release? The best guess is ``Dog House Blues,'' the piece most folks recommend as most likely to succeed.
Gregg, low-key on the phone but energetic onstage, promises the unexpected.
``About a quarter of the way through the show, we might go in another direction,'' he said. ``We may pull back or go forward with the tempo.''
Gregg is big in his native Texas, almost a nonentity in a few other areas.
``I'm real hot in one spot, unheard of in another,'' he said. ``That's why the road is so important - exposing my show to new people in different towns.
``I'm like a door-to-door salesman,'' Gregg philosophized. ``My music will pay off in the long run.''
So will his faith.
``Who knows where fate may take you? I believe God has a plan for me,'' Gregg said.
It is faith from the roots. His father was choir director of a small Baptist church.
Gregg is proud of his native American blood. His great grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee. (His daughter's name is Cheyenne.)
The singer looks like something out of central casting - high cheekbones, headband, hair almost as long as Crystal Gayle's.
``My father took the Native American traits and passed it on to his five boys,'' Gregg said.
``Dad is 76 and still farming in Longview (Texas). He still does things the old way,'' he said. ``For instance, he still plants on March 13. That's part of Native American folklore.
``He's only seen me perform onstage three or four times,'' Gregg said. ``He's a religious man, stoic in his ways. He does watch me on television.''
Dad would be proud.
``I'm trying,'' Gregg said, ``to preserve this great country music.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo byMARK TUCKER
Ricky Lynn Gregg's newest album is ``Get a Little Closer.''
CONCERT FACTS
Who: Ricky Lynn Gregg and Southbound
Where: Country World and Billiards, 2656 Lishelle Place, Virginia
Beach
When: Doors open at 6 tonight; the show starts at 8.
How much: $10 in advance, $12.50 at the door; available at the
club or Ticketmaster
Tell me more: 468-9939.
by CNB