 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Larry Groce" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Larry Groce | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1948-04-22)April 22, 1948 (age 76) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Country,Bluegrass music,folk,children's music |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Labels | |
Larry Groce (born April 22, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and radio host. From 1983 until 2021, Groce served as the host and artistic director ofMountain Stage, a two-hour live music radio program produced byWest Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed byNPR. He first entered the national spotlight in 1976 when hisnovelty song "Junk Food Junkie" became aTop Ten hit. After that, Groce's voice became well known by children and parents alike as a result of his Platinum recordings of children's folk songs forWalt Disney RecordsChildren's Favorites four-volume series:Volume 1,Volume 2,Volume 3 andVolume 4 (released from the late 70s-1990).
Groce was born in 1948 inDallas, Texas,[1] to H.T. and Bobbie Groce, the eldest of three children. He had a younger brother, Gary (born July 7, 1951), and a younger sister, Janna (born April 8, 1961). Groce became interested in music while in elementary school. The family resided in theOak Cliff section of Dallas, and he attendedAdamson High School there.[1][2] Classmates included singer-songwritersMichael Martin Murphey,Ray Wylie Hubbard andB. W. Stevenson.[2][1]
Groce's first album, a collection of hymns calledPeace and Joy and Power forThe First Church of Christ, Scientist, of which he is a member, was recorded in 1969 while he was still a college student atPrincipia College inElsah, Illinois. After graduating in 1970, he moved to New York and became a regular performer at a "Focus", anUpper West Sideorganic food restaurant and coffeehouse co-owned by future Hollywood producer and managerLarry Brezner. (Brezner's wife at that time, musicianMelissa Manchester, was also a regular.) Later that year, Groce signed a recording contract with Daybreak Records, a subsidiary ofRCA Records. His first album of original songs,The Wheat Lies Low, was released in 1970. From 1972 to 1985 he was aNational Endowment for the Arts sponsored "musician-in-residence",[3] visiting schools in twenty US states.[1] One of those residencies brought him toWest Virginia in 1972, where he continues to make his home.
In 1976, his satiricnovelty song "Junk Food Junkie" became aBillboard top-ten hit[4][5] and led to appearances onThe Tonight Show,The Merv Griffin Show,American Bandstand,The Midnight Special,TheRich Little Show,Nashville Now,The Disney Channel,Dr. Demento, andA Prairie Home Companion.
Between 1979 and 1990, Groce performed on nineDisney albums, one of which was certifiedgold and five certifiedplatinum.[1] His first Disney recording,Winnie-the-Pooh for President, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Recording for Children" in 1976.
In 1983, Groce co-foundedMountain Stage, a two-hour live music program produced byWest Virginia Public Radio and distributed nationally and internationally byNPR andVoice of America's satellite radio service to over 200 stations.[3] He was its host, producer and artistic director.[5] His musical tastes have been instrumental in defining the sound of the show.Mountain Stage was the first nationally broadcast radio or television program to feature live performances byLyle Lovett,Mary Chapin Carpenter,Sheryl Crow,Barenaked Ladies,Alison Krauss,Ani DiFranco,Phish,Counting Crows,Ben Harper,Ryan Adams,Sarah McLachlan,Tori Amos,Ben Harper,Lucinda Williams,David Gray,the Avett Brothers, andLaura Nyro, whose performance at Mountain Stage was released on CD three years after her death.[6] The show has also featured musical pioneers such asBill Monroe,Ralph Stanley,Doc Watson,Pops Staples andBrownie McGhee as well as modern superstarsR.E.M.,Martina McBride andNorah Jones. Groce retired from hostingMountain Stage in 2021; his successor isKathy Mattea.
In 2016, Groce released his first recording in 27 yearsLive Forever with his wife, violist Sandra Groce.[5] It includes four originals and eight covers, and includes the full version of the Mountain Stage theme song, "Simple Song."
In 2017, Groce was namedWest Virginian of the Year by the Charleston Gazette-Mail,[7] and in 2020, was inducted into theWest Virginia Music Hall of Fame.[8]
In 1990, he starred inParadise Park,[3] a low budget feature film made in West Virginia[1] about life in a Mountain Statetrailer park. (It was later re-released asHeroes of the Heart.) Groce also co-wrote the title song withWebb Wilder, who also appeared in the film with country musiciansPorter Wagoner andJohnny Paycheck. Groce co-wrote a musical theatre version.[3]
Groce owned TheMorgantown School of Ballet from 1980 to 1985.[1] He was part owner of West Virginia's only statewide arts and entertainment alternative tabloid,Graffiti, from 1990 until 2004.[1] In 2005, he became executive director ofFestivALL Charleston, a ten-day festival of music, dance, theater and visual arts in West Virginia's capital cityCharleston.
Larry Groce resides inCharleston, West Virginia, having relocated there in 1972.[3] He is married to Sandra[3] Groce (née Armstrong), a classically trainedviolist.[3][5] They have two daughters, Virginia (also a violist)[3] and Bonnie.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
