 David Gray created a quiet revolution in 1999 with his fourth album, White Ladder, but there was a time not too long ago when the introspective singer/songwriter thought he might forever toil away in obscurity and become just another almost-was tragedy.
Gray grew up in Wales and attended the University of Liverpool, where he first began playing music and honing his poetry. Not long after, he found himself in London with a record contract and the single, Birds Without Wings, in 1992. In 1993, Gray released A Century Ends and started gaining notoriety for his melodic passion and sincerity; however, success remained elusive.
Despite the positive critical response to 1994's Flesh and an opening spot on Shawn Colvin's tour, Gray got dropped from his label and watched another record, 1996's Sell, Sell, Sell, do the exact opposite.
Fast forward two more years when Gray holed up in his London apartment and recorded White Ladder. Releasing it on his own IHT records in 1998 marked the beginning of the kind of success Gray had longed for. The album hit huge in Ireland, but it was Dave Matthews who turned out to be Gray's guardian angel.
Impressed with Gray's voice and vision, Matthews shamelessly promoted White Ladder and called Gray one of his utmost favorite artists. Matthews even went so far as to release White Ladder on his own ATO Records imprint.
From that moment on, Gray - thanks to the singles "Babylon" and "Please Forgive Me" - saw his album go double platinum, earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and generally dominated the charts for the entirety of 2000.
To capitalized on Gray's growing popularity, The EPs 92-94 and Lost Songs were released in 2001, while A Century Ends and Flesh were reissued. To complete his fifth effort, Gray assembled his song-writing partner and multi-instrumentalist, Clune, the all-round studio visionary, Iestyn Polson, and retired to a tiny studio to record New Day at Midnight, which was released in the fall of 2002.
The record explores the feelings of loss and mortality while managing to be both uplifting and life-affirming in a way only Gray knows how to convey.
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