David Gray’s Breakthrough: From Struggling Artist to Bedroom Recording Success with White Ladder
David Gray is an English singer-songwriter who, after years of struggling with unsuccessful releases on various labels, found his breakthrough by recording White Ladder in his bedroom, with only his drummer, Craig McClune, helping him.
At the time Gray started recording White Ladder, he was seriously contemplating giving up his music career. The rigours of life on the road had taken a toll, depression had set in, and his relationship was faltering. He was also running low on money.
This feeling of despair is captured in his song Nightblindness, where he sings, “What are we gonna do, when the money runs out, I wish there was something left to say.” Gray later expressed how strange it was that so many people could relate to the pain conveyed in that lyric.
Singles like Babylon, Please Forgive Me, Nightblindness, My Oh My, Be Mine, Sail Away, This Year’s Love, and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye—combined with his distinctive vocal style—propelled him to global fame.
On the back of this success, David Gray toured America as a support act for Dave Matthews Band. Matthews even helped release White Ladder on his own label.
White Ladder earned David Gray a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year in 2002, a remarkable achievement for a bedroom recording!
David Gray Tunes | Related Pages
Babylon | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Babylon by David Gray using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Dmaj9/F# | G | Dmaj9/F# | G |
Friday night I’m going nowhere, all the lights are changing green to red…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Babylon – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
David Gray on the web
