Grandfather Child
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Grandfather Child
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| alias =
| origin = Houston, Texas, USA
| instrument =
| genre = Indie rock
| years_active = 2009–present
| label = New West
| associated_acts = Robert Ellis, Satin Hooks, I am Mesmer, Sideshow Tramps
| website =
| current_members = Lucas Gorham, vocals/lap steel
Ryan Chavez, drums
Robert Ellis, bass, guitar
Geoffrey Muller, guitar, bass
}}
Grandfather Child is a rock band based in Houston, Texas. Using lap steel guitar instead of the traditional two electric guitar line-up, Grandfather Child has created a sound that mixes country, Gospel, as well as rhythm and blues.
History
Grandfather Child was founded in 2009 by Lucas Gorham as he left the punk rock group Satin Hooks. He formed the band originally as a trio, with Ryan Chavez, drums, and Mark Speer, bass{{cite web|last=Smith|first=William Michael|title=Blinded by the Light|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2010-11-18/music/blinded-by-the-light/|work=Houston Press|access-date=27 January 2012}} with the goal to explore the music he had discovered in a film about Gospel music, called Sacred Steel. Speer left the group after several months and Gorham contacted Robert Ellis and Geoffrey Muller to split the bass role and add a guitar.
All the members of the group are busy members of the Houston music scene, including I am Mesmer (which is led by Muller), Robert Ellis and the Boys (which includes Chavez and Muller), Sideshow Tramps (Muller), Screwed Anthologies (Gorham), and many others. Perhaps because of the many different calls upon the musicians' time, the music made is somewhat a middle ground between all of the side projects.
Grandfather Child was awarded Best EP / 7” in 2010 for Waiting for You by Houston Press Music Awards{{cite web|title=Like Hell Yeah: Upsets and upstarts at the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2010-08-19/music/like-hell-yeah/|access-date=27 January 2012}} and was later listed as one of 2010's Houston Music's People of the Year.{{cite web|title=Houston Music's People of the Year|url=http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2010/12/houston_musics_people_of_the_y.php|access-date=27 January 2012}} They were signed to New West Records in 2011{{cite web|last=Dansby |first=Andrew |title=Grandfather Child Signs New West |url=http://www.29-95.com/music/story/grandfather-child-signs-new-west |work=29-95 |publisher=Houston Chronicle |access-date=27 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321130614/http://www.29-95.com/music/story/grandfather-child-signs-new-west |archive-date=21 March 2012 }} and played at SXSW in March 2012 and will release a full-length in August 2012.{{cite web|last=Langer|first=Andy|title=Locals Try to Make Themselves Heard at SXSW|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/us/some-400-texas-bands-like-bright-light-social-hour-are-at-sxsw-2012.html|publisher=New York Times/ Texas Monthly|access-date=12 March 2012}}
Discography
- 2010 Waiting for You
- 2012 Grandfather Child
See also
- Sacred Steel (musical tradition)
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120902010316/http://grandfatherchild.com/ Official Website]