Walter Grady

Raised in Dunn, NC, migrated north to New Haven, Connecticut, with his siblings, Walter Grady accompanied his wife back to North Carolina in the early 1960s, proud of her accomplishments as an educator and grateful for her opportunity to teach as Dudley High School in East Greensboro. Walter’s dreams of becoming the next Berry Gordy were far off, but as long as he still had to carry bags to make ends meet to help support his young family, he might as well do it at a the Statler-Hilton — the luxury hotel in Greensboro where he was most likely to run into music business people. His decades-long forays into the music industry – founding record labels, co-writing songs and producing musical acts – eventually afforded him opportunities to be in the company of star-makers such as Atlantic Records president Jerry Wexler and future founder of Sugar Hill Records, Sylvia Robinson. With the careers of young George Bishop, Roy Roberts and a dozen other aspiring hit-makers in tow, he also would partner with a local radio DJ whose personality and popularity could likely increase the odds of one his proteges’ records breaking locally, regionally and perhaps nationally. Despite having produced dozens of soul, gospel and funk artists and founding the Linco Records, Cobra Records (9), Graytom Records, Witch's Brew, and Grayslak record labels, most of his efforts remain unknown, even to most Greensboro natives.