Griffin Tucker – born to rock the world!

Griffin profile pic“I love making music. It’s my contribution. My legacy. I want rock n roll to live on through me to my fans.”

Charismatic, creative and kind-hearted: Griffin Tucker was born to rock the world! I have had the privilege of meeting Griffin and his family in person and have had the unforgettable experience of hearing him perform live. A true rock star at heart, Griffin exudes an incredible energy when he sings and plays and appears completely at home on the stage. 

Born to Rock!

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Griffin has had an exciting and varied career since he was first featured on this site at 11-years-old. You can read that first article here.

Those of our readers who follow Griffin will know that his supporters are affectionately known as GriFANs and that the buck stops with his mother / manager (known to most as Momma G!) They say behind every great man (or boy) is an even greater woman and this is certainly true of Griffin who has a competent and powerful team in his family, and particularly Momma G. She was kind enough to provide us with an update giving some highlights from the last year:

“As many of you GrifFANs know, Griffin is a drummer at heart and has been since the age of 5.  But did you also know that Griffin is accomplished at many instruments? Piano, keyboards, harmonica, mandolin, ukulele, bass & guitar. In fact, he’s not just any kid who plays guitar. Last summer, he won the coveted TEXAS TOP TEN UNDER TWENTY GUITAR competition at the Dallas International Guitar Show.

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In addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, he’s been gigging since the age of 8.  First, in a Beatles tribute band then he toured with Disney artist Zendaya. Next came Westfield Presents in London England then a KISS tribute band – and, now, he plays as a solo artist whenever he’s not in school.

And, those who are lucky enough to see him perform live are blown away! Not only because of his musicianship but because of his stage presence! He is a ROCKSTAR!!!”

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A Children’s Crusade

For me personally, Griffin was formative in my growing belief that young creatives are the hope for the future. Like so many amazing children, he is largely unaware of the positive effect he has on so many. When I first discovered Griffin he was 10-years-old and I was helping him grow his Twitter following. What struck me then and still does now was his genuine kindness and concern for his fans. This combined with a natural talent and work ethic that is only matched by his modesty makes Griffin one hec of an inspirational kid and – dare I say it – a role model for boys in their early teens. He knows what it is, as Led Zeppelin would have it, ‘to be a a rock and not to roll’.Griffin Twitter

It all sounds rather over-sensational doesn’t it? But what made it strangely fascinating for me is that it coincided with some detailed research that I was doing on the 1212 Children’s Crusade for a musical project.

Brief history intermission! 800 years ago – a time of great political strife - a 12-year-old, French shepherd boy, called Stephen arose as a great preacher. He gathered a huge and enthusiastic following of children and, likely, adults too from all walks of life (some scholars put it as high as 30,000) which sparked a series of critical events across Europe and beyond. Stephen carried a scroll which he claimed had been given to him by an Angel, with the seal unbroken, to be read only by the king of France. The pilgrimage ended in disaster. Intimidated by his powerful following, Stephen was refused access to the king and told, in no uncertain terms, to go home. Stephen did as he was commanded and the scroll was never seen again. There is a record of Stephen meeting the Pope in person who was intrigued by his fervour but told him to come back when he was older and it is likely that Stephen later became a crusader knight protecting the pilgrimage routes to the Holy Land. But I digress…

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I became fascinated with the image of a Children’s Crusade and what that might look like today. The world of social media is riddled with risks and more than its fair share of darkness. I saw in Griffin a whole new world of possibilities. As well as sharing his talents and amazing music, Griffin has created a community where he supports his GriFANs as much as they support him, sharing in their successes and even asking everyone to pray for them when they are going through hard times.

As in 1212, thousands of people are rallying round Griffin, drawn by his music, his talent and his caring personality. My hope is that the adult world – in our wisdom – are not too quick to reject something which on first glance may appear threatening and out of control. I, for one, am excited to see what the future holds for Griffin and his army of GriFANs!

Looking ahead and an exclusive announcement!

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Griffin has an incredible work ethic and manages to stay well on top of his school work as well as using every spare moment to develop his musical skills. He has plenty of natural talent and is blessed with perfect pitch and a wide vocal range, but much of Griffin’s success is down to his passion, dedication and hard graft. I remember hearing an interview where Griffin shared some golden advice from Momma G:

“Try to be a little better each day”

As simple as it sounds, this is some of the best advice I have ever heard – especially to young musicians in our culture of instant fame and recognition. If you can be dedicated enough to be a little better each day as a musician – and as a person – the only other things you need to reach your goals are some time and patience.

I asked Momma G about Griffin’s plans for the near future:

“Although Griffin doesn’t play much during the school year because he focuses on maintaining his A Honor Roll status, he does love to play for his fans. And, he is set to kick off this summer early this year by playing 2 shows on March 26th – one show is at a party with some surprise guest artists accompanying him on drums & bass; the 2nd is at the Prophet Bar in Dallas with a band named STEEL that he drums for.  But he is most excited about going back to the Dallas International Guitar Show to play on May 1st.

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As Griffin says, “There is nothing better than playing and seeing people sing & rock out.” So if you’re in Texas or can get there, better check Griffin out!”

We are honoured to be able to announce here the title of Griffin’s next release! It is called ‘Who to Be’ and – in the manner we have come to know and love – Griffin will be playing every instrument and singing each vocal the track! He describes it as “a very Paul McCartney/ELO sounding tune.” Release is set for late May and a video will follow in the summer.

Griffin being Griffin 1Meanwhile, do check out Griffin and, if you have not done so already, join the GriFAN army!

Griffin on YouTube

Griffin on Facebook

Griffin on Twitter 

 

 

 

 

 

Esteban and Diego – French Flamenco cousins!

Every now and then there comes a musical act that slowly draws you in until you find yourself hooked. Even more rarely, comes an act like the French duo “Esteban and Diego” that grabs you by both hands and starts dancing the passo doblo with you! 

“It feels like we were designed to play together so it explodes on stage!” – Esteban

 I first encountered Esteban and Diego when looking for musical contributions to the International Christmas Child charity album. If I were to summarise these boys in one word it would have to be ‘energy’. All the exuberant, cheeky, humour so characteristic of young boys, but also the energy apparent in their dedication to their music and in their commitment to each other.

The Story Begins 

Esteban and Diego’s mothers are sisters and as close as sisters can be, so it was natural that the young cousins began playing together from an early age.

Esteban y Diego - friendsDuring a New Year celebration, the family discovered with amazement that Esteban had an incredible talent for singing. Diego was already a gifted guitarist and, since they were inseparable, the duo was born! 

“I started taking lessons at age 9, and a year later, Esteban started learning. Because our mothers are so close, we are always together. So it is natural that we started playing together.” Diego

They take guitar lessons from Manu who is a guitar teacher of the association “El Hogar de los Españoles” in La Plaine Saint Denis, near Paris. Hence, you will hear a distinctly Spanish, Flamenco flavour to their music and may see them referred to either as “Esteban y Diego” (Spanish) or “Esteban et Diego” (French) or indeed, since I am writing in English, I will refer to them as “Esteban and Diego” to avoid confusion!

2011-10-12 Ils font l'ouverture d'un festival en direct sur une grande radio françaiseA Duo is Born

In December 2009, they played for the first time as “Esteban and Diego” to an association for the mayor of the 19th in Paris. Soon after, they were performing various concerts in Paris and its suburbs.

October 12, 2011, they opened the French live music festival “Cities of World Music.” On 09 November 2011, they performed on the show “France has got Talent”. Performance requests began pouring in from all over France and the young musicians continued to grow their fan base at home and abroad. 

The Journey continues…

Following their TV appearances, they were noticed by Marie Jo Audouard of the production company “Be my sound: Hope records.” Soon Esteban and Diego had released their first single “Cuando Bailas” which was composed and performed by the boys. The track is available for download on several internet platforms (Deezer, Amazon etc …). 

Cuando BailasRémi Castillo – radio host, journalist and producer – also has a heart for this little duo. After hearing their single “Cuando Bailas” he decided to delight the boys by helping them make a music video for their song. Today, Rémi Castillo guides them and helps them grow. In May 2013, he released a book “The Epic of Young Talents” in which he speaks of them. 

Esteban and Diego have since had numerous TV appearances including “The Voice kids” in September 2014 and a program called “Gulli” in October 2014.

An incredible story of loyalty

“We know each other so well. We share everything together, in private as well as on stage. We cannot imagine our music without each other.” – Diego

You Raise Me UpAs well as being incredibly talented and entertaining, Esteban and Diego have a special quality which sets them apart from many other groups of their age: they are completely committed to each other. This is not difficult while success remains limited and neither party has much to lose, but for the friendship to survive at the dizzying heights that Esteban and Diego have reached proves that the bond they share is very powerful. 

“Diego is like my big brother. Sometimes we fight a bit, but in the music we are always united.” – Esteban

I know the boys and their families will not mind me sharing a fairly personal story of when this loyalty was truly put to the test. 

2012-01-00 Britain's got talentEsteban and Diego travelled to England to audition for “Britain’s Got Talent” a few years ago. This was before their numerous television appearances so, no doubt, it was a big deal for them. The producers liked what they saw and heard. A lot. But there was one condition: Esteban and Diego would have to separate as the producers were not interested in promoting a duo.

The boys made their decision quickly and unanimously. They picked up their guitars and went home to France! They were “Esteban and Diego” not “Esteban or Diego”!

It is such a delight to see the success the boys are enjoying now. Not only in France but, increasingly, all over the world. It is an honour to be able to feature them here and wish them every success for an exciting future, fuelled by the energy that only Esteban and Diego can give!

“When we began to see that people liked what we were doing, we were amazed. Even today we are surprised every time people take notice of us.” – Esteban

Happy Cousins

“We do not know where this will lead us – we thought it would stop after our first TV appearance – but it’s been more than 3 years and the adventure continues! Thank you to all those who make it possible.” – Diego

Stay up to date with all their news and find links to all their social media on their website: 

www.esteban-diego.com