Local McGraw Finally Takes to The Stage
September 19, 2007
Local McGraw finally takes to stage
Sep 19, 2007 - 10:13:32 CDT.
by Kristine Goodrich
Staff Writer
WHITE BEAR LAKE - He shares a famous name and love of music. But White Bear Lake's own Tim McGraw didn't always share the confidence of the Grammy-winning singer with the same name.
The local McGraw, a teacher at the White Bear Lake Area Learning Center, finally got up the nerve to perform for the first time in public in 2004 - at Nye's Piano Bar in Minneapolis.
"It was packed ... and I was so nervous," he said. "But I decided 'I'm not getting any younger. I have to do this."
To his surprise, his rendition of "Unforgettable" earned loud applause. He performed an encore that night and returned every weekend for two months.
"I was hooked," he said.
Breakout
After performances in several community theater productions, he made his first album. It was intended just for close friends and family, including his "someday" grandchildren, he said.
But family members managed to get a copy into the hands of Joanne Grauer, a pianist for Andy Williams. McGraw met with Grauer in Reno, Nev., to help her with musical charts.
After just a few minutes of hearing McGraw sing, Grauer used her connections to reserve a studio and recruit musicians so McGraw could record a professional album of cover songs.
To avoid confusion, he uses Timothy Patrick (his middle name) as his stage name because, he joked, "that country western bozo took (my real name) and I've had it longer than him."
Titled after his favorite cover, McGraw's album "The Shadow of Your Smile" came out early this year. It features other jazz favorites including "Fly Me To The Moon," and "My Way." To get your copy visit timpatrickmusic.com.
Songs from the album now are playing on more than 50 radio stations in more than 20 countries, according to McGraw. This spring, he sang with the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra and in a jazz club in Croatia, where he was invited back next year to tour the country with the club's band.
And while he's getting heard across the globe, this year he began giving his first performances in the White Bear Lake Area School District. He volunteered his talents last spring at the annual teacher recognition event. Next he's performing Sept. 28 at the White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation Fall Gala.
"It's fun because they get to see different side of me," he said about performing in front of his colleagues and students.
His students aren't exactly big fans of his genre of music. But he hopes they'll listen to his life lesson.
"Don't be afraid," he said. "Don't wait until you're 50 to go after your dream."