You might recognize Grayson Russell from the movies he’s done, but he started doing music first. He said he started traveling with his folks doing music when he was five years old. “My first band was a group I put together when I was seven years old in the second grade,” he said.
His introduction to acting came when he and his mom went to an open casting call for “Taledega Nights” while his dad went fishing. The movie was released in 2006 and was a huge hit. He explained his love for acting. ““It’s never felt like work…It was like a strange vacation,” he added.
Russell also played Fregley in the movies in the “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid” series. He was in the Tom Hanks movie “Greyhound” in 2020. Most recently, he can be seen in “Blue Ridge: The Series” on INSP.
As he reflected on his acting, he said he has never taken classes and he’s not come through it in the conventional way. The fact that he’s acted in some big movies has helped bring more recognition to his music. “I’m fortunate enough I have a coattail to ride and that coattail happens to be my own,” he said.
Russell said he’s been in a Southern Rock band for the last seven years.
He will release an album in late 2025 or early 2026. In 2024, he released two singles, both of which he was either the writer or co-writer. The most recent single, “Beneath The Bow,” was released in November and compares the struggle of the American worker to the people who worked in the engine room of the Titanic.
While Russell will be touring this year, he said he won’t be doing a ton of shows. He will also be filming more episodes of “Blue Ridge: The Series” this year.
People can find out more about Russell and his music by visiting his website at https://graysonrussellonline.com. He can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
Listen to “Beneath The Bow” by clicking below: