Gregory Mark Guidry (January 23, 1954 – July 28, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Born in St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States, he played piano and sang

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

as a child, and sang in a band with future Doobie Brother Michael McDonald as a teenager. With help from Rich Lang, a friend and fellow musician, they wrote and recorded several demos, drove to New York City from St. Louis and signed a publishing contract with CBS Records in 1977 and wrote songs for

Climax Blues Band Climax Blues Band (originally known as The Climax Chicago Blues Band) is a British blues rock band. The band was formed in Stafford, England, in 1967 by vocalist and harmonica player Colin Cooper (1939–2008), guitarist and vocalist Pete Hayc ...

, Robbie Dupree, Exile,

Johnnie Taylor Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. In 2022, Taylor wa ...

Sawyer Brown Sawyer Brown is an American country music band. It was founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by Mark Miller (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard (keyboards, vocals), Bobby Randall (lead guitar, vocals), Joe "Curly" Smyth (drums), an ...

, and

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

. In 1981, he sang as a backing vocalist for the

Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Gregg Allman Band People * Allman (surna ...

on their 1981 album ''

Brothers of the Road ''Brothers of the Road'' is the eighth studio album, and tenth album overall, by the rock group the Allman Brothers Band. Released in 1981, it is the band's sole album without drummer Jai Johanny Johanson, the last to feature bassist David Gold ...

''. He signed with

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

in 1982 and released an album, ''Over the Line'', which produced two

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s, " Goin' Down" ( US No. 17, US AC No. 11) and a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

with his sister Sandy, "Into My Love" (US No. 92). While he continued to do songwriting work later in the 1980s, he did not issue a follow-up album until 2000, when ''Soul'd Out'' and ''Private Session'' were released, and his debut album was re-released. On July 28, 2003, Guidry died in a fire at age 49. His charred body was found in a car parked in his garage in Fairview, Tennessee.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Notable songs written by Guidry

*"You're Good for Me" - Single by Exile in 1980 (No. 105 US; No. 44 US AC) *"Gotta Have More Love" - Single by

in 1980 (No. 47 US; No. 77 AU) *"I Got This Thing for Your Love" - Single by

in 1980 (No. 77 US R&B) *"Are You Ready for Love" - Single by Robbie Dupree in 1981 *"Ball and Chain" - Canadian single by B4-4 in 2001

References

External links

* Greg Guidryat Allmusic.com
Greg Guidry
at Bluedesert.dk {{DEFAULTSORT:Guidry, Greg 1954 births 2003 suicides American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Missouri Suicides in Tennessee Musicians from St. Louis 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers