Gregory Upshaw

Greg’s hometown Is Scarborough, Ontario where he grew up in a musical household with a singing mother and a guitar playing dad. He picked up the guitar at 15 and has been playing ever since.

Greg took time to study animation at Sheridan College and worked in the field for several years. However, music came back into Greg’s life along with a new interest in songwriting and performing.

Not long after this, his most significant band effort came to fruition with the Ulterior Motives comprised of Ian Richardson on bass and Ricky Neu on drums. This Cambridge, Ontario trio played for 10 years.

What sets me apart musically is the quality of my vocal and the ease with which I sing and perform. There is a certain quality of my voice that is soothing to some and commands instant attention from most. I write all my own songs that touch on many facets of life, love and angst and contentment. I am not bound by genre and have the unique quality of seeming natural in several genres ranging from jazz, folk, soul, country and and an overarching roots sound that keeps the delivery honest. I have a rich Nova Scotia cultural background with roots that go back to the Loyalist war of 1812 when blacks first arrived in Canada.

I have been influenced by all the great Canadian songwriters that have spoken from their hearts and minds over the last 50 years. They made it cool to play acoustic guitar and sing songs that were emotional and truthful. Coming from a long past African-American heritage, I was naturally drawn and influenced by the music of black American artists in the 60s and 70s. This type of music gave me comfort in my youth as I connected with these voices in a somewhat uni-cultural Canada in the 60’s and 70’s.

To that end I also feel that because of my heritage, I have to represent it on some level. Urban or black music (whatever that is) doesn’t have to mean R&B, Hip-Hop. Rap and Dance solely. I represent and alternative and a unique voice in the Canadian musical landscape.