GARR LANGE was born and raised on Whidbey Island, Washington. After getting his degree at Washington State University, he took his talent for writing music and plays to New York City, where he combined both those skills in an off-off Broadway production of his play, 18 K’s. Recordings from that production led him to sign with an Artist Management group, All-Out Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, as a singer-songwriter. He also agreed to representation from the William Morris Agency as a playwright. The Management group folded and his agent was let go by WMA, so Garr searched for greener pastures in Boston. Shortly after moving, his talents in both areas soon gained the attention of the Boston entertainment industry. His play, The Water Table, was selected by New Voices, for two staged readings at the revered Boston Shakespeare Co. The second reading was the result of his Finalist Award in the Clauder Competition for New England Plays. The Water Table was eventually produced by the Renegade Theater Co. in Hoboken, New Jersey, in the spring of 1989. On the music front, Garr formed the band The Big Rig, an assemblage of some of Boston’s finest musicians. His unique style of soulful country-rock-rhythm and blues, garnered much attention from the Boston music community, in a town where he was definitely outside of the rock-n-roll norm. He won the Boston Music Foundation/ASCAP award for “Best Song”, and along with his band, gained numerous Boston Music Award Nominations between 1986-1990. He was featured in articles by The Boston Herald and The Globe, and was selected by Boston Cablevision and MetroParks, for a taped performance at the Hatch Shell in the summer of 1989. Yet, his style of music didn’t fit a readily identifiable niche, and so his pursuits led him to a short stay in Nashville in the mid-1990’s. Again, he was told that his music didn’t fit the “country” style, so in the latter part of that decade he moved back to Washington State, got a normal job, and tried to forget his talents. But as he and others began to notice the musical landscape changing, it seemed to be headed in the direction where he had been all along. Which brings us to a matter of timing, and a talent that has been ignored by the industry for its style, depth, and delivery. Garr is a songwriter and singer with that rare ability to combine accessibility and substance, someone who can deliver a song that mines the emotional landscape as well as anyone. His songs stay with you. He is equally adept at writing up-tempo, mid-tempo, and some of the most beautiful and soulful ballads you’ve ever heard. He’s the real deal, especially in a time when the adult buying public is searching for just this kind of approach. It’s the happy ending to a story that finally comes full circle. Garr never believed his music to be groundbreaking, or ahead of its time. If you have the opportunity to talk to him, he’s very unassuming and matter-of-fact about his approach to music. He writes songs and sings them, regardless of style or niche. With “Crossing the Line” his new album on Sentry Records, he’s writing and singing better than ever, to lend his talent to all of us who are searching for something fresh and exciting.