On Broadway - Greg Pratt & "Party Potatoes"
On Broadway is a bi-monthly web series that delves into the food memories of the talented musicians of Broadway in downtown Nashville. Every other week, we’ll pair those memories with a relevant recipe and information on how to listen to each musician’s material. Our aim is to connect the passion of food to the passion of music—two mediums that evoke instant reactions and memories, and remind us of the incredible people that pour their heart out every day to make their living in our backyard.
Broadway is an incredible place, chock-full of talent from end to end. The first time I met Greg Pratt––almost exactly two years ago––I was wandering around enjoying such a fact, when I stumbled upon his set at Crazy Town. A standard bar at a standard time of day with a standard musician time slot and anything but a standard voice. I took a seat and sipped a beverage while I pondered on this classic country voice that was at the same time currently relevant and silkily original.
As with great restaurants where you come for the food, but return for the service, at Greg’s performances, you come for the voice, but return for the original music. An artist’s personal work is always a welcome reprieve from the, at times, repetitive nature of the Broadway experience, and Greg’s has the added bonus of being especially well written. So, it comes as quite the surprise to learn that he hasn’t been at it for more than a short time. “I didn’t really get into music until about three or four years ago,” he muses, making what he’s already accomplished simultaneously all the more impressive and all the more infuriating; how some people have a way of making you feel when something seemingly difficult comes to them almost naturally. I’m immediately intrigued by what must have happened just a few short years ago, so let’s back up.
Greg was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee under academically astute and successful parents with a tendency to play great country music. “We listened to a lot of Alabama and a little bit of Elvis…some Simon and Garfunkel stuff...some Garth [Brooks and] John Denver. Just a little bit of everything, [and] a little Eagles. I started getting into listening to more Hank [Williams] and Alan Jackson and all that.” After a bit of time at The University of Alabama where he studied cinematography, he left the program, and moved back home to help his parents pack up their house and retire. “It was interesting, but there wasn’t really anything in the college curriculum that I wanted to do.” He attended school in his hometown of Memphis for a while, but with just one credit left to graduate, left for Nashville to pursue music. “[Being a musician is] one of those things where if you know it, you know it and you just go for it and everybody doesn’t like it at first. The first time I ever opened my mouth to sing, my sister literally put her hand on my shoulder and [she] goes, ‘don’t do that again.’ That’s kind of how it all started…Mom and Dad took some convincing. I don’t think it’s that they wanted me to follow exactly in their footsteps, but they knew that if I was a doctor, I would be successful. I had the smarts to do it, I just didn’t want to…[So] I just left. [I hadn’t been to Nashville except] once on a school field trip. [When I moved,] I remember taking a screen shot of my bank account. There was $2.15 in there.”
Brand new to the city and beyond broke, Greg nabbed an apartment in Hermitage and a job in the kitchen of an Asian fusion restaurant 20 miles away to make ends meet. In early 2016, after a year of nagging restlessness and little progress, he made his way onto some set lists on Broadway, supplementing with part time stints as a bouncer at The Benchmark. But just a few months of intense hustle and even more heart later, Greg found himself to be a full-time Broadway musician.
Greg’s story is a testament to who he is; passionate, gutsy, and hyper-focused with a big heart and genuine spirit. One of the biggest challenges in our lifetime is to be original––to know who you are and embrace it- fiercely, fearlessly, tirelessly. To swim with all your might with a giant smile on your face, while the current sweeps the other way. It’s clear that Greg embraces this challenge. His motto, “whatever you build in a year can fall apart in a day”, is a testament to the incessant drive that lives inside him and every successful person out there.
Getting someone who hustles for their dream as much as Greg to slow down for a minute can be quite the interesting task. But when you do, the conversation and feeling is as hearty, fulfilling, and heart-warming as a dish his mom made every fall and especially every Thanksgiving, which he calls “party potatoes." What, exactly, are party potatoes? "Mashed potatoes, a little bit of garlic, chives, bacon, three types of cheese, obviously butter and sour cream, and then she would bake cheese on top and it was…I could easily eat a whole, deep tray by myself. Easily.”
As the weather continues to get cooler and we slip easily into deep Fall, I suggest cooking up a batch of this slightly lighter, yet savory loaded potato and brussels sprout salad. It features all the seasonally festive flavors you crave with a bright sherry vinegar tang. Amp up the cozy by throwing on a sweater or fluffy blanket and downloading Greg’s albums on iTunes, Spotify, or Apple Music. Wrap yourself up in warmth and his voice, and lull yourself into happiness with a full stomach.
Greg Pratt currently plays On Broadway at AJ’s, Mellow Mushroom, Crazy Town, Jason Aldean’s, Tequila Cowboy, and Luke’s 32 Bridge, as well as multiple songwriter’s showcases. Follow him on Instagram @gregprattcountry and Facebook @gregprattmusic.
