Hear Little with his band The Sunday Drivers at venues like Frontier Lounge, King Street Dispensary, and Blind Tiger Pub
Grayson Little performed at the Darius Rucker-curated Riverfront Revival in October 2023.
“I consider this my ministry, in a way,” says Grayson Little of his seven-gigs-a-week schedule playing covers and original country songs around town. “Instead of church pews, it’s barstools.”
Little, the son of a Southern Baptist minister, grew up in Charleston before leaving for Liberty University. He lasted a year in college, ultimately landing in Colorado as a church worship leader. Little auditioned for American Idol and made it in 2019, fueling his confidence as a performer. He soon returned South, where he found a job leading music at Seacoast Church, a role he stepped away from earlier this year to pursue music full-time. “I was playing in bars until after midnight, then setting the alarm for 4 a.m. to warm my voice back up before church,” Little recalls. “Now when I go [to church], I can be there to listen and learn.”
Although Little’s faith shapes his songwriting, it’s not overt in his lyrics. Instead, his songs are personal accounts of his own peaks and valleys, stemming from his “messy ass divorce” in 2022 and his brushes with fame as a singer. “Take Me Down River,” his most successful song (with more than a quarter-million streams on Spotify) has a gospel sing-along feel as he pleads, “Wash me in light, and know that my soul is unclean/ Bury the old me beneath the shade of the pine/ The new ones I’m trying to leave.”
“Delilah” draws from his breakup (“She’ll cut your hair and break your heart”), while “Mountain Mama Queen” is a more celebratory “love found” track. Little releases songs one at a time, forgoing the traditional album route so far. Each track is recorded with local producer Wolfgang Zimmerman before going to a designer for art. Releases to Spotify and Apple Music are accompanied by pushes for playlist placement. “It’s a tough industry to figure out, but I like playing the game,” he says.
Little plays doubleheader shows almost every weekend with his band, the Sunday Drivers, in addition to solo gigs. They’re regulars at Frontier Lounge, King Street Dispensary, Share House, and Blind Tiger Pub.
Grayson releases songs—including “Man Like Me” and “Space Station”—with accompanying artwork one at a time.
His summer 2024 release, “Space Station,” launched with a music video featuring Little and bassist Gordon Weatherford in space suits playing on Chalmers Street and in a horse-drawn carriage. The suits have become a part of the Sunday Drivers’ onstage presence (including guitarist Mark Weaver and a rotating cast of drummers).
In September, Little released “Man Like Me,” a song that finds him reentering the dating world. It’s followed this month and next by “Lonely” (a cowrite with songwriter Mel Washington) and “Need It,” both of which lean on the forlorn country singer vibe.
Little calls his sound “pluff mud country,” drawing from Charleston’s sunny ethos while tackling the tougher parts of life. Through the late nights, he keeps a faith that’s survived emotional turmoil. “When the opportunity comes, we’re sending this to the moon,” Little proclaims. “I write songs that I feel have been given to me, and I know I have to give everything for what I’m called to do. I’d rather die broke with nobody knowing my name than feel like I deserve a space and never go after it.”
Space Cowboy: WATCH the music video for Grayson Little’s song ”Space Station,” filmed in downtown Charleston.
