Season 2, Show 6, on March 21, 2026
Text by Sylvia Mallory
Photo by B. Jacobsen
With spring newly arrived, Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry brought fresh harmonies, breezy chemistry, and perfectly toned musicianship to New Song on March 21. Through their two-set playlist they traded headliner and sideman roles by turns to keep the program dynamic. Grammer demonstrated her impressive talent in emotive vocals, acoustic guitar, and violin, while Henry supported the songs with his smooth vocals and mastery of acoustic and electric guitar and mandolin.
Their themes ranged from navigating relationships and coping with life’s curve balls to sharing childhood experiences and managing the heartache of losing loved ones. Along the way there was playful storytelling, audience participation, and more.
Among the first set’s highlights were “Since You Been Gone,” “Hole,” and a cover of Steve Earle’s soulful “Goodbye.” Henry’s humorously poignant “1967”—a “100% true song” according to the songwriter—shifted the mood and tempo as it related an episode from his youth at his family’s Kansas lake house. His haunting “Sound of the Whistle Blow,” with Grammer accompanying him on violin, recalled the ups and downs of his touring days on the road, apart from his family and ever on the move between gigs.
Their second set began with a mining theme. Grammer’s gentle ballad “Forty-Niner” spotlighted the “urban forty-niner/sweet civilian silver miner” gambler who succumbed to an endless cycle of winning and losing while holding on to hopes of a big win. And Henry’s “Coal Miner Man” memorialized a true story about a mining accident that took 29 lives.
The mood again lightened with the duo’s rendition of Henry’s “Drive-in Movie Picture Show,” offering a glimpse of his parents’ ongoing bewilderment over “what to do with all those damned kids” (Henry had 5 siblings). References to “$2.50 for the carload,” kids in pajamas, and popcorn everywhere rang responsive chords for listeners.
In “The Verdant Mile,” an upbeat tribute to the memory of her musical partner and soulmate Dave Carter, Grammer recollected personal and professional losses in her life, notably Carter’s sudden passing in 2002. Henry followed with his arrangement of Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires,” and the delightful show wound down with Grammer’s tender delivery of “Gregory Dean.” A true story, the tune recalled how, as a callow 12-year-old working in her parents’ factory in a “summer like no other,” Grammer befriended an older high school boy who would become the unforgettable Gregory Dean. The duo’s encore, Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty,” enlisted the capacity crowd’s harmonies to close out the evening.
Post-concert, we appreciated receiving a kind note from Tracy. She thanked us for making her and Jim feel so welcome, and she complimented the sound quality, volunteer hospitality, and audience energy that characterized the show. We’re grateful to have hosted these two charming, multitalented artists, and we welcome them to come back anytime.