Josh Gracin - Biography

Biography

Gracin was born on October 18, 1980 and raised in Westland, Michigan to parents Mario and Brenda Gracin. He has four sisters, Stacy, April, Melissa and Kristen. He grew up listening to Elvis, the Beatles and the vintage rock and pop on a favorite station locally. When he was 11, the station changed its format to country, and he began listening to artists such as Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, George Strait and Randy Travis, who immediately caught his interest.“There’s not another genre that better reflects situations in my life,” Josh said. Josh's vocal debut was in an Easter musical presented by his local church. His first public appearance was at an eighth grade talent competition where he sang Brooks' 1993 hit "Standing Outside the Fire" and easily won over an audience full of more traditional dance music-loving cohorts.

Later in various school productions and talent shows, Gracin auditioned for and won a national pop orchestra and vocal competition, known as the Fairlane Youth Pops Orchestra, as the only male and just a sophomore in high school. During his entire high school career Josh performed at state festivals, fairs and pageants throughout the State of Michigan. At sixteen he performed on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in a national talent show and recorded a demo CD in Nashville. Upon graduation from John Glenn High School in Westland, he attended Western Michigan University before he joined the United States Marine Corps. After basic training, he came home and married, and eventually became a supply clerk at Camp Pendleton outside of San Diego, California.