Grant was born as Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the eldest of six children of Russian Jewish parents, Rose (née Jacobson) and Alexander Arinsberg. At the age of 12, she moved to Los Angeles, where she attended Venice High School. In California, she won a teenage singing contest and appeared on television talent shows.
She worked as a car salesperson in the early 1950s.In 1952 she began to record, using first the name "Audrey Brown" and later "Audrey Grant." She was given the name "Gogi" by Dave Kapp, the head of Artists and Repertory at RCA Victor, who liked to patronize a restaurant called "Gogi's LaRue." (Another source says that Grant asked Kapp, "What is a Gogi?" She continued, "His answer was, 'Darned if I know, I dreamed it last night.'")
In 1955 Grant signed with a small record company, Era Records, and had her first top ten hit with "Suddenly There's a Valley." The next year, she had an even bigger hit, reaching number 1 on Billboard 's Top 100 chart with "The Wayward Wind" and holding there for six weeks. The song sold over one million copies in the United States alone, and peaked at No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart. She was voted the most popular female vocalist by Billboard magazine. This single returned to the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961.
In 1957, she supplied the vocals for Ann Blyth's portrayal of Helen Morgan in the biographical film, The Helen Morgan Story. The soundtrack occasioned her return to RCA Victor (the soundtrack album climbed to No. 25 in the Billboard album chart), where she had a minor hit the following year with "Strange Are the Ways of Love." Moreover, she was signed to star in The Big Beat in the spring of 1957. The film, which featured musical performances by the Cal Tjader Quintet, George Shearing, and the Del Vikings, was produced and directed by William Cowan and released in February 1958.
In 1958, Grant was one of the three solo singers featured in the first stereo LP of the classic musical Show Boat. The other solo singers were Howard Keel, who had appeared in the 1951 film version of the show, and Anne Jeffreys.
Although she made albums and appeared on television into the 1960s, her popularity declined and she initially retired from singing in 1967 after a final US chart single, "The Sea" (top 20 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart). An album of hers was released in UK some 20 years later. Grant survived cancer surgery and was in remission. In 2004, aged 80, she made an appearance on the PBS 1950s pop music special Magic Moments and sang "The Wayward Wind."
Grant headlined with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies in Palm Springs, California. One of her more notable appearances of her later years was with the Follies on December 31, 2006. She was still performing as late as 2013, at the age of 89.
In 1959, Grant married attorney Robert Rifkind. The couple had two children.
Grant died on March 10, 2016, aged 91. Her death was announced by her son, Joshua Beckett. She also had a daughter, Jeri Brown.
The Wayward Wind
Gogi Grant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And he was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
In a lonely shack by a railroad track
He spent his younger days
And I guess the sound of the outward-bound
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And he was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
Oh, I met him there in a border town
He vowed we'd never part
Though he tried his best to settle down
I'm now alone with a broken heart
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And he was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
The next of kin to the wayward wind
Gogi Grant's "The Wayward Wind" is a song about a man who is constantly on the move, unable to stay in one place for too long. The titular "wayward wind" represents his restless spirit, one that is always yearning to wander. The song's opening lines set the stage for this theme, describing the wind as "restless" and "yearning to wander." This wind is a metaphor for the man's wandering spirit and inability to settle down, as he is "born the next of kin to the wayward wind."
The song quickly establishes the man's background, describing his youth spent in a "lonely shack by a railroad track." The sound of trains passing by likely contributed to his fascination with travel and the unknown, making him a "slave to his wanderin' ways." Despite meeting the singer in a border town and vowing never to part, the man is ultimately unable to settle down and leaves the singer alone with a broken heart. The song's final lines reiterate the man's connection to the wayward wind, making him the "next of kin to the wayward wind" and reinforcing the idea that his wandering nature is ingrained within him.
Line by Line Meaning
The wayward wind is a restless wind
The wind is unpredictable and always on the move, a symbol of restlessness.
A restless wind that yearns to wander
The wind is never content in one place and constantly seeks new experiences and opportunities to explore.
And he was born the next of kin
The singer is comparing the wind to a person, stating that it seems to have a will and purpose in its actions.
The next of kin to the wayward wind
The wind is seen as having a family or lineage, suggesting that it is a recurring force that will always exist.
In a lonely shack by a railroad track
The personification of the wind is juxtaposed with the image of a desolate place, emphasizing its restless nature and its distance from human connection.
He spent his younger days
The wind is described as having a past - again, giving it a human element.
And I guess the sound of the outward-bound
The singer is trying to explain why the wind is the way that it is, theorizing that it was influenced by the sound of trains and the lure of the unknown.
Made him a slave to his wanderin' ways
The wind is depicted as a prisoner to its own tendencies towards wandering and wandering.
Oh, I met him there in a border town
The singer is recalling a personal experience of encountering the wind.
He vowed we'd never part
The singer personifies the wind again, imbuing it with a sense of loyalty and attachment to them.
Though he tried his best to settle down
The singer implies that the wind made an effort to change its ways for them, but ultimately couldn't do so.
I'm now alone with a broken heart
The wind's inability to be tamed or controlled has caused the artist pain and heartbreak.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: Herbert Newman, Stanley R. Lebowsky
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind