Grant Livingston

south florida's historian in song

photo by Dustin Angell

Singer/Songwriter Grant Livingston has been advocating for Florida's environment since the 1980s. He is passionate about protecting our natural heritage. He wants his audience to laugh, to think, to sing-along, to believe, and ultimately to be the ones who make a difference for our future.

Upbeat, with an offbeat sense of humor, Grant has written about the Everglades, Melaleuca trees, pythons, armadillos, barnacles, and native plants, and the people who have shaped Florida history. His musical style draws on ragtime, country-blues, swing, Vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. He’s got a bit of 1960s troubadour in him, too. Grant's songs appeal to the child in grownups, and to the adult in kids. He often plays for schools, museums, and other children's programs.

Grant was Artist-in-Residence in Everglades National Park (AIRIE) in 2019 and has partnered with organizations like Tropical Audubon, Florida Native Plant Society and more. He has appeared every year at the Florida Folk Festival since 1987, and other festivals like the Will McLean Festival. Concerts at National and State Parks including Biscayne, Big Cypress, Everglades, Barnacle, Stephen Foster, Pennekamp, Highlands Hammock, Sebastian Inlet, Myakka River, MacArthur Beach and Hillsborough River. Numerous radio appearances include Miami's WLRN, Tampa's WMNF, and Gainesville's WRUF.

Grant works with National Park Ranger Gary Bremen to present Songs and Stories of Our National Parks. Together they tell the story of America's best idea, our National Parks. They have appeared at Yosemite National Park, Pullman National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, and at many venues throughout Florida. Gary and Grant appear as part of Princeton and Yale Univerity's Climate Storytellers Summit in April 2025.

Teaching and mentoring songwriters is important to Grant as well. Along with fellow songwriter Janet Goodman, he coordinates the South Florida chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. He has taught songwriting at Miami-Dade College and to kids and adults at Folk Festivals and other venues throughout Florida.

Livingston's has four CDs of original songs to his credit, including One Everglades, Florida Rain, Let Me Off The Leash, and The One That Got Away. Many of his more recent recordings are available online.