60-463: " All-American Boy " is a song by American singer-songwriter Steve Grand . It was released on August 2, 2013 as Grand's debut single. The song's music video was uploaded to YouTube on July 2, 2013 and immediately went viral ; just eight days later, the video had more than 1,000,000 views. "The world never sees change until people say … I’m going to just do it. I have to do it. That’s why I went all in. I’m not going to play it safe. There’s no room in
120-440: A Christian therapist who, among many other beliefs, believed I'd be happier in a straight life. He didn't shame me for being gay. Most of the focus, we weren't even talking about my sexuality. But certainly his belief that I'd be living a happier life as a heterosexual was indeed harmful. In no way, shape, or form ... do I condone ex-gay therapy. I think it's a horrible practice. There's no scientific basis for it. A person's sexuality
180-563: A bluesy and soulful reprise of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You". In March 2016, Grand and singer/songwriter Eli Lieb co-wrote a duet "Look Away". By November 2016 the music video had received over 1,000,000 views on YouTube. In March 2017, Grand performed at the Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia and Gay Pride Tampa, Florida. Grand made his acting debut in December 2017 on
240-427: A campfire, tells the story of a young man in love with a heterosexual male friend. Grand recorded the vocals in his parents' basement and maxed out his credit card to self-fund the video. The video was directed and edited by filmmaker Jason Knade. BuzzFeed ranked the video for "All-American Boy" on its list of the "24 Most Brilliant Music Videos from 2013", and Out magazine named Grand to its annual "Out100" list of
300-616: A heterosexual world." Grand's first public performance of "All-American Boy" was held live at The Joynt in Chicago on July 6, 2013. He performed the song at his final two gigs at The Joynt on July 12 and 13. On July 18, Grand performed "All-American Boy" on the Chicago morning talk show Windy City Live . Credits and personnel are adapted from the All American Boy album liner notes. Steve Grand Steve Grand (born February 28, 1990)
360-527: A high reputation for color, durability and beauty, which renders it quite an article of commerce”. Cargo and passengers were transported on the I&;M until the early 20th century, when the wider, deeper Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was built parallel to it. The Sanitary Canal is still used today as part of the Illinois Waterway system. Lemont's motto is "Village of Faith", and its church spires reflect
420-562: A master's class and to take part in the Europride festival that was held in the country's capital city. Steve Grand has become a media-sought figure as a gay young artist. In 2013, he appeared on Out magazine's "Out100" list of prominent LGBT people. He also appeared in 2013 on Instinct gay American magazine's cover as one of its "Leading Men". In 2016, Grand was included in Out Magazine's 100 Most Eligible Bachelors. In May 2017 Steve
480-418: A number of pseudonyms; he was a cover model for Australia's DNA magazine in 2011 with a photo session shot by photographer Tom Cullis. He played piano at four Chicago-area churches and at various clubs in Chicago, most notably The Joynt in downtown Chicago, until 2013. He also performed cover songs, including hits by Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars , One Direction and Journey , and uploaded these to YouTube under
540-444: A straight man, although Grand contends that the song is more broadly a "universal story of longing". In an interview with BuzzFeed , Grand explained that the song was inspired by negative experiences he encountered as a gay male throughout his adolescence, including conversion therapy . Grand further explained the meaning of the song: I needed to do something to share the ache and share the pain that I've felt for most of my life. This
600-545: A successful Kickstarter public funding campaign. Just one day after the launch, the original $ 81,000 goal had been reached and in within 5 days, double the original funding goal, and by close, $ 326,593 had been pledged by 4,905 backers. The album titled All-American Boy was released on March 24, 2015. Since releasing his first album, Grand has travelled across the United States performing at Gay Pride Festivals and supporting gay causes. On June 20, 2014, Grand performed at
660-442: A tornado. See Tornadoes of 1991 for more information on the outbreak. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Lemont has a total area of 8.74 square miles (22.64 km ), of which 8.37 square miles (21.68 km ) (or 95.71%) is land and 0.38 square miles (0.98 km ) (or 4.29%) is water. The village has 10 exclaves. As of the 2020 census there were 17,629 people, 5,911 households, and 4,606 families residing in
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#1732845119233720-443: A vocalist in the past and is currently one of the most successful songwriters in the industry. Other openly gay or bisexual male vocalists who have had successful careers in the country music industry as songwriters or musicians have included Jimbeau Hinson , Drake Jensen , Mark Weigle , Brian Glenn, and Shane Stevens. Openly gay country star Chely Wright lauded Grand as "brave" in remarks to Michael Musto of Out.com, saying: "This
780-478: A year. He then returned to Chicago to enroll at the University of Illinois and later left to focus on his musical career. Grand cites a wide range of musical influences, including: The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , Led Zeppelin , Neil Young , Bruce Springsteen , Elton John , Billy Joel , Blink-182 , Green Day , Taking Back Sunday , Brand New , Lady Gaga and Fall Out Boy . Grand told QVegas : "But it
840-489: Is a part of who they are. And I certainly suffered for not having my sexuality affirmed." He came out at age 19, and has attended the Chicago Gay Pride parade. In June 2015, Steve was interviewed by Johnny McGovern and described his coming out process as well as his musical development through his first album. In December 2015, Steve went public with his move toward sobriety. Grand has become an active figure in
900-589: Is a strong suit of Lemont, whose skyline is dominated by two landmark religious edifices: the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago and SS. Cyril and Methodius church in the Polish Cathedral style . Both are situated on the sides of hills, giving an even more dramatic backdrop to their monumental architecture. On June 13, 1976, at 5:18 PM, a killer tornado struck Lemont and took three lives. 23 were injured, 87 homes were destroyed and 82 more were damaged. Damage to
960-606: Is also unique in boasting an authentic historic district that remains intact and has been continually used since the 19th century. In 2016, the Lemont Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Both Lemont's history and architectural uniqueness connect to the Illinois and Michigan Canal (I&M Canal). Construction of the I&M Canal began in 1837 and stands as one of
1020-461: Is an American singer, songwriter and model from Lemont, Illinois , a Chicago suburb. He became an overnight internet celebrity and the music video of his first hit " All-American Boy " went viral on YouTube in less than a week in July 2013. This attention landed Grand on Good Morning America , CNN and other national media. In addition to being a musician, Grand has become an active figure in
1080-403: Is hopefully just the very beginning of a career for me. The video almost immediately went viral . Just eight days later, "All-American Boy" had more than 1 million views. The song, set against a backdrop of country roads, an American flag and friends around a campfire, tells the story of a young man in love with a heterosexual male friend. Although Grand has received mostly positive reaction to
1140-461: Is the story I wanted to tell. This is who I want to be. I owe that. I owe that to all the people who have felt this. The music video was directed by Jason Knade at various locations in Wisconsin , also featuring cinematography by Brendan Leahy. The video was entirely financed by Grand for a cost of approximately $ 7,000, with the majority of actors in the video being Grand's friends. In an interview with
1200-424: Is uncharted territory, as you know. I came out after having been in the business for years. He's trying to get into the business." On a number of interviews and media appearances, Grand disputes himself being a country artist. In an interview with Time Out , New York in preparation for the launching of his debut album All-American Boy , he says: "There's a lot of talk about me being a country artist, and that
1260-474: The Los Angeles Times , Grand explained that "there was no Plan B" with the creation of the video, commenting that he maxed out his own credit card when financing the project. The video was uploaded to Grand's YouTube account on July 2, 2013. Grand described the release of the video as "very grass-roots", sharing the video on both YouTube and Facebook in hopes that it would go viral . Grand explained that
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#17328451192331320-520: The Gulf of Mexico . Immigrant workers, mostly Irish , settled in Lemont to work on the canal and later moved along the corridor of the canal, improving farms within the many communities that sprang up along it. In digging, workers discovered Lemont yellow dolomite , a harder and finer grained version of limestone . This delayed digging of the canal, but was the start of the area's second industry, quarrying . By
1380-635: The Metallurgical Laboratory of the University of Chicago moved into the nearby Argonne Forest preserves to carry out Enrico Fermi 's work on nuclear reactors for the Manhattan Project . After the war, Argonne National Laboratory was designated as the first national laboratory in the United States on July 1, 1946. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor as
1440-509: The 18th century, French voyageurs traveled down the Des Plaines River, trading Native Americans metal, beads and cloth for animal furs. Lemont was originally known as Keepataw (after a Potawatomi chief) and a post office was established in 1840 as Keepatau . After that, it was named Athens and then Palmyra . The name Lemont (literally, 'the mountain' in French) was chosen in 1850 at
1500-491: The Billboard independent charts for the week of July 21, 2018. By age 13, Grand had come to the realization that he was gay and struggled to gain acceptance of his sexuality within his Catholic family and faith. He came out to friends starting in eighth grade. On Good Morning America Steve shared how difficult it was for him to come out to his parents as a high school student—saying with obvious emotion "I felt like I
1560-532: The Blue Ribbon award in 2019. Public schools in Lemont include: Private/parochial schools: Productions filmed in Lemont include: Lemont has a station on Metra 's Heritage Corridor , which provides weekday rail service between Joliet and Chicago Union Station . In 2007, the Interstate 355 tollway extension opened, providing Lemont with more direct access to the Chicago expressway system. An interchange
1620-657: The Great Lakes region, received 4th place after losing to the Beaverton, Oregon , team and was the only team to beat the champions from Georgia . Upon returning home, the Lemont team received a parade down State Street in honor of their achievements. The BMW Championship (PGA Tour) , and the prior Western Open , were held in unincorporated Lemont township between 1991 and 2007, and 2009 to 2011. Cog Hill Golf & Country Club has subsequently rejected incorporation into Lemont and has agreed to incorporate into Palos Park. The tournament
1680-649: The IHSA State Championships in the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017. In 2020, the Lemont High School wrestling program won the 2020 IHSA Class 2A Dual Team State Championship and set a school record for wins. Three National Blue Ribbon Schools are located in Lemont, recognized by the US Department of Education for excellence in student achievement. Lemont High School received the Blue Ribbon award in 2017. Saints Cyril and Methodius School received
1740-664: The LGBT equality movement. He released his debut album titled All American Boy financed by a successful Kickstarter public funding campaign. The follow-up album Not the End of Me was released in 2018. Grand grew up in the town of Lemont, Illinois , which he has "lovingly described as one of the 'blandest suburbs outside of Chicago'." Grand started writing music when he was 11 years old. After graduating from Lemont High School , Grand attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee , for
1800-670: The LGBT equality movement. In addition to being a singer-songwriter and performer, Grand has performed at Pride events – and has partnered with The Human Rights Campaign The Anti-Violence Project, Bailey House , the GLSEN Respect Awards , Out & Equal Workplace Advocates and the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality. In 2014, he was one of the performers at the opening ceremonies of WorldPride in Toronto , Ontario , Canada. In June 2015, Steve Grand visited Riga, Latvia, to teach
1860-616: The Lemont Area Historical Society. The oldest building in Lemont, it now serves as a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . During the Civil War, Lemont was required to sign up 33 soldiers, the village recruited 293 soldiers; only 63 returned. The Lemont Civil War Memorial Committee was formed to build a memorial to honor Lemont's Civil War veterans. The monument was dedicated in 2008 in Legion Park at
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1920-695: The U.S. State Department. He and his band promoted LGBT rights in Austria. While in Austria, he gave a talk and did a video for the local NGO "It Gets Better." He gave a concert hosted by the Tri-Mission Ambassadors at the residence of Ambassador Alexa Wesner, a concert for Vienna's LGBT community as well as a concert at the Pride festival in Graz. He also performed at Europride in Riga, Latvia. In December 2015, Grand produced
1980-589: The WorldPride Toronto 2014 opening ceremonies. Steve Grand performed during the ceremony along with Melissa Etheridge, Deborah Cox, and Tom Robinson. Toronto, with a population of approximately 6.4 million people, held 3 marches over 3 days: Trans march, Dyke march, and the WorldPride Parade. In June 2015, Grand made his first trip to Europe as an Arts Envoy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for
2040-404: The average family size was 2.85. The village's age distribution consisted of 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median income for a household in the village
2100-538: The canal was used to carry wastes away from Chicago. In 1900, the larger Sanitary and Ship Canal went into operation, carrying both wastes and larger, more modern barges . All use of the I&M Canal ended in 1933, with the opening of the canal's modern successor - the Illinois Waterway. By about 1920, the quarries declined as styles changed and builders began to use Bedford limestone from Indiana and less expensive materials like concrete. During World War II ,
2160-595: The east end of Main Street, opposite the Metra Station. Of the 293 soldiers sent to fight in the war, only 243 names of the enlisted soldiers are known. Among them is Cpl. John Warden, the only Lemont resident ever awarded the Medal of Honor. By 1854, railroads transported goods faster than water, and the I&M became obsolete as Lemont evolved into a railroad community; the village was incorporated on June 9, 1873. Increasingly,
2220-590: The few buildings to survive the destructive path of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871". In the early years, this stone was known as " Athens Marble " as a nod to its place of origin. An 1859 item in the Chicago Daily Tribune had this to say: “The Athens and DesPlaines quarries, situated on the Illinois and Michigan canal, embrace 335 acres of the finest stone in the West, known as “Athens Marble”. This stone has
2280-410: The high school alone was estimated at $ 500,000 (equivalent to $ 2,680,000 in 2023 ). Many people reported watching neighbors' homes explode, implode, shattering before their eyes. Cited as an unusual tornado, it backed up on its path before heading North, somewhat parallel to its path of origin. See Tornadoes of 1976 for more information on the outbreak. On March 27, 1991, Lemont was again hit by
2340-457: The intention of the video was "me coming out as totally myself", in hopes that it would resonate with listeners. Following the release of the video, Grand said, [The video has] really resonated for those people who haven’t had a voice. I feel this giant responsibility to be there for them, even if I’m never on the radio because people aren’t comfortable with a guy singing about a guy – or because I don’t write poppy enough music. ‘All-American Boy’
2400-651: The last major canal undertakings in the United States (the Hennepin Canal opened in 1907). When it was completed in 1848, it provided a continuous waterway stretching from New York (through the Erie Canal , Lake Erie , Lake Huron and Lake Michigan to Chicago, then through the I&M Canal for 97 miles (156 km) entering the Illinois River at LaSalle, Illinois , to the Mississippi River, to New Orleans ) to
2460-729: The many ethnic groups who came here to quarry stone, dig the Sanitary and Ship Canal and work in other industries. Lemont is credited with being the largest recruiting station for the Union Army during the American Civil War , and the Old Stone Church, built in 1861 of limestone, was used as a recruiting depot. It served as the Lemont Methodist Episcopal Church for 100 years, from 1861 until 1970, when it became home to
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2520-465: The mid-19th century, limestone quarrying took over as the main economic factor in Lemont and sustained its growth. The town's important major buildings were faced with the Lemont limestone, abundant in local quarries. Today, 38 of those buildings remain as the Lemont downtown district. Lemont limestone was used to build the Chicago Water Tower , a building that "gained special significance as one of
2580-424: The name Steve [Starchild] . However, Grand wanted to release original music. On July 2, 2013, Grand uploaded a music video for his song " All-American Boy " to YouTube—producing it himself at a cost of US$ 7,000. The video almost immediately went viral. Just eight days later, "All-American Boy" had more than 1 million views. The song, set against a backdrop of country roads, an American flag and friends around
2640-520: The nation's first National Heritage Corridor . The status recognizes the historic importance of this region and the waterway that connected Lake Michigan and the Illinois River. Today, it is a 100-mile-long (160 km) cultural park between Chicago and LaSalle/ Peru , representing an ongoing partnership between the public and private sectors created to achieve a successful mixture of preservation, public use and industrial activity. Sacred architecture
2700-593: The opposite side. Lemont is home to Argonne National Laboratory and other heavy industrial sites, and has a substantial European immigrant population. Before European settlers arrived in Lemont, Native Americans traveled the Des Plaines River in birch bark canoes on trading trips between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan . The native Potawatomi lived off the land in this area, directly using natural resources for food, shelter, clothing and medicine. In
2760-411: The population. There were 5,911 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.64% were married couples living together, 7.58% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.08% were non-families. 18.74% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.06% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and
2820-512: The record. So I think that will surprise people. But I'm a songwriter, and I've always been much more concerned about just the basic elements, the lyric and the melody rather than the production." Metrosource wrote that All-American Boy has "disparate" song styles, but it "works as a cohesive unit - rarely seen today...." On September 6, 2013, Grand released "Stay", the follow-up single to "All-American Boy". followed by "Time" in 2014. He announced plans to release his debut album financed by
2880-465: The song, some gay activists have criticized its content, with one stating that its message is that "Gay men drink too much, feel sorry for themselves, and come on to straight dudes when their girlfriends aren't around." Writing for Slate , J. Bryan Lowder had an even harsher take on the video, describing it as "woefully out-of-tune with the times. It's like something out of a homo smut story from before Stonewall ", and adding "this particular narrative of
2940-479: The suggestion of Lemuel Brown, the postmaster and justice of the peace, or perhaps by his brother Nathaniel Brown. Established in 1836, the village of Lemont stands as one of the oldest American communities in northeastern Illinois. It is historically significant for its role in transforming the northern region of the state from a sparsely settled frontier to a commercial, agricultural, and industrial region that supplied Chicago and areas beyond with commodities. Lemont
3000-514: The tantalizing straight guy and lovesick queen is so hackneyed in gay culture as to be laughable." Grand has said that he appreciates different perspectives regarding his work. In an interview with The New Civil Rights Movement , he also said: "When I made that video, I did not set out to make any statements about gay people other than what we share in common with our straight brothers and sisters—that sometimes you love someone you can’t have. I know that especially rings true for gay people who grow up in
3060-444: The village. The population density was 2,017.05 inhabitants per square mile (778.79/km ). There were 6,773 housing units at an average density of 774.94 per square mile (299.21/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 89.29% White , 0.91% African American , 0.11% Native American , 2.45% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 1.38% from other races , and 5.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.12% of
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#17328451192333120-587: The web series "Falling for Angels" (a Here TV/Pride Media project). During the summers of 2017 and 2018, Grand took up residence in Provincetown, Massachusetts , while performing weekly at the Art House. Grand's second album, "Not the End of Me," was released on July 6, 2018. The music on this album reflects Grand's development as an artist and performer with a wide array of songs capturing his moods and personal experience. Not The End Of Me appeared at number 10 on
3180-474: The world to play it safe. You have kids killing themselves. Sure, there’s been progress politically, but there’s all these rural places in America, especially, that are very homophobic." —Steve Grand talking to the Los Angeles Times about his decision to be open with his sexuality in the song. "All-American Boy" was written solely by Grand. The narrative of the song focuses on a gay man's unrequited love for
3240-724: The year's most compelling LGBT people. On July 18, 2013, Grand made his television debut, performing "All-American Boy" on WLS-TV produced program Windy City Live . Some media have claimed that Grand is the "first openly gay male country singer", although this has been disputed. Grand does not claim to be the first of his kind, and often talks with praise about the trailblazers who have come before him. Several gay male country musicians have toured gay bars and other venues for decades, beginning with Patrick Haggerty's band Lavender Country in 1972, and two months before Grand's video hit, The New York Times profiled openly gay singer/songwriter Shane McAnally , who has had charted songs as
3300-631: Was $ 114,509, and the median income for a family was $ 133,456. Males had a median income of $ 75,542 versus $ 43,283 for females. The per capita income for the village was $ 45,675. About 4.4% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over. In 2006, the Lemont Little League All-Star team traveled to the 60th Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania . The team, which represented
3360-497: Was Dad who got me started. He would listen to a song and tell stories about what each song meant to him: where he was in life, who he was dating, what car he was driving. He made me realize the lasting power of music -- how a great song can take you back to the moment you first heard it. From that point on, I knew that's what I wanted to do in life, create something so real and beautiful that it stays with its listener forever." Prior to launching his musical career, Grand modeled under
3420-452: Was a shame to my parents and that there was no way I could ever make them proud"․ When his parents learned of his homosexuality , they encouraged him to seek counseling that would last five years. While some have called his therapy conversion therapy , he has not. In an interview with Michael Musto of Out.com, Grand said: "I want to make it clear that it's been misrepresented that I went through what most people know as conversion therapy. I saw
3480-493: Was named the #3 most eligible Gay Bachelor by Attitude Magazine. Lemont, Illinois Lemont is a village located in Cook , DuPage , and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois , and is a south-west suburb of Chicago . The population was 17,629 as of the 2020 census . The village is situated on a hillside along the south banks of the Des Plaines River . It overlooks Waterfall Glen's Midwestern Bluff Savanna on
3540-532: Was played at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club , which was founded in 1927. The Ruffled Feathers Golf Club is located in Lemont. In 2008, the girls' 11-year-old Lemont Little League All-Star team traveled to Beardstown, Illinois , for the state tournament and won the state title. In 2009, a new group of 11-year-old All-Stars from Lemont won the State Championship for a second consecutive year. The Lemont High School varsity cheerleading team placed first at
3600-420: Was the headline from the start: Gay country artist . I never really identified with that — I certainly didn't put that out there myself, and I've never done anything to affirm that label. That was something that was just placed on me. I mean, I understand, [the song] "All-American Boy" does sound country, and the video is certainly very country. But there's stuff that's very dance-pop with not a trace of country on
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