[1] His childhood was spent in Cape Charles, Virginia and was introduced to music at a young age.
[1] In 1936, he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana with his family when his father, Thomas Leroy Grandy, received the opportunity as a pastor at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church.
[5] Grandy quickly became a familiar face in the Indianapolis club circuit, backing visiting musicians such as Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton, and Count Basie.
[1] He earned the nickname "Ground Hog" by his entertainment contemporaries and considered the "Godfather of Indiana Avenue Jazz.
[2] Grandy performed regularly until he moved into the Alpha Nursing Home due to declining health in 1986.