[1][2][3][4] Grenell had his first professional engagement in 1962, the year he finished high school, after placing third in a nationwide TV contest "Have a Shot".

[citation needed] He sang in America, Australia, Canada, England, and South Africa, and at various TV series, special events and a Royal Command performance.

[1] During his early years, he worked as a farmhand on the Glenrown farm in Kyeburn that was, and still is today, owned by the Greer Family.

[citation needed] They lived in Whitecliffs, on a Canterbury foothills farm, and bred Appaloosa horses.

[citation needed] He was interested in the outdoor environment, particularly high country tussock and watershed areas.