This is the story of "The Singing Soldier”, Graham, Trude.
Graham was born February 14, 1987 in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. Four years into his life music hit him while watching his oldest brother John playing acoustic guitar. From there, a lifelong journey was set into motion. His early influences were the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Tragically Hip and George Strait. Graham’s parents were strong guides for him, his mother Janet, an entrepreneur, and his father John, a 42 year career Police officer. Along with his parents influences, Graham followed in his brother Bill’s footsteps and joined the Canadian Armed Forces after completing his college diploma in Police Foundations from Sir Sandford Fleming College, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. 

In 2007 Graham signed up to be an armoured corps solider and completed his military training in St. Jean, Quebec, and Gagetown NewBrunswick. Trude deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 for a tour of duty on task force 3/09 with the Lord Strathcona’s Horse tank regiment (b sqn) based in Edmonton, Alberta. For majority of Trude’s time in theatre, he was a frontline tank driver in Kandahar, Panjwai district and surrounding areas of operation attached to the Quick Reaction Force.

Upon completing his service, Graham returned to Canada where he met his wife Kimberley, a former figure skater, and began using songwriting as therapy to deal with his trauma and the loss of his comrades. 

In 2011, while playing in Nipawin, Saskatchewan for Wounded Warriors Weekend, Graham was introduced to his longtime friends, country music hall of fame legends, The Good Brothers. Before each of Grahams performances, The Good Brothers would announce Graham as “The Singing Soldier” which began his nickname throughout his music career. 

In 2014, Graham joined the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service to patrol the most remote northern fly in indigenous communities of Ontario, Canada. Trude later transferred to the Orangeville Police Service in late 2015 and retired from his career in Policing 2020. Throughout his policing career, Trude received 2 nominations and 1 Chief of Police award for his efforts in life saving while on duty. 

In 2019, The  past came back to haunt Graham as he hit rock bottom battling his demons by self medicating. With the support of the Edgewood trauma and addictions program in Nanaimo, British Columbia and his family, Graham was able to regain his stability and continues to use all of the tools in his arsenal regularly to help himself and others struggling. 

Using music as medicine, and daily songwriting as his personal therapy,“a song a day keeps the demons away”, Graham has embarked on a full time music journey. In 2021, Graham wrote and recorded his debut EP entitled “PTSD” and founded Countrycore Records Inc. producing and managing modern and legacy Canadian talent. Trude is currently producing his next album which will be released throughout 2024 along with The Good Brothers 50th anniversary record. 

Trude plays an active role in the veteran and first responder wellness communities surrounding Georgian Bay, Ontario area where he resides with his wife Kimberley and son Weylen. 

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