Leah Marlene from American Idol was born to her Parents; Derry And Deanna Grehan. Below you’ll learn about the couple’s age, marriage, job, and other related details.
Keep scrolling down to learn more starting with.
Who Are American Idol Leah Marlene Parents?
American Idol contestant Leah Marlene was born to her parents Derry Grehan and Deanna Grehan. Her parents tied the knots on 1 September 1995. In September 2021, Derry and Deanna celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary.
Derry and Deanna met each other at the Peoria record store during the tour with Heart.
“She was just the cutest thing,” Derry told in an interview. They had a long-distance relationship for several years while Honeymoon Suite basked in the success of a second album and worked on a third.
“The third album didn’t break us through,” Derry said. “It was great in Canada, but not over the top in the States.” In the meantime, Deanna moved to Canada and got married there.
“I’m essentially a stay-at-home dad when I’m not on the road,” Derry shared about his role in the lives of his children. “We’re both very involved with the kids and their school. I really miss them when I’m gone.”
Learn more about her parents.
Meet American Idol Leah Marlene Dad, Derry Grehan
Derry Grehan has played an instrumental role in his daughter Leah Marlene’s career. Not only did he instill the love of music in her, but he also collaborated with his daughter for her music. There are videos of father-daughter playing music on YouTube.
Derry’s dad was a doctor and classical pianist. When he was five years old, his father pushed him to take piano lessons, but all he wanted to do was play the guitar. Derry’s father agreed to buy him a guitar if he continued to play the piano. He switched to guitar at the age of 11.
“Then I discovered rock ‘n’ roll,” he explained in an interview. Now, he is working to build his daughter’s career. Derry is a proud father. In June 2020, on Leah’s birthday, Derry wished her, “Happy 19th Birthday to my girl Leah!! We love you so much…..let’s have an awesome day today.
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Derry Grehan Age
Born on July 10, 1957, Derry Grehan is 64 years old as of April 2022.
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Derry Grehan Job/Career
Derry Grehan moved to London, Ont. in 1977 to attend Fanshawe College. He graduated with a diploma in Music Production in 1981 and then relocated to Toronto where he played and wrote songs for several recording acts.
He started out by playing with local bands at 16. After meeting lead singer Johnnie Dee in 1981, Derry joined Honeymoon Suite and began writing songs for the band.
Derry and Johnnie Dee started the band Honeymoon Suite in 1982. The group was named Honeymoon Suite because Johnnie is from Niagara Falls, the honeymoon capital of the world.
They entered a demo of “New Girl Now” for a local radio station’s Homegrown Contest in Toronto in 1983. They won the competition that year and were signed to Warner Music Canada and Warner Bros. in the United States.
Derry wrote every song on Honeymoon Suite’s first self-titled album, which was released in Canada and the United States in 1983. It was an instant hit, with over 300,000 copies sold in Canada alone, thanks to the track “New Girl Now,” which was also heavily promoted on MTV and MuchMusic and the rest is history.
In an interview with SoundBetter, he said, “The 2nd Honeymoon Suite album entitled “The Big Prize” was one of our best. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn and Bob Rock it sounded amazing. I feel my guitar playing and writing were in top form and I am proud of that album.”
He has written and played on 11 Honeymoon Suite albums over the band’s 35-year career.
Derry cited Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mutt Lange, Bruce Fairbairn, Bob Rock, Peter Gabriel, David Gilmour, and Keith Urban as his musical influences. He is a multi-instrumentalist playing lead & rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards.
Derry considered his music style as ” a hybrid between the classical/blues-rock style of Ritchie Blackmore and the “play from the gut” style of Eddie Van Halen, with a little of the Mick Jones “Foreigner” style riffing thrown in.”
Fun Fact: In Derry Grehan’s studio in the basement of his home guitars fill one of the walls. His favorite has yellow tire tracks running across its body. Derry did it on a whim during one of his band’s tours, using the spare tire from his rental K car. It kind of became his signature.
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Is Derry Grehan On Instagram?
Yes, Derry Grehan is on Instagram (@therealderrygrehan). He has a Facebook page (@DerryGrehan1) and a personal Facebook account (@dgrehan).
Meet American Idol Leah Marlene Mom, Deanna Grehan
Deanna Grehan, the mom of Leah Marlene, was born to her mother Judy Roberson in Illinois.
Judy is married to Jim McGinnes and lives in Bloomington. Deanna’s sister Debbie L Miller passed away on 11 October 2020. She also has a brother named Rex (wife Annette) Urban, of Washington. Her grandparents were Virgil and Doris Roberson and Harold and Elizabeth McGinnes.
Deanna’s husband Derry has also written a song with her name titled Hey Deanna. On her birthday in August 2019, Derry wished her via a FB post. He wrote, “Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Deanna today!! She is in Nashville today moving our daughter Leah into her college dorm. She is a super wife, super Mom, super everything, does way too much for everybody around her, and not enough for herself. I am a very lucky guy. And I can’t say enough about how proud I am of our 2 amazing kids, Shea and Leah. Deanna has been a huge part of the reason they turned out so great. Love You!”.
Her maiden name is Liscavage.
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Deanna Grehan Age
Born in 1966, as of 2022, Deanna Grehan is 55 years old. She celebrates her birthday on 16 August.
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Deanna Grehan Job
By trade, Deanna Grehan is a personal trainer. She secured her license to become a personal trainer from the American Council of Exercise. She started her career in December 2008. Starting from 2020, she is also a Registered Yoga Teacher at Yoga Alliance. She is a graduate of Normal Community High School.
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Is Deanna Grehan On Instagram?
Deanna Grehan is on Facebook (@grehan1). She is also on Instagram (@21deanna).
Related FAQs
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Are American Idol Leah Marlene Parents Still Married?
Yes, American Idol Leah Marlene’s parents are still married as of April 2022.
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How Many Kids Do American Idol Leah Marlene Parents Have?
American Idol Leah Marlene’s parents have two children, that includes Leah.
Leah has an older brother named Shea Grehan. Born in 1998, now 24-year-old is a professional photographer. His area of expertise is portraiture, engagement, and weddings. Click the link for the pricing structure of his service.
He published his first photobook Exploring Cuba on 19 August 2020, which covers this exact topic as it relates to Cuban society.
His hobbies include playing board games with friends, stargazing, reading a good book, watching movies, taking long walks, learning weird facts, trying new recipes, and playing with my adorable pups, Meiko and Winston.
Connect with him on Facebook (@SheaGrehanPhotography) and Instagram (@shea_grehan).
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Where Do American Idol Leah Marlene Parents Live?
Leah Marlene’s parents live in Normal, Illinois, US. Her father hailed from Canada. Leah and her brother were both born in The Great White North. After two kids and several years in Toronto, they moved to Normal in 2003. “I didn’t like the city,” Derry said. “I wanted out of the city, and (Deanna) wanted to get back to the States.”
Normal was perfect: “not too big, not too small, and great for the kids” and close to an airport, Derry said of Normal.
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