Calvin Grayson was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Emily and Michael Grayson. The Grayson family lived on a farm where Calvin had plenty of room to play, and plenty of animals to take care of. When he was almost five years old, Calvin's brother Daniel was born.
Calvin was bound and determined to take care of Daniel and to protect him. It was his job as a big brother, and he took it seriously. The brothers would play all day in the barn and when they were old enough, they began helping Michael and Emily with the chores around the farm. Things were going well, until Michael lost his job. The Graysons were forced to sell the farm, and move to a smaller home. Calvin and Daniel switched schools and seemed to be adjusting well to things. Michael, however, wasn't taking kindly to being jobless.
Michael began to drink heavily and dabble in drugs to deal with his insecurities. When Emily had had enough, she decided to get a divorce, and Michael was able to have the boys on every other weekend and one day during the week. The times Michael had the boys, were spent showing them the ropes of the new "family business". Calvin and Daniel would spend their weekends with their father by delivering drugs, drinking, and partying. When Calvin was 22, he was done with that lifestyle. He decided to move to Nashville to buy a run-down club. He renovated it, repaired it, and opened it up to the public. He was determined to make a new start for himself, and things were going fine, until Daniel showed up on his doorstep. Calvin found out that his father had skipped town and left Daniel to his own devices. He offered a job to Daniel on the condition that the drugs and partying would stop.
Things went well at the club until Calvin was about 26. Calvin came into work, ready to work a Friday night rush, and the place was destroyed. All of the liquor was gone, every cent in the club was missing, and there was a note and a key left on the bar. It was a poor apology from Daniel for "the mess", and his key to the bar. He immediately contacted the police and found out that Daniel had been using the bar as a cover for his drug business, and was in debt to one of the most famous drug dealers in Tennessee. Calvin was left with nothing, and he spun into a downward spiral. He packed up and moved back to Louisville with his mother and began to spend his days and nights with a bottle. It took a health scare with his mom to get him out of his rut. Calvin quit drinking cold turkey, and began working around town to get enough money for him and his mom to move out of Kentucky. When he was 30, he had enough saved up, and he and Emily packed up their belongings, and drove to Chicago to start fresh.
Calvin bought a small house for his mom to live in, and he stayed in an apartment above a bakery. When he was 35, he had enough money saved up to buy his own house near a lake. He felt like his life was starting to come together, even if it was a little late. When Calvin turned 40, he was approached by a coworker who wanted to take over a local bar right along the lakefront. While he was hesitant, Calvin took the offer and went in as a co-owner to The Lakefront. Three years later, Calvin's business partner decided to sell his half of the bar to Calvin, so that he could move home to Spokane. Calvin took the bar and changed the name, in addition to a small makeover. He named it Phoenix Bar, and made sure that nothing went wrong this time around. This was his second chance.
While Calvin owns the bar, he doesn't spend a lot of time there. He prefers riding his motorcycle, his boat, or just sitting by the lake. He tries to keep to himself and keep out of trouble, but he does enjoy helping people, he always has. He'd give you the shirt off his back, and make sure you were warm, no matter what your circumstance. Even though he has been through the ringer, he gives people the benefit of the doubt, and if you can get past the walls he has up, you won't regret it.
