Born in rural Essex, Ray studied piano as a child and continues to enjoy the instrument for recording; but his first love is guitar, which he took up in 1965, at the age of fourteen, inspired by the Beatles. As a teenager he played electric guitar in a band and liked progressive pop and the Tamla, Stax and Atlantic soul artists. At college he switched to acoustic guitar after being captured by the melodic playing of artists like John Renbourn, Donovan and Martin Carthy.
His
repertoire is varied; songs and tunes written on acoustic guitar while
retaining a liking for the energy and raunchiness of pop and soul. He
covers the work of some sixty artists and is known for Beatles, James
Taylor and Paul Simon material as well as instrumentals in jazz and
folk styles. Like any writer, he likes to perform his own material which is mainly folk-tinged pop or pop-tinged folk depending on your point of view. Lyrically he draws upon many heroes, most notably John Lennon, Paul Simon and Randy Newman. He has played with some great musicians including Sharon Shannon in Galway and Nigel Kennedy (who encouraged him to be a full time musician). |
Songwriting and playing was a passionate weekend pursuit while he had a career in operations management. Playing 'full-time' since 2006, his career background means he retains a 'thing' about professionalism.