The Don Ray Band is an all original, Roots Rock band based out of Nashville and is anchored by singer/songwriter Don Ray and produced by Musician's Hall Of Fame Guitarist, Will McFarlane ( Bonnie Raitt, Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section ). Don Ray was born into a musical family in Sioux City, IA. He left the Midwest for Austin, TX. at age 18. Don played drums and sang for several regionally successful Texas bands. Don’s first break as a solo artist came when a project he was working on was produce...
The Don Ray Band is an all original, Roots Rock band based out of Nashville and is anchored by singer/songwriter Don Ray and produced by Musician's Hall Of Fame Guitarist, Will McFarlane ( Bonnie Raitt, Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section ). Don Ray was born into a musical family in Sioux City, IA. He left the Midwest for Austin, TX. at age 18. Don played drums and sang for several regionally successful Texas bands. Don’s first break as a solo artist came when a project he was working on was produced by keyboardist Reese Wynans ( Stevie Ray Vaughan ). The first version of Don Ray Band came in Austin as well and included former Asleep At The Wheel musicians Danny Levin and Bill Mabry. Don Ray moved to Nashville at age 26 to pursue a songwriting career and was soon a staff writer for Square One Publishing on Music Row. He started the second version of Don Ray Band with hit songwriters, Monty Holmes, Don Sampson and Curt Ryle. A few of the co-songwriter credits Don has are with hit songwriters Monty Holmes, Curt Ryle and Kent Blazey. Don has songs in the publishing catalogs of Square One, Universal Music, Sony/ATV, Warner Tamerlane, PeerMusic III, Minnetonka Music and Malaco. Today, the musical collaborations of the current group of musicians and songwriters that make up Don Ray Band are unique and have proven hard to put a single label on the results... which have been called everything from "Rockin' Blues" to "Southern Rock" to "Blue Eyed Soul" to "Rock N Southern Country Roll" by some of the nations most notable music writers. One thing all of these writers have agreed upon, however, is that their albums are refreshingly original and a pleasure to listen to over and over again. The band has recently added the dynamic, young, Muscle Shoals guitar slinger, Billy Smart, to their touring band. Their new album, Full Throttle, was released May 1, 2012.
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