About Bill Ray
Bill Ray has been playing drums since the beginning. Finding his father's drums at 15 months old and discovering the power of 2 & 4, his purpose on this plane of existence was set in motion at the age of four, having seen the local drum guru perform a drum solo at his parents' photography studio in Jackson, MS.
In 1989 a move to California was inevitable, and taking gigs of any musical style turned out to be a fertile training ground. In 2001 Ike Turner offered BR the gig and as he said many times "Billy Ray is the drummer of my soul". Bill played with Ike on up to the end of his life and played on his 2007 Grammy Award winning album "Risin' With The Blues". Bill also holds over 150 other album credits to his career in all styles of music from Rock to Jazz, Country, R&B, Funk, and Eclectic "experimental" styles.
Bill has been playing with guitar virtuoso legend Paul Gilbert and has appeared on his last three releases "PG30", "Behold Electric Guitar" "Werewolves of Portland" (appears on Japanese release "bonus track"), and the new "DIO" album.
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Musicians
- Mark Stuart - Vocals, Guitar
- Alex Watt - Guitar
- Tim Butler - Bass
- Bill Ray and Paul Kimbarow - Drums
Released 2001
I began playing with BSOJC in about 1998 for a stretch. We did a bunch of gigs around San Diego and the area. Josquin Des Pres was brought on board and we recorded my tracks at Signature Sound in San Diego, one of the more epic rooms this town has.
I played on four of the tracks- "Texas Sun", "440 Horses" "Seven Steps to Your Heart" and "Interstate Cannonball". While it's not "the full Monty" still, this album marks what I feel a significant place on my list of "cool things I've done".
Every so often Mark calls me for a gig here and there and I'm always happy to see my bastard brethren. :D
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Musicians
- Larry Robinson - Vocals, Guitar
- John Foltz and Wolfgang Grasekamp - Keys
- Chris “Sully” Sullivan - Bass
- Bill Ray and Larry Grano - Drums
- Tony Dean - Guitar
- David Berzansky - Steel Guitar
Released 2012
I don't get the opportunity to play Country music nearly enough. Being a native Mississippian would dictate a certain level of appreciation for the idiom. So when I got the call to play on this gem of an album I was like "Yesssss!!".
I first met Larry Robinson back in 1995 as we were both sidemen in another artist's band. His easygoing demeanor and smooth voice coupled with his absolutely wonderful spirit made "hitching up to his musical wagon" a total joy.
We went in to Kitsch -n- Sync (Sven Erik Seaholm's place) and recorded this disc in 2011 and it was released in early 2012. It's total Country Americana through and through.
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Musicians
- Sven-Erik Seaholm - Vocals, Guitar
- Charlie Loach - Guitars
- David Ybarra - Bass
- Bill Ray - Drums
Released 2005
In 2004, having gone through a big breakup and gargantuan personal struggles I was on track to make a 180º turn and leave this business of music in the rearview. My longtime friend Sven-Erik Seaholm pretty much called me daily until I agreed to come over and begin playing this music.
And so we did. With Charlie Loach on guitar and David Ybarra on bass we worked up the tunes, played a few gigs and tracked the album for posterity. It's a great slice of Americana and the music stands up strong.
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Musicians
- Ryan Montana - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
- Leo Dombecki - Piano, Keys
- Kevin Cooper - Bass
- Seth Blumberg - Guitar
- Bill Ray - Drums, tape dispenser
- Todd Gunnerson - Engineer
Released 2006
This album holds dear to my heart on a number of levels. For starters, the band consisted of the younger set of the Ike Turner group; The Kings of Rhythm. Also I was in the thick of my divorce and there were a ton of emotions floating around.
Every day I would go to the studio if not just for something to do. The "studio" was actually a palatial residence up in the hills of Del Mar, CA. We tracked everything live in the "Great Room" and even had one of those outdoor canopies that we draped with packing blankets and surrounded with plexiglass as a sort of makeshift iso booth (hey, it worked).
My Main Influences
These are artists who have had a tremendous impact upon my drumming and overall "concept" of music.