Uncommon Ground ^ Jeff Ray

Jeff Ray
A thoroughbred Minnesotan, Ray's songs slide between the northern roots of Bob Dylan and the soul of the Mississippi delta. Stomping his foot in a driving rhythm, Jeff captures the trials of a modern acoustic troubadour and reveals the natural sound of blues and folk merged by the slide-guitar.

In 1995 at age 18, Jeff packed his bags and moved down the river to Memphis where he discovered the soul of American music. It was there that Ray developed a style that could only come from blending the birthplaces of Bob Dylan and the delta blues.

During his three-year stint in Memphis, he played blues and even some hip-hop/blues fusion as a lead guitarist in a few different bands. He was also introduced to the music of the lesser-known British folk musician Nick Drake, who became a larger inspiration. In 1998 at the age of 21, Ray moved to Madison, WI adding folk to his style and recording his first album SUNSHINE CITY TREE. A wave of solo performances across the Midwest and the Southern U.S. followed, eventually leading Ray back to Minnesota and to the release of his latest album JUNE GENERATION.

In 2002, Ray moved back to Minnesota in search of his roots, and that's exactly what he found. His newfound inspiration came from local musicians like piedmont blues musician Charlie Parr of Duluth, songwriter Mason Jennings of Minneapolis, and the world-renowned guitarist Pat Donohue from Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion."

Throughout his travels, Ray learned several other instruments that served to strengthen his songwriting. In 2004, he used all of those skills to fill out the jam-band sound of his latest CD release, "June Generation". Since the CD's release, Ray has been touring across America to support his release.

All aspects of Jeff's musicianship, from his multi-instrumentalist songwriting to his love of Minnesota roots music, combine to create mind-blowing performances. He demonstrates an amazingly fluid stylistic transition, taking the music from his latest jam-band sounding CD and adapting it into a one-man-band live show. Jeff Ray stomps out pulsing rhythms, jets off into improvisational slide-guitar runs, and sings like a man who's seen it all.