Boo Ray

BOO RAY ANNOUNCES A NEW 7-INCH WITH CHEF SEAN BROCK

BOO RAY ANNOUNCES A NEW 7-INCH WITH CHEF SEAN BROCK

BooRaySB7JacketCover_preview.jpeg

VIEW THE RELEASE TRAILER : HERE

Nashville artist Boo Ray will be releasing the third installment in his ‘BooCoo Amigos’ 7inch duet series, with celebrity chef Sean Brock via Soundly Music. The digital release will be arriving July 27th followed by the physical vinyl release on August 24th. The 7inch features featuring two original songs “Saint Misbehavin’” and “Soul Food Cookin,” The vinyl is currently available for pre-order HERE.

Prior releases in the ‘BooCoo Amigos’ series include duets with Lilly Winwood (Americana singer and daughter of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood) and Elizabeth Cook. Cowboys & Indians called the Lilly Winwood duet “Hard to Tell,” “a fun, whimsical track that utilizes its steel guitar, organ, and bluesy guitar licks to emphasize Winwood’s unique voice and Ray’s signature eccentric style.” The Holiday duet with Elizabeth Cook “All Strung Out With Christmas Lights” was praised by Rolling Stone County, who called “a boozy bedrock of electric guitar, pedal steel and barroom piano.”  The Country Note called the song “fun” and “flirty,” and  No Depression recommended for readers to “Spin this tune while you’re stringing the lights on the tree with someone you want to be with and see what happens.” Additional praise for the series has come from  Wide Open Country, Battered and Brewed, Glide Magazine, Nashville Music Guide, The Alternate Root and more.

Ray and Brock struck up a fast friendship over their mutual love of food and tattoo’s, both of which served as inspiration for the 7inch. The relationship started as most modern friendships do, on the internet. Brock had spotted a photo Ray posted to instagram of a tattoo from Athens, GA artist Mitchell Atkinson (Twins of Pain), via the hashtag #MitchellAtkins. Brock was so impressed to find a like-minded admirer of Atkins’ work the photo left a lasting impression him, and he started to follow Ray on social media. As luck would have it Brock spotted Boo, recognizing him from Instagram, at the East Nashville coffee shop Barista Parlor.  The two struck up a conversation and became fast friends.

When they started to write and make music together, they back to the source of how the first met for “Saint Misbehavin.’“ “Sean and I discovered that we had an Athens Georgia tattooist in common, “ Says Ray, “a wild rebel soul named Mitchell Atkinson that was one half of Twins of Pain Tattooing. After talking guitars, Jerry Reed, Billy Gibbons and Southern Culture On The Skids we figured we ought to write a number about Mitch, bemoaning ‘the foolish ways that take our friend before they’re old,’  and since it’s Chef Sean Brock I’m working with here, the obligatory ‘Soul Food Cookin’ song was natural as a hiccup.”

The first verse of “Saint MisBehavin’” references Atkins’ violent and fiery death in a hot rod accident  with the verse “curse the foolish ways that take my friends before they're old.”  The  second verse the lyric “friends taken away by the foolish ways” eludes the coal mining industry in  the Appalachian Mountains  where both Brock and Ray grew up. “Watching Boo Ray magically turn our ideas into something you can play on a turntable was the songwriting equivalent of ‘farm to table’ cooking,” say Brock. “These songs were made to crank up with the windows down and the throttle wide open.“

The titled “Saint Misbehavin” is cleverly named after the Patron Saint of Body Art, “Saint Theresa the Tatted,” a mystical character who lived in war torn state of Kosovo in the early 90s. Legend has it that she kept an entire convent on nuns alive during the war by smuggling them food under her clothes, hanging the items on her body piercings.

KEEP UP WITH BOO RAY

Boo Ray PR Materials: http://smarturl.it/BooRayPR

Website: https://booraymusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooRayLive/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boocooray

Instagram: http://instagram.com/booray

BOO RAY RELEASES A NEW ORIGINAL DUET WITH LILLY WINWOOD “HARD TO TELL”

BooRayLW7Cover.jpg

LISTEN TO “HARD TO TELL”: HERE

Nashville artist Boo Ray is excited to announce the release of a new original duet with Lilly Winwood (Americana singer and daughter of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood) called “Hard to Tell.” This fun, original track is the A side in the latest vinyl collaboration series Ray is doing called “Boocoo Amigos.” The B side is the pair’s take on the classic “Islands in the Stream.”

Having worked on “Islands in the Stream” together first, Winwood and Ray just knew they had to collaborate on something original. “Lilly’s clever like a safe-cracker, cooler than a polar bear’s toenails, and has a wonderful uproarious laugh. She’s a world-class vocalist and smart soulful songwriter. We were hangin’ and talking ’70s music — Linda Ronstadt, Gerry Rafferty, Eddie Rabbitt, and the Bee Gees — and went down the rabbit hole of the Grease soundtrack, came out the other side, and landed on ‘Islands in the Stream.’ We knew we just had to record ‘Islands’ and write an A-side to accompany it.” Once the duo had their rendition of a classic locked in, “Hard to Tell” came naturally, written in 20 minutes.

Partnering with Kindercore Vinyl on “Boocoo Amigos,” Ray previously teamed up with Elizabeth Cook for an original holiday duet that was praised by Rolling Stone Country , No Depression, Wide Open Country and more.

Ray will be continuing the partnership with Kindercore Vinyl with more in the series of 7inch duets coming later this year including one with celebrity chef Sean Brock out this summer. The Kindercore research and development team have taken active steps toward renewable PVC replacements, seeking to be the first pressing plant to offer petroleum free phonograph records in the coming years. By Boo Ray being the first artist to work with Kindercore he is hoping to set an example, that taking steps towards preserving the planet can be as simple as working with forward thinking companies like Kindercore. If enough artists follow Ray’s lead, collectively, they can make a huge impact on making the industry more sustainable.

“Hard to Tell” and “Islands in the Stream” are now available on all music streaming platforms and you can purchase a vinyl copy on Ray’s website. They’ll also be having a single listening party at Vinyl Tap in East Nashville to celebrate the release on Wednesday, April 18th.

VINYL RELEASE PARTY
Wednesday, April 18
Vinyl Tap
2038 Greenwood Avenue, Nashville, TN 37206
6-8pm
 
Boo Ray PR Materials: http://smarturl.it/BooRayPR
Website: https://booraymusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooRayLive/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boocooray
Instagram: http://instagram.com/booray

BOO RAY RELEASES ORIGINAL HOLIDAY DUET WITH ELIZABETH COOK

BOO RAY RELEASES AN ORIGINAL HOLIDAY DUET WITH ELIZABETH COOK “ALL STRUNG OUT LIKE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS”

BooRayECSingleFront_preview.jpeg

All Strung Out Like Christmas Lights, a song by Boo Ray, Elizabeth Cook on Spotify

“ ... the track was co-written by the two left-leaning singers, who swap harmonies over a boozy bedrock of electric guitar, pedal steel and barroom piano.”

- Rolling Stone Country

Nashville’s Boo Ray is kicking off the Holiday Season with the release of “All Strung Out Like Christmas Lights,” a duet with Elizabeth Cook. This the first in a series of vinyl duet releases Boo Ray is putting out through his partnership with Kindercore Vinyl.

Ray is a long time fan and admirer of Cooks so the song had to be just right.  “Elizabeth is inspiring, entertaining, self effacing and clever as hell," says Ray. "That Texas shuffle is a cool vehicle for the kind of good-natured cuttin' up and carrying on that Elizabeth and I have in common."
 

The limited edition colored vinyl is is available at select record stores and from Ray’s website. Side A features “All Strung Out Like Christmas Lights” and Side B features Boo Ray’s “I’ve Got the Jug.”  

Ray had the privilege of christening the Athens, GA based pressing plant Kindercore Vinyl with the vinyl release of his critically album Sea of Lights this fall.  Produced by Noah Shain (Dead Sara, Escondido, Nikki Lane) the album was recorded at Shain’s White Buffalo studios in Los Angeles backed by an all star band that included Steve Ferrone on drums (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Paul Ill on bass (Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Hole etc.), Sol Philcox-Littlefield (Jim Lauderdale, Jake Owen, Aaron Lewis) on guitar, Dallas Kruse (Justin Grennan, Skylar Stonestreet) on Hammond B3, Smith Curry (Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Gibbons, Kid Rock) on pedal steel, and twin brothers Todd and Troy Gardner (Lenny Kravitz) on backup vocals. The all-star line up recorded 10 songs in two days live to tape, using the  same 2inch tape machine used to record Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and several of Johnny Cash’s nashville albums.

Ray will be continuing the partnership with Kindercore Vinyl with more in the series of 7inch duets coming next year. The Kindercore research and development team have taken active steps toward renewable PVC replacements, seeking to be the first pressing plant to offer petroleum free phonograph records in the coming years. By Boo Ray being the first artist to work with Kindercore he is hoping to set an example, that taking steps towards preserving the planet, can be an simple as working with forward thinking companies like Kindercore.  If enough artists follow Ray’s lead, collectively they can make a huge impact on making the industry more sustainable.

To celebrate the Holiday vinyl release Ray will be supporting Stoney Larue at 3rd and Lindsley Saturday November 18th. More details on the show can be found HERE.

Boo Ray PR Materials: http://smarturl.it/BooRayPR

Keep Up With Boo Ray:

Website: https://booraymusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooRayLive/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boocooray

Instagram: http://instagram.com/booray

BOO RAY RELEASES “ISLANDS IN THE STREAM”DUET WITH LILLY WINWOOD TO PAY TRIBUTE TO KENNY ROGERS

BOO RAY RELEASES “ISLANDS IN THE STREAM” DUET WITH LILLY WINWOOD TO PAY TRIBUTE TO KENNY ROGERS

BooRay&LillyWinwoodCover2.jpg

Islands in the Stream, a song by Boo Ray, Lilly Winwood on Spotify

 

Nashville’s Boo Ray has teamed up with Lilly Winwood to pay tribute to the great Kenny Rogers as he continues his “Farewell Tour,” with their cover of the classic “Islands in the Stream.”  This is a sneak peak into the 7inch duet series Ray is gearing up to release in partnership with Kindercore Vinyl later this year.

“As a kid I was way into the Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton version of the song,” says Ray. “Earlier this year Lilly Winwood & I were nostalgically digging the song and discovered The Bee Gees wrote it. We gone and went down the Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb rabbit-hole and landed on the soundtrack from “Grease”... it’s just a blast and we had to record it. I think we got kind of a Muscle Shoals take on it.”

Ray who christened the Kindercore pressing plant with the vinyl release of his album Sea of Lights last month is excited for the upcoming duets series, that in addition to Lilly Winwood features collaborations with Elizabeth Cook and celebrity chef Sean Brock. Kindercore is a unique new pressing plant with a mission to modernize the current pressing process by making it more sustainable. The Kindercore research and development team have taken active steps toward renewable PVC replacements, seeking to be the first pressing plant to offer petroleum free phonograph records in the coming years. By Boo Ray being the first artist to work with Kindercore he is hoping to set an example for that taking steps towards preserving the planet, can be an simple as working with forward thinking companies like Kindercore.  If enough artists follow Boo’s lead collectively they can make a huge impact on making the industry more sustainable.

“....his live performances make country music lovers of people who hate twang.”  - Pop Matters

Following the path of great southern troubadours Boo Ray forged & honed his sound on the road in South Georgia honky-tonks, Gulf Coast jukes, Nashville nightclubs & Los Angeles songwriter joints. Hailing from the mountains of Western North Carolina and now spending equal parts time in Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California; and Athens, Georgia.

While living in LA, Ray struck up a fast friendship and found a kindred spirit in producer  Noah Shain (Dead Sara, Escondido, Nikki Lane). The two collaborated on a few tracks that became Ray’s 2010 album, Bad News Travels Fast and reunited to create Sea of Lights. The album was  recorded Shain’s White Buffalo studios in Los Angeles backed by an all star band that included Steve Ferrone on drums (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Paul Ill on bass (Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Hole etc.), Sol Philcox-Littlefield (Jim Lauderdale, Jake Owen, Aaron Lewis) on guitar, Dallas Kruse (Justin Grennan, Skylar Stonestreet) on Hammond B3, Smith Curry (Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Gibbons, Kid Rock) on pedal steel, and twin brothers Todd and Troy Gardner (Lenny Kravitz) on backup vocals. The all-star line up recorded 10 songs in two days live to tape, using the  same 2inch tape machine used to record Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and several of Johnny Cash’s nashville albums.

“I’ve had it on day and night, soaking up the electric guitar solos and Ray’s gritty, grinning vocal phrasing.” - Uproxx (on Sea of Lights)

The sessions for Sea of Lights were the musical equivalent of getting a PHD from an Ivy League university,  the knowledge from which Ray has channeled into the duet sessions. Next up is an original Holiday song with Elizabeth Cook that will be pressed to special edition color vinyl.

“As it is, “Sea Of Lights” is something special, a neatly constructed song with aspirational, but realistic lyrics about the vicissitudes of the artist’s life.”
- Country Standard Time

Boo Ray PR Materials: http://smarturl.it/BooRayPR

Keep Up With Boo Ray:
Website: https://booraymusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooRayLive/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boocooray
Instagram: http://instagram.com/booray

NASHVILLE’S BOO RAY ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE  OF  SEA OF LIGHTS ON VINYL PARTNERSHIP WITH  KINDERCORE

NASHVILLE’S BOO RAY ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF SEA OF LIGHTS ON VINYL PARTNERSHIP WITH  KINDERCORE

BooRaySOLVinyl.jpg

“We want a bad-ass, rough-around-the-edges sound. And that is exactly what we get from said outlaw Boo Ray on his new record Sea of Lights. “  - No Depression

Nashville’s Boo Ray is excited to announce that his album Sea of Lights will be getting the royal wax treatment christening the Athens, GA based Kindercore pressing plant as it’s very first release on September 15th. Kindercore is a brand new pressing plant with a mission to modernize the current pressing process by making it more sustainable. The Kindercore research and development team have taken active steps toward renewable PVC replacements, seeking to be the first pressing plant to offer petroleum free phonograph records in the coming years. By Boo Ray being the first artist to work with Kindercore he is hoping to set an example for that taking steps towards preserving the planet, can be an simple as working with forward thinking companies like Kindercore.  If enough artists follow Boo’s lead collectively they can make a huge impact on making the industry more sustainable. 

“I’ve had it on day and night, soaking up the electric guitar solos and Ray’s gritty, grinning vocal phrasing.” - Uproxx (on Sea of Lights)

The North Carolina born artist who spent years kicking around the southeastdecided to follow in the footsteps of other southern troubadour songwriters like Gram Parsons, Jerry Reed and Kris Kristofferson and head west. It was in Los Angeles where Ray sparked up a friendship and musical camaraderie with producer Noah Shain (Dead Sara, Escondido, Nikki Lane). The two collaborated on a few tracks that became Ray’s 2010 album, Bad News Travels Fast. For Sea of Lights, to capture the unassuming quality of Ray’s sophisticated songwriting the two embarked on the recording process at Shain’s White Buffalo studios in Los Angeles backed by an all star band that included Steve Ferrone on drums (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Paul Ill on bass (Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Hole etc.), Sol Philcox-Littlefield (Jim Lauderdale, Jake Owen, Aaron Lewis) on guitar, Dallas Kruse (Justin Grennan, Skylar Stonestreet) on Hammond B3, Smith Curry (Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Gibbons, Kid Rock) on pedal steel, and twin brothers Todd and Troy Gardner on backup vocals. The all-star line up recorded 10 songs in two days live to tape, using the  same 2inch tape machine used to record Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and several of Johnny Cash’s Nashville albums.

Most artists would cower under this type of pressure but Ray channeled that nervous energy into some of the best writing and recording of his career.

“As it is, “Sea Of Lights” is something special, a neatly constructed song with aspirational, but realistic lyrics about the vicissitudes of the artist’s life.” 

- Country Standard Time

Sea of Lights, an album by Boo Ray on Spotify