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Amy Ray

 
Artist: Amy Ray
Amy Ray

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  • Active: 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Vocals, Guitar
  • Representative Albums: "Prom", "Didn't It Feel Kinder", "Live from Knoxville

Biography

Many artists, musical and otherwise, use their craft to provide a visible platform for the issues they believe in. Their activism becomes interwoven with their art. The Indigo Girls have long been known for voicing their political and social views in song. Amy Ray teamed up with Emily Saliers while in high school, and soon the duo became a staple in the Atlanta music scene. In 1981, their independent music career began with a basement recording called Tuesday's Children. One thing led to another, which led to them signing with Epic Records in 1988. Despite almost polar styles, they met on the common ground of harmony and the love of meaningful music. Ray brought fire and earth, Saliers the wind and water. The alchemy proved magical, and their brand of folk-rock hit at just the right time alongside the successes of Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega, and 10,000 Maniacs. With an extremely loyal and passionate fan base, they sold millions of albums and garnered numerous awards over the years, but that was never really the point. More importantly, they expressed themselves creatively, poetically, politically, and spiritually. Each release pushed the Indigo Girls' musical boundaries. They incorporated elements of folk, country, rock, pop, punk, and soul into their evolutions, giving each album a fresh sound without losing sight of their art or themselves. To give back what was given to them, Ray founded the not-for-profit Daemon Records in 1990. Her mission was to support local artists at a grassroots level, to teach young artists how to further their own careers, and to keep the independent spirit alive, not only in the Atlanta music community, but in herself as well. Rose Polenzani, ph Balance, Three Finger Cowboy, and the Rock-a-Teens, among others, have all passed through the school of Daemon. Inspired by the music of these bands and southern punk/indie-rock, Ray embarked on a solo adventure in 2000. Traveling around the southeast with guitar and amp in tow, she wrote, rehearsed, and recorded Stag, which hit the streets in March 2001. The depths and intensity of her artistry and emotions are revealed in awe-inspiring performances on its ten songs, giving Ray a forum to more fully express her political stances and questions of self in a voice and style not quite suited for an Indigo Girls album. Stag was followed by the similarly-themed Prom in 2005. ~ Kelly McCartney, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Amy Ray
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Amy Ray

Ray in 2008.
Background information
Born April 12, 1964 (1964-04-12) (age 45)
Origin Georgia, United States
Genres Folk rock
Occupations Singer-songwriter, record producer
Instruments Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica
Years active 1984—present
Labels Daemon, Epic, Hollywood, Vanguard
Associated acts Indigo Girls
Website amy-ray.com

Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964)[1] is an American singer-songwriter and member of the well-known contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls.

On March 6, 2001 she released her first solo album, Stag, a southern and punk rock album. The Butchies provided support for five songs, and Nineteen Forty-Five and the Rock-A-Teens supported on one song apiece. Joan Jett helped out on "Hey Castrator". On April 12, 2005, Ray released Prom, and on December 19, 2006, she released Live from Knoxville. Her fourth solo album, Didn't It Feel Kinder, was released on August 5, 2008.

Her backup band for her Stag tour was The Butchies. In 2004, when she embarked on her Prom tour, she brought Les Nuby (guitar), Will Lochamy (drums), and Jody Bleyle (bass). Bleyle was replaced with Tara Jane O'Neil in October because Bleyle was on maternity leave.

Ray was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, and went on to begin college at Vanderbilt University. After a year at Vanderbilt, Ray returned to the Atlanta area to continue her education at Emory University. Ray graduated from Emory in 1986 with majors in English and Religion.

Ray currently lives in the foothills of North Georgia.

Side projects

Ray (at microphone) and The Volunteers in 2005.

In addition to the Indigo Girls and her work as a solo artist, Ray also runs an independent record label, Daemon Records, which she founded in 1990 and which is based in Decatur, Georgia. Some bands signed to Daemon include Girlyman, Magnapop, Nineteen Forty-Five, Michelle Malone, Three Finger Cowboy, Danielle Howle and the Tantrums, Gerard McHugh, Grady Cousins, The Oblivious, Snow Machine, Utah Phillips and Rose Polenzani.

In her solo life, she most often collaborates with The Butchies, a punk band featuring drummer, Melissa York and vocalist/guitarist Kaia Wilson. She has contributed the live track "Lucy Stoners" on Calling All Kings & Queens (2001) and the Mr. Lady Records sampler album as well as a live recording of "On Your Honor" on a compilation for Home Alive.

Ray is also an activist involved in multiple political and social causes, including gay rights, low-power broadcasting, women's rights, indigenous struggles, gun control, environmental protection and the anti-death penalty movement among others. She has made several trips to Chiapas, Mexico to support the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

In 1993, she and Emily Saliers co-founded Honor the Earth with Winona LaDuke. Honor the Earth's mission is "to create awareness and support for Native [American] environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native [American] communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard."

Ray was also a judge for the 3rd annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[2]

References

External links


 
 
Learn More
Life Without Television (1996 Album by Reversing Hour)
Indigo Girls: Watershed - 10 Years of Underground Video (1995 Music Film)
The Survivors Parade (1992 Album by The Ellen James Society)

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