Conversations with Stephen Ray

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Ray.

Stephen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Detroit, MI, and multiple Northern to Southern California cities. I moved across the country with my wife to Nashville, TN, in early 2020 from San Diego. I have performed with artists such as Grammy-nominated Toby Keith, CMA, and ACM Award-winner Chris Janson, Parmalee, and Cody Johnson. My latest singles in 2022, “Bud Light Sign” and “In This House,” were produced by Billboard-charting producer Grady Saxman at Saxman Studios. “Lake Time” is another recent single that is a great summer song for being out on the water! My performance experience ranges from full band support for sold-out amphitheater concerts with Toby Keith and Parmalee, songwriter festivals such as SIP Napa aside hit songwriters such as Tim Nichols, Tyler Reeve, Wyatt Durette, and Patrick Davis, and touring nationwide with my band, or simply playing acoustically at songwriters rounds in the heart of music city. I received my calling for music at 12 years old, first learning the bass guitar to perform with my brother in a punk rock band in middle school. By age 14 I had performed on the Vans Warped Tour and other iconic venues such as the Whisky A Go-Go in Hollywood, CA. My songwriting and electric/acoustic guitar playing began to develop and evolve through high school and college, spanning various genres of punk, rock, pop, and country. After graduating from the University of San Diego, my band released multiple albums and toured regularly, opening for acts such as Smash Mouth and Good Charlotte.
My musical efforts as an artist turned to country music in 2016 when I wrote and released my country single, “I’m An American,” a ballad about one of my best friends who had decided to enlist in the U.S Navy. Since then, I’ve released numerous songs, all of which tell stories rooted in the core of what I write about and believe in; Family first, the importance of great friends and times, and the beauty in the journey of someone runnin’ down a dream. My influences span numerous genres and include artists such as Tom Petty, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw, Phil Collins, Relient K, Goo Goo Dolls, and Enya.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe one of the greatest obstacles for any independent musician is simply finding a way to endure and sustain the dream of not only “making music for a living” (the ultimate goal) but also merely “making music” every day. It can get easy to have life get in the way sometimes, but no matter what, where, or who I’m with, I have always had music and songwriting embedded in my daily life. I have been performing in bands since I was 12 years old. In my early 30s, I reflect on the different eras of music I’ve played and how my goals and aspirations have evolved. When you’re young, you balance music with high school dances, football practice, getting homework done, etc. As you get older, that, of course, changes! (paying bills, getting a real job, having a family life). And as you get older, that becomes a challenge as other musicians in your circle that you lean on and work with and support each other begin to tap out because balancing being an independent musician with the natural world gets harder to do.

Moving to Nashville to surround myself with other like-minded people and musicians was a very important factor in our decision to move here. The challenge is finding a way to ensure I can still write and play music every day and continue bringing people together to support my goals of releasing good music (producers, musicians, etc.) willing to get on board with my music endeavors years. (and getting friends and family to keep supporting it!) Meanwhile, being able to afford it financially and from a time management standpoint. It’s taken a great deal of balance over the years of having a “real world job” to pay the bills (I have been working in the digital creative agency space for the past 12 years) and having a life outside of touring writing or recording music. I am very grateful to have a wife who supports everything I do and puts up with hearing me sing the same songs thousands of times over while I work on them before anyone else in the world gets to listen to them.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a country music artist in Nashville, TN. After moving to Nashville two years ago, I am proud that I’ve continued to position myself to grow as a songwriter and performer. I hear “no” and get rejected plenty, but feeling like I’m collecting at least a handful of small victories over the few years I’ve been here is reassuring. They call it a ten-year town, and that’s something you can’t understand until you live here. Having been here for two years, I get it! I’m here to play the long game. Most recently, I am “known” (ha) for singing on stage with country superstar Toby Keith, after he invited me back on stage to sing “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” with him after I opened up his concert. I’ve also shared the stage at the Songwriters in Paradise festival as the “Nashville up and comer” amid #1 hit songwriters such as Tim Nichols, who wrote “Live Like You Were Dying” with Craig Wiseman, Patrick Davis, who’s written songs for Jimmy Buffet and Darius Rucker. My journey sets me apart. I have played in punk bands, pop bands, and country bands. I have written songs from the Midwest to California to Nashville since I was 12 years old. I believe my music sets me apart. I think my influences set me apart during my creative process. As a pop-country artist, I am not just pulling influence from the biggest pop-country artists out there; rather, I stay true to my roots and let that manifest in the music I write. Living in over 15 cities and 4 states growing up, I have a lot of life experience in many places with many people to pull from in my music. I can use those experiences to relate to a wide array of people.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
If you want to get better at something, find a way to surround yourself with people who are better than you at it. And most of all, never give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephenraymusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/stephenraymusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephenraymusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/stephenraymusic
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/stephenraymusic

Image Credits
Kenzie Maroney