Daily Inspiration: Meet Laura Ray

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

Hi Laura, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m Laura Ray, I grew up in Royston, Georgia. I’m from a musical family, and started playing guitar at age 13. Around the age of 15, I saw something that changed the trajectory of my life – a clip of Earl Scruggs playing ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’, and that was it – I HAD to learn how to do that. I took all the money I had been saving for a car, and went to the local music store and bought a banjo. From that point on, I was on my way to where I am today.

I had a bluegrass band with my siblings during high school and college, and completed a music education degree. I didn’t know how exactly, but I knew I wanted to spend my life playing music, hopefully for a living. In 2012, I moved to Nashville. I literally knew one person in town, had no money, and was painfully shy, but was blessed to arrive at a perfect time – the one person I knew was able to hook me up with a gig. This is just one of so many times in my life when I didn’t know what would happen next, and suddenly a friend would come out of nowhere with a great opportunity. It’s the Nashville way!

It hasn’t all been that quick or easy. There were a lot of financial worries along the way. In 2017, I was pretty discouraged with everything and moved back to Georgia for a while. I started teaching music lessons full time, and was able to turn that into a full time job. It was really hard work, I had 40 students at one point, but it was very rewarding and it was so great to be my own boss. The pandemic wiped out most of my teaching business, but one great thing that came from it was all the practicing I did while in quarantine. I practiced a LOT, and really improved on my banjo skills. I had met some local musicians, and we started a band called Bluegrass Confidential, and I got really excited about performing again. This excitement led me to move back to Nashville at the end of 2020, and things have been really great since then.

I’m still teaching some Zoom lessons during the week, and through the kindness of friends and word of mouth, have had opportunities to play some great gigs with some amazing artists. I really feel like I’m still growing, and I don’t know what the future holds, but my dream is really happening – I’m playing music for a living. In Music City, USA!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been a lot of ups and downs in my musical journey. Financial worries have always been a struggle. I’ve had to work side jobs here and there, which can be a big distraction from what I should be doing – focusing on my career.

I’m sure anyone that is self-employed, no matter what field, can relate. I also struggle with this fun thing called imposter syndrome. I compare myself to others all the time and really get down on myself for where I fall short. But I’m working on that.

Something else I have found difficult lately is while I have a lot of work at the moment, it is with several different artists, and I find it difficult to keep all their material in my head and rehearsed.

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 musician. I play guitar and banjo professionally, sing backup, write songs, and teach private lessons. I have played different styles of music, but my absolute favorite is bluegrass. I am currently a ‘side-man’ in a few bands and genres, and I have a bluegrass band called Bluegrass Confidential.

I always thought I would just ‘be in someone’s band’ and be happy, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But lately, I have discovered that I do dream of getting my own music out into the world. So now I’m working on it. I’m writing more and hope to record soon. We’ll see where that leads.

No matter what direction I take, I am proud of the fact that I am now able to make a living off something that I love, playing music. I had my hopes up a few times in the past, got discouraged, and even gave up a couple of times. But my attitude has changed a lot in the past two years, I have more faith in myself, and I’m more positive.

I don’t worry about the future, I just pray about it and take things one day at a time. I’m proud that I finally learned how to do that.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I hope to see continued growth for women in the music industry. I’m beginning to see improvements in willingness to hire women in bands, as background players, or even main members. But it’s slow. I have definitely felt like a diversity hire a time or two.

I’ve been hired solely because it would be cheaper or more practical for travel if there is another female in the band. It’s not a good feeling to be hired only because you’re a woman, just like it’s not a good feeling to NOT be hired because you’re a woman. I’d love to see women being hired based on merit, not on gender.

Right now, while it is becoming more common, it still feels like a novelty to see a woman in a band. My hope is that one day when you see a woman in a band, or even crazier, more than one woman in a band, it won’t be noticeable. It won’t be a surprise. It’s just a common occurrence.

Contact Info:

• Website: lauraraymusic.com
• Instagram: @lauraray88