(This is the first of an exclusive and very comprehensive three-part interview with Paul McCartney guitarist Brian Ray in which he talks extensively about his career. We thank Brian Ray for taking the time to talk with us. And you can see pictures of Brian Ray on tour taken by Bob Gannon in each part in a slideshow at the bottom.)
(Copyright Steve Marinucci. This may not be printed elsewhere on websites or in magazines without permission.)
Things are really looking up right now for Brian Ray. He has a very promising solo career and is a member of the acclaimed band that plays on tour with Paul McCartney.
Ray, now 55, who is half-brother to the late Jean Ray of the folk-singing duo Jim & Jean ("People World"), started building a career for himself at an early age. In the process, he's built up a wonderfully diverse resume working with some well-known names. Through it all, he has remained incredibly unassuming and a very easy going guy to talk to.
Ray credits his half-sister Jean with getting him interested in rock 'n roll.
"Well, the deal is that Jean, my half-sister of a previous marriage of my father, was the homecoming queen at Hoover High in Glendale and lived with my family for one year," he says. "And that was the only time she lived with my dad’s second wife, my mom. During that year as homecoming queen, she was crazy about rock ‘n’ roll," he recalls.
"She was crazy about the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Little Richard, Rick Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis. She was crazy for these guys. And she and her girlfriends would pore over their pictures while listening to their music and would be giggling and cooing. And I was a three-year-old baby and they were babysitting me while looking at these pictures and listening to their music.
He says that's when he felt the power of rock 'n' roll.
"And I just caught the fever. I caught on very early. This was something very magnetic. This was something a little bit dangerous and this was something that was about to change the world," he says. "I knew all of that at three. And by that age, I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. It was the funniest thing. So I owe it all to her."
Jean Ray was actually the inspiration for two of the best known songs by a close friend named Neil Young.
"Yeah, there are two songs actually about Jean," he says. "One is 'Cowgirl in the Sand' and the other is 'Cinnamon Girl.'" In a biography, Young says "Cinnamon Girl" is about several different women he knew. But Ray says he knows the song is just about her.
"I know privately it’s about Jean." Then he laughs a little and, after a pause, repeats, "I know."
He recalls the day Young paid Jean Ray and her husband Jim a visit. "Neil came to our house when we lived in Malibu. I was home from boarding school from the seventh grade," he recalls. "And Jean said, 'Guess who’s coming over to work with us at rehearsal today?' and I said, 'Who?' And she said, 'Neil.' And so I remember coming outside to greet him. Up pulls up this old white Mini-Cooper. And it’s all white with blacked-out windows. The door opens and it’s Neil Young wearing an all-white suit with black hair and black sunglasses. I was just like, 'Rock God'!"
When Ray was 18, he got his initial career start playing with Bobby "Boris" Pickett, who's best known for the song "Monster Mash."
"That was kind of a lucky little offshoot of my high school band with a guy named Brian England, who was the drummer (and) the son of Cloris Leachman," he recalls. "We got a job playing a job playing with Bobby 'Boris' Pickett doing 'Monster Mash.' And we would go to the Six Flags Amusement Parks and play this music.
"It was fun. We’d do it in full zombie makeup and everything. That was my first real professional gig," he says.
(In part 2, Brian Ray discusses events that led up to his audition for Paul McCartney in front of 70,000 fans. If you subscribe to the column -- see button above -- you'll be notified when part 2 is published.)
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Comments
Fantastic series so far, Steve! I am shocked at Brian's age though as I thought that he was maybe 15 years younger. Very interesting, can't wait for the rest.
John: my thoughts exactly. I checked a few other sites to confirm Brian's age. My thoughts were that he was late-30s to early-40s. Are older people looking younger as we age?
Chris
I am pleased that you have chosen to write about Brian. He is an amazing musician, singer and songwriter. Plus he's just about the nicest guy you can imagine. He deserves every bit of his success.
I am pleased that you have chosen to write about Brian. He is an amazing musician, singer and songwriter. Plus he's just about the nicest guy you can imagine. He deserves every bit of his success.
Looking forward to parts 2 and 3. Would love to see those Monster Mash pics. :)
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