Paul and Diana Ray have lived their lives for the past 45 years as members of the Austin Music Scene. In this interview they recount some of their remarkable experiences and put a friendly face on one of the most amazing cultural communities in the US: Austin, Live Music Capital of the World.
Here is what the Austin Chronicle says about Paul: “Of all the events that shaped Austin’s musical psyche in the early 1970s, few are as important as the migration of Dallas blues players to the capital of Texas. Paul Ray had fronted bands in the Metroplex since the 1950s and had a crooner’s voice that suited big band blues. After playing around Dallas for so long, he then joined the exodus of Metroplex musicians such as Jimmie Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall, Denny Freeman, and Mike Kindred….Ray brought in a second guitarist, Jimmie Vaughan’s younger brother Stevie. To say that Stevie set fire to the band is to ignore Freeman’s own sublime style – one that Bob Dylan took on tour 30 years later. Yet Vaughan was a fuse waiting to be lit, and the Cobras were his fuel. By the time the Cobras picked up a Tuesday night residency at the Soap Creek Saloon, the band was smoking with Stevie pealing out well-muscled leads against Denny Freeman’s jazzy blues.”
Paul and Diana have been here for the whole ride and their stories will amaze you and give you a unique insight into why music chose Austin to be its most user friendly home! Paul’s work at KUTX and Twine Time has created The Sound Track of Our Lives and has resulted in Paul being installed in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
Enjoy!
Produced in Dripping Springs, Texas on April 10, 2014
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