Robert Cray
(born August 1, 1953, Columbus, Georgia, United States [1]) is an American blues musician, guitarist, and singer. According to the book Guinness Rockopedia
, "the 1980s 'blues revival' revolved around Cray. His blend of soul vocals and blues guitar work won approval from the 'old guard' - Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Diana Ross - and a younger audience, who pushed him into the platinum bracket."
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ROBERT CRAY BAND TICKETS
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| Robert Cray Band Tickets 2/19 | Feb 19, 2025
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Career
Cray started playing
guitar in his early
teens. At Denbigh
High School in
Newport News,
Virginia, his love of blues and
soul music flourished as he started collecting
records. Originally, he wanted to become an
architect, but around the same time he began to study architectural design, he formed a local
band "", described as "the best band from Lakewood you never heard of". Cray's guitar and vocals contributed greatly to Steakface's set list of songs by
Jimi Hendrix,
Quicksilver Messenger Service,
Fleetwood Mac,
The Grease Band,
Blodwyn Pig,
Jethro Tull,
Spirit and
The Faces.
By the age of twenty, Cray had seen his heroes
Albert Collins,
Freddie King and
Muddy Waters in
concert and decided to form his own band; they began playing college towns on the
West Coast. Cray and his long-time
bassist Richard Cousins had met in 1974.
They soon joined up with Collins as his backing unit, before branching out on their own.
In the 1978
film,
National Lampoon's Animal House
, Cray was the uncredited bassist in the house party band,
Otis Day and the Knights.
With
keyboardist Peter Boe and
drummer David Olson, they launched the Robert Cray Band in 1980 with
Who's Been Talkin
.
It was
recorded during constant
touring in the
U.S. in 1978.
[2] The record was initially shelved for two years, being eventually issued by the short-lived Tomato
label (whose licence was picked up by
Atlantic (U.S.) and
Charly in the
UK.
After several years of regional success, Cray was signed to
Mercury in 1982. It was the connection with the
producing and
songwriting team of Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker at
Hightone that helped to create the mold-breaking music of
Bad Influence
(1983) and
False Accusations
(1985).
[3] In 1984, The Robert Cray Band completed their first
European tour to critical acclaim.
Cray's participation with Albert Collins and
Johnny Copeland on
Showdown!
(1985,
Alligator) and his own 1986
album release,
Strong Persuader
, again produced by Walker, both received
Grammy Awards,
while the
crossover single "Smoking Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition.
During 1986 Cray played 170
concerts, including his seventh European tour since 1984, building on his increasing reputation in the UK.
Cray then appeared in the
Chuck Berry bio-pic,
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
, in 1986.
One month later Cray won six
W.C. Handy Awards at
America's seventh National Blues ceremony.
April 1987 saw
Strong Persuader
reach #13 in the U.S.
Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first blues album to reach the U.S.
Top 20 since 1972.
The album went on to sell over one million copies.
By now, Cray was an opening act for such major stars as Eric Clapton (who remains a friend to this day), and sold out larger venues as a solo artist.
Cray appeared alongside
John Lee Hooker on his album
Boom Boom
, playing the guitar solo in the song "Same Old Blues Again". He was also featured on the 1989 Hooker album,
The Healer
; he played a guitar solo on the song "Baby Lee".
Sales ticked over for
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
(1988),
Midnight Stroll
(1990),
I Was Warned
(1992) and
Shame + A Sin
(1993), dwindling only with 1995's
Some Rainy Morning
.
was recorded in
Los Angeles,
California, and featured
David Sanborn on guest
saxophone.
The title song from the album won Cray his third Grammy,
and he guested on Clapton's
Journeyman
, whilst also being on the
bill at Clapton's eighteen show marathon at the
Royal Albert Hall in
London.
In 1991 Cray was selected to present
Howlin' Wolf's induction trophy to Wolf's widow, Lilly Burnett, at the sixth annual
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards.
Later that year Cray took part in the
Newport Jazz Festival with
B. B. King and John Lee Hooker.
Cray was invited to play at the 'Guitar Legends' concerts in
Seville,
Spain at the 1992
Expo, where he played a signature track, "Phone Booth". Albert Collins was also on the
bill on the evening of these 'Legends' gigs. Cray later joined
Boz Scaggs,
Johnny Rivers and
The Doobie Brothers with
Michael McDonald to celebrate the 25th anniversary of
The Memphis Horns in
Memphis,
Tennessee.
Cray signalled a new direction in 1997, with his
soul album,
Sweet Potato Pie
.
After switching to
Rykodisc in the late 1990s Cray released
Take Your Shoes Off
in 1999, and
Shoulda Been Home
in 2001.
[4] Take Your Shoes Off
was another Grammy winner as
Best Contemporary Blues Album.
[5] A Grammy was also awarded in 1997 to Cray for the
Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "SRV Shuffle".
Cray continues to record and tour. He appeared at the
Crossroads Guitar Festival, and
supported Eric Clapton on his 2006-2007 world tour. In
Fargo,
North Dakota, he joined Clapton for the
Robert Johnson song that
Cream once recorded, "
Crossroads". At
Expo 2008 Cray appeared along with
Bob Dylan in
Zaragoza,
Spain.
Equipment
Cray has generally played Fender guitars (
Telecasters and
Stratocasters) and there are two signature Robert Cray Stratocasters models available from Fender. The Robert Cray Custom Shop Stratocaster is made in the
U.S. in the Fender custom shop and is identical to the guitars that Cray currently plays, while the
Robert Cray Standard Stratocaster is a less-expensive model made in Fender's
Ensenada,
Mexico plant.
Robert Cray Band
thumb
Cray's current band comprises:
- Robert Cray
- Guitar/Singer
- Tony Braunagel
- Drums
- Jim Pugh
- Keyboards
- Richard Cousins
- Bass Guitar
Discography
Albums
| Year
| Album
| U.S. Top Blues Albums Chart [6]
| U.S. Billboard 200 Chart | UK Albums Chart [7]
|
| 1980
| Who's Been Talkin
| -
| -
| -
|
| 1983
| Bad Influence
| -
| #143
| -
|
| 1985
| False Accusations
| -
| #141
| #68
|
| 1985
| Showdown!
(recorded with Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland)
| -
| -
| -
|
| 1986
| Strong Persuader
| -
| #13
| #34
|
| 1988
| Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
| -
| #32
| #13
|
| 1990
| Midnight Stroll
| -
| #51
| #19
|
| 1992
| I Was Warned
| -
| #103
| #29
|
| 1993
| Shame + A Sin
| -
| #143
| #48
|
| 1995
| Some Rainy Morning
| #2
| #127
| #63
|
| 1997
| Sweet Potato Pie
| #3
| #184
| -
|
| 1999
| Take Your Shoes Off
| #2
| #181
| -
|
| 2001
| Shoulda Been Home
| #2
| -
| -
|
| 2003
| Time Will Tell
| #3
| -
| -
|
| 2005
| Twenty
| #2
| -
| -
|
| 2006
| Live From Across The Pond
| #1
| -
| -
|
| 2008
| Live At The BBC
| #7
| -
| -
|
| 2009
| This Time
| -
| -
|
Compilation albums and re-issues
- In Concert
- live album - 1999
- Who's Been Talkin'
(re-released as Too Many Cooks
in 1990, and re-issued as Who's Been Talkin'
in 2001)
- Heavy Picks - The Robert Cray Band Collection
- 1999 - U.S. Top Blues Albums #9
- The Best Of Robert Cray edition of 20th Century Masters / The Millennium Collection
- 2002 - U.S. Top Blues Albums #11
[6]
Singles
| Year
| Title
| U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart [9]
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart | UK Singles Chart |
| 1986
| "Smoking Gun"
| #2
| #22
| -
|
| 1987
| "I Guessed I Showed Her"
| #28
| -
| -
|
| 1987
| "Right Next Door (Because of Me)"
| #27
| #80
| #50
|
| 1987
| "Nothin' But A Woman"
| -
| -
| -
|
| 1988
| "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"
| #4
| #74
| -
|
| 1988
| "Night Patrol"
| -
| -
| -
|
| 1989
| "Acting This Way"
| #24
| -
| -
|
| 1990
| "Consequences"
| #32
| -
| -
|
| 1990
| "The Forecast (Calls for Pain)"
| #11
| -
| -
|
| 1992
| "Just a Loser"
| #33
| -
| -
|
| 1993
| "I Hate Taxes"
| -
| -
| -
|
| 1996
| "Baby Lee"
(John Lee Hooker with Robert Cray)
| -
| -
| #65
|
See also
- List of blues musicians
- List of electric blues musicians
- List of contemporary blues musicians
- List of soul-blues musicians
- List of guitarists
- List of celebrities who have appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
- Chicago Blues Festival
- Long Beach Blues Festival
References
- Guinness Rockopedia
- The Great Rock Discography
- The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray
- Biography by Bill Dahl & Al Campbell
- Title Unavailable
- Title Unavailable
- British Hit Singles & Albums
- Title Unavailable
- Title Unavailable