Ray Lawrence Jr.

RIP Mr. George Jones: News | Apr 26, 2013 |
Share; Mr. George Jones has passed away this day, 4-26-2013. One of the greatest country music artists to ever live will be missed. RIP Mr George Jones. One of my country heroes.

News | Mar 12, 2013 |

Well friends, after so many requests for lyric sheets, I decided to put together a book with lyrics of my songs from Track 5 of the Hank Williams 3 album, Ghost To A Ghost, my album Raw & Unplugged, and my album More Raw Stuff. The words will be big enough to be seen for folks like me that need reading glasses and the verses and chorus will be easy to find so you wont miss you place in a jam session.

If you need tabs and music to figure out how to play these songs, you will not find any of that. The purpose of this book is to get the right lyrics and if you play be ear like I do then you can figure each song out. If you really need charts I can help with that. I would like to have musicians be able to train their ears to hear the changes. I left out the music because most musicians these days depend on tabs and some like to make charts and most dont read music anyway. This book will be available soon so stay tuned for details.

LIVE: Ray Lawrence Jr w/ openers Patson & Brandon Atwell: News | Feb 17, 2013 |
Share; Published on February 8th, 2013

VintageQueen54 has been scoping out the gems hidden in Underground scene and this time introduces three new acts to Outlaw. Ray Lawrence Jr, Patson and Brandon Atwell.

Triple event on November 21, 2012 -These men entertained the audience with their awesome talent for four hours. It was a fun night and special treat for us to have all this talent on one stage in our town. The Spillway Bar & Grill in Bowling Green Kentucky is moving right along with their plan to bring the REAL DEAL to town and VintageQueen54 was there to capture it.

Ray Lawrence Jr.: Singer/ Songwriter, Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Dobro, Banjo and Lap Steel

Ray is the REAL DEAL when it comes to Country/Bluegrass music. Not to be confused with the “‘stuff” promoted to the masses via commercial radio stations or the CMA awards…..I’m talking about the REAL DEAL…REAL Country music from an artist who sings from his heart, songs full of emotions and a man who has paid his dues and continues to do so by taking his songs North, South, East and West across the U.S. to all the little honky-tonk bars we know and love.

Ray Lawrence Jr

Ray began playing guitar and performed on a stage at the age of five and has played in bars since age 17. He served our Country in the military (Army) and toured Germany. Ray’s talents are not limited to his original songs, his voice and guitar playing are incredible. From his Facebook bio: “Ray writes songs about his life experiences and he knows what a sad country song is because he has lived a few bad times.”
“When You Lose All You Ever Had”:

“When You Lose All You Had” was recorded by Shelton Hank Williams aka Hank 3 and written by Ray when he lived in a homeless shelter. Ray was featured on Hank 3′s cd, “Ghost To A Ghost” in 2010. The fifth track is called “Ray Lawrence Jr.” and contains two songs written by Ray and recorded while on Hank’s tour bus as it came thru his town in Arizona.

Ray’s personal music heroes include Hank Williams III aka Hank 3, Jimmie Martin, Bill Monroe, and other legends. All of these tribute songs paying respects to his heroes are worthy of a listen and I’ll bet you will listen more than once.

“Cecil Brown” Hank 3 cover:

“Jimmie Rogers Travelin Blues”

“In The Pines” Bill Monroe cover

Ray’s 1st CD, ”Raw & Unplugged” was released in 2011 and has thirteen original songs. Here are a couple he performed:

”Tonight They’re Makin Babies” a funny cheating song, if your not living it!

“Lot Lizards Don’t Love You” another funny song unless your the wife, came from Ray’s 23 year truck driving career.

2013 rang in with Ray’s 2nd and latest CD release “More Raw Stuff” with 10 original songs. Here are a few he performed:

“Homeless” this song is gaining lots of attention:

“Right Time to Leave You” written by Ray in 1994, recorded by Junction 10:
Ray Lawrence Jr. FULL SHOW video is available at:

See PHOTOS of entire show HERE.

Ray is available for club or private bookings, inquiries can be made at: heatraymusic@yahoo.com.

If you enjoyed this man’s music, go give his FaceBook Band Page a “Like” and let him know.

****

PATSON: One Man Band

This was VintageQueen54′s second time to record this unique “local homeboy” Patrick Richardson aka Patson, and hopefully there will be more opportunities. Patson identifies his act as, “the STAG sound. Beat, Riff, and Vocal. One person and the raw tools of rock n roll.”

I was in awe both times I saw Patson do his show and his talent is much appreciated in our region. A friend recommended we check him out and we did on April 28, 2012 at Rocky’s Bar in Bowling Green. He manages a full set of drums, plays guitar and does vocals. He tapes a drum stick to one hand and uses his foot at the same he plays his guitar. Patson, from Muhlenberg County Kentucky has played drums in many Bowling Green/Nashville bands including Vulvaluxe, Envy Estate, and Malengine.

From his FaceBook bio: “In July 2008 after a nasty motocross injury where I broke my scapula (shoulder blade), the hardest bone in the body to break.. Helpless to play, I stepped back and looked at my music from outside the usual box.. and it occurred to me to strap a stick and tape a pick to my hand and try to play guitar and drums together.”

Patson: One Man Band:

BRANDON ATWELL

Brandon is a hometown boy recently back from Iraq, we thank him for his service and welcome him back home in Kentucky.

As was the case with Patson, this was VQ54′s second time to record Brandon as well. The first time was in September 2012 at Layla’s on Lower Broadway Nashville. Brandon took part in a memorial benefit and played a 20 minute solo acoustic set.

Brandon, like Ray, is another huge fan of Hank 3 and covers his songs. Call Johnny Law is Brandon’s regular band but for this show he played a solo set that included some great covers and a song of his own written while in Iraq. Brandon joined in on several songs with Ray Lawrence Jr. and everyone had fun.

~ VintageQueen54

Photos by Wayne Titsworth

Visit: http: www.youtube.com/vintagequeen54

VintageQueen54 (Cathy Pippin) is a proud grandmother of 6 kids, former DJ, and Indie Music Advocate who travels the country filming bands with her partner and photographer extraordinaire, Wayne Titsworth. Cathy & Wayne met and bonded over their favorite artist, Hank III, and are active in the Reinstate Hank Movement. They live in Bowling Green, KY with their dominating dog, Hobo.

Outlaw Magazine. Country, Rock and Roll, Blues, Folk, Americana, Punk. As long as it is real, it is OUTLAW. Overproduced mediocrity need not apply.

www.outlawmagazine.com

Ray Lawrence Jr. Offers Up “More Raw Stuff”

News | Feb 17, 2013 |

FROM SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC.

It’s funny how fate deems certain artists worthy of national recognition, while others work away in a small circuit of local bars their whole lives without their names being recognized outside of the city limits. Some artists labor greatly to attain national recognition, even if it is in scenes revolving around the internet, while others are content with being local legends. And then there’s talent, which doesn’t always match up with recognition. In fact it rarely does.

Ray Lawrence Jr. was graced favorably by recognition when Hank Williams III put two of his songs on his last album Ghost to a Ghost. Since then Ray has seen quite an uptick in attention and has toured some nationally and played some bigger shows outside of his home state of Arizona. But the appeal of Ray Lawrence Jr. is that his music still embodies the warmth and familiarity of the old local honky tonk Shakespeare that sits in the corner of the bar and slays you with the sincerity of their songs, never wanting anything more than to make music for friends and neighbors.

From Homeless to Hank3: The Story of Ray Lawrence Jr.

Like Chris Knight, Ray Lawrence Jr. is a simple man who has this sensational talent to be able to put defining moments of the human experience to words and music in a way that rekindles the feelings of those moments. Ray’s simplicity becomes his strength by imbibing his music with a blue collar, colloquial grace. Since Ray’s wisdom isn’t defined by a Master’s degree or a master vocabulary, it manifests itself in a cunning wit that takes themes and language culled from real life experiences, and weaves them into high art through honesty and authenticity of expression. Ray Lawrence Jr. has an experience and writes a song about that very experience in his own words. There is no degree of separation that dilutes the soul from the original experience in the song.

As the album title implies, More Raw Stuff accompanies Raw & Unplugged that Ray released as the first album with this stripped-down approach. But don’t let that imply that these songs are warmed-over seconds. More Raw Stuff has some of Ray’s most impressive works, including what I consider one of his crowning songs, “Homeless.” The excellent story and moral, the engrossing walking guitar part, it all embodies what makes Ray a songwriter and performer worth paying attention to beyond the Arizona border.

As More Raw Stuff also implies, this album is just Ray, his guitar, and a microphone cut open with a little bit of reverb. This approach will be a little too raw for some, and my sense when listening to this record is that Ray’s vocals could have been balanced with the guitar a little bit better, and his vocals a little more clear. But this album is about the art of the song, and the stripped-down approach of the recordings facilitate that focus. Ray and others who prefer this simple method to album making would probably benefit from taking the time to produce a more fleshed out sound. But a basic recording is better than none, and the bigger imperative was to get Ray’s songs to our ears and make them a matter of public record.

Country songwriting doesn’t get much better than Ray Lawrence’s “Piece of Paper.” If it wasn’t for Ray’s humble nature, you’d swear he was showboating in how he can take a common article and use it to articulate such an acute sense of heartbreak. “A Time That I Loved In Vain” has a real classic, timeless feel, and though you don’t think of Ray as an ace singer, his voice hits a sweet, soulful spot in “The Right Time To Leave You.” “Dicken’s Cider” and it’s alternate meaning is another masterful display of Ray’s wit, and though overall this is an album of heartbreak, there is an underlying sense of hope in many of the songs, especially in “Another Wedding Vow.”

The approach may be simple, and the music may be raw, but Ray is now two for two in proving he deserved the greater recognition Hank3 bestowed him, and worthy of a wider ear than what his local bar can tender. Ray Lawrence Jr. is America’s local honky tonk singer.

1 3/4 of 2 guns up.

Ray Lawrence Jr. – Raw & Unplugged (Music Review): Press | Mar 6, 2012 |
Share; Ray Lawrence Jr. is positioned for the archetypal country success story. [Read More...]

Album Review – Ray Lawrence Jr. “Raw & Unplugged”: Press | Dec 19, 2011 |
Share; As the title of this album implies, this is Arizona-based singer/songwriter Ray Lawrence Jr. with just him and his guitar. The album was quickly put together after Hank3 released Ghost To A Ghost, to meet the demand Hank3′s exposure created. It is in this context you must judge and listen to this album. Some albums are recorded raw and unplugged as a purposeful approach to create a desired aesthetic. This one is done more out of time and necessity. [Read More...]

RAY LAWRENCE JR. Raw & Unplugged: Press | Dec 16, 2011 |
Share; He's a pretty good singer though, uses his southwest accent to emphasize some of the aspects of the songs that he writes. This is kind of a 'demo' CD demonstrating his ability to 'write' rather than 'play and sing.' [Read More...]

From Homeless to Hank3: The Story of Ray Lawrence Jr.: Press | Oct 20, 2011 |
Share; When Hank Williams III released 4 albums on September 6th, the volume of material he dropped in one day wasn’t the only thing unprecedented. The album Ghost to a Ghost included a track called “Ray Lawrence Jr.” a collection of two live songs recorded in the back of Hank3′s bus in Arizona with the singer/songwriter the track is named for. [Read More...]

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