Born James David Ray, he was the eldest child of James and Nellie Ray. In this teens, he was inspired by a Segovia concert, and his parents gave him a gut-string guitar. He and his brother Tom took classical guitar lessons for about a year. Ray's youngest brother, Max, started on the clarinet and then moved on to the saxophone; his mother, Nellie, played the organ well into her eighties. On occasion Tom would play piano and Max saxophone in various iterations of Ray's local bands. Max Ray went on to have a successful musical career with the Wallets and Gondwana. In 1967, Ray was in a motorcycle accident and broke his wrist. While in a cast, he relearned to play the guitar with a flat pick. The years from 1963 to 1971 were prolific for Koerner, Ray and Glover. Either solo or in some combination of the trio, they released at least one album a year. The group never rehearsed together or did much at all together. Ray liked to call the group, "Koerner and/or Ray and/or Glover". In 1969, Ray teamed up with Will Donicht as the band Bamboo, to record an electric folk-rock album in New York for Elektra Records. The album featured original and creative lyrics and instrumentals. Ray became disillusioned with Elektra and the commercial recording industry in general and was determined to set up his own recording studio and become a record producer. With funding from his first wife's aunt, Jane Westley, Ray created a recording company, "Sweet Jane Ltd." Their first project was recording the debut album of Bonnie Raitt, which also featured Junior Wells. Sweet Jane built a recording studio outside of Cushing, Minnesota in the early 1970s. The Minneapolis-based Willie and the Bees recorded an album there with Ray. At this point, Ray had already released a number of albums both solo and with Koerner and Glover. Ray released his own solo album, Kidman, on SJL in 1977. In the late 1970s, playing and recording music became a less viable option for Ray. As a stopgap measure, he bought into his father's insurance business, James Ray Associates. Determined to continue playing music, Ray lined up steady gigs at local bars and restaurants for after hours. Glover joined him on many of these jobs. For almost a decade, Ray led this double life of insurance agent and blues musician. He released a few live recordings and studio albums during this time. In the late 1980s, Ray sold the insurance business to a large underwriter. Ray played gigs and festivals around the country. Willie Murphy said after Ray's death, "It's too bad he had to die when he did, he was kind of getting the hang of it." Ray devoted many hours to diligent practice, running through the paces of guitar greats like Charlie Christian and Freddie Green.
In 1998, Ray and Glover joined with Camile Baudoin and Reggie Scanlan of the Radiators to form a short-lived band, the Back Porch Rockers, which released the albumBy the Water in 2000. Ray's last album, which he sold on his website, was A Hollowbody Experience, by the 6L6 Band, which featured Ray on guitar and vocals, Jeff Dagenhardt on guitar and Dave Kasik on bass. Dagenhardt and Kasik both reside in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 6L6 CD was released in 2002, the year Dave Ray died. Fittingly, the last track was "It's All Over Now."
Death
Ray was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2002. He died on Thanksgiving day, November 28, at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He had chosen not to take any aggressive treatment for his cancer. He continued playing until shortly before his death, notably at a blues folk conference in Princeton, New Jersey.
Awards and honors
In 1983 the Minnesota Music Academy named Koerner, Ray and Glover "Best Folk Group" and in 1985 inducted them into the MMA Hall of Fame. In 2008, Koerner, Ray & Glover were inducted into the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame under the category Blues Recordings for Blues, Rags and Hollers. In October 2014, a segment of Franklin Avenue near his father's insurance office was named Dave Ray Avenue. Koerner, Ray & Glover has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.
