Ray Bonneville

Ray Bonneville - Gust Of Wind - 1999 - Stony Plain

Many of those familiar with Red House recording artist Ray Bonneville know that he is a hard driving, blues influenced, song and groove man who often writes about people who live on the fringe of society. Ray’s vibe is loose and soulful. With a greasy guitar style, horn-like harmonica phrasing, smoky vocal style and pulsing foot percussion he immediately rivets audiences. His solo performance fills a concert hall with all the sound layering and drama of a full band. The consummate, driven professional, Ray plays more that one hundred and fifty shows a year across the US, Canada and Europe. He has a loyal, enthusiastic fan base wherever he goes. In 1999 he won the Juno award (Canada’s Grammy) and was nominated twice more after that. His song about the resilience of New Orleans, “I am the Big Easy” was the most played song by North American folk DJs, and won “Song of the Year” at Folk Alliance in Memphis in 2009, the same city where he took first place in the International Blues Challenge in 2012. About that award he says “I just went to Memphis to meet some new folks, so it took me by surprise when they announced my name; I see what I do as the offspring of traditional blues music”. He was forty-one when he started writing songs and making records after playing all over for twenty years. When asked why it took so long, he replied “it’s hard to say, but I only spoke French until I was twelve years old when my family suddenly moved us from Quebec to the Boston area, so maybe it took me that long to really feel the nuance of the English language”. © http://raybonneville.com/about/

Ray Bonneville combines electric blues motifs, a light sense of humor, and a pop approach to song-making. On pieces like the opening "Don't Look Back," with electric piano from Richard Bell, this combination comes across as a sort of Memphis Randy Newman. Colin Linden here produces this unique, memorable Canadian songwriter on his third album. Linden provides slide, baritone, and other guitar work on the album. Like Linden, Bonneville is adept at incorporating blues styles into accessible pop gems. Recorded in Canada and Nashville, this album features mandolin maestro Tim O'Brien on "Canary Yellow Car" and the Band's Rick Bell playing keyboards on five selections. Like the album, Bonneville is a constantly moving dual citizen of Canada and the United States. This broad base of experience reflects in an album featuring North American themes of pop, rock, and blues. © Tom Schulte © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/gust-of-wind-mw0000241323

A really good album of electric and acoustic blues, country, roots rock, and folk by a hugely underrated artist. If you like artists like Ry Cooder, Lucy Kaplansky, James McMurtry, or J.J. Cale then give Ray Bonneville a listen. “Gust Of Wind” is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Try and listen to Ray’s “Solid Ground” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 96.5 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Don't Look Back 4:44
2. Gust Of Wind 4:40
3. That's Why 3:17
4. Oh It's You 4:48
5. The Price To Pay 4:20
6. Canary Yellow Car 3:17
7. Foolish 3:28
8. Gone Too Long 3:36
9. Listen 3:48
10. The Changing Sky 4:36
11. Darlin' Don't Forget 2:51

All songs composed by Ray Bonneville

MUSICIANS

Ray Bonneville - Guitar, Harmonica, Foot Percussion, Vocals
Colin Linden - Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Slide Guitar, Background Vocals
Brad Hayes - Guitar
Bryan Owings, Gary Craig - Drums, Percussion
John Dymond - Bass
Terry Wilkins - Upright Bass
Tim O'Brien - Mandolin
Richard Bell - Organ, Hammond Organ, Piano, Electric Piano
Bob Stagg - Keyboards, Keyboard Programming
Keith Glass, Linda Benoy - Background Vocals

SHORT BIO

Blues singer, musician, and songwriter Ray Bonneville is a Juno Award winner originally from Canada. Before he reached his teens, his large family moved to the United States; a few years later, when they returned to Canada, Bonneville stayed in the States on his own. He found work as a member in different bands and as a studio musician, playing both the harmonica and guitar. When he discovered being a musician wasn't paying all of the bills, he studied flying and put in enough hours to get his pilot's license. He was influenced by and performed with great bluesmen like the legendary Muddy Waters and Bukka White. In 1993, Bonneville finished his debut recording On the Main. It was followed by 1997's Solid Ground, which underscored his growing writing and playing skills. Gust of Wind, which earned Bonneville a Juno Award for Canada's Blues Album of the Year, was released in 1999 and Rough Luck came out in 2000. The folk-tinged Roll It Down followed three years later, while 2007's Goin' by Feel boasted a darker, smokier sound and a tribute to New Orleans in the song "I Am the Big Easy." Bonneville reunited with that album's producer, Gurf Morlix, for his next album, 2011's Bad Man's Blood. © Charlotte Dillon © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-bonneville-mn0000403774/biography