Ray Bonneville

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. The album won him an Internatioinal Blues Challenge, Solo/Duet Of The Year award in 2012. Bonneville toured long and hard throughout 2013. When he was ready to record again, he and co-producer and engineer Justin Douglas entered Austin, Texas' Shrine Studio and emerged with Easy Gone. The album was released by Red House in April of 2014.