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Bio: Paul William Ray
As a young boy growing up in Melbourne, Paul would be blasting Kiss or Iron Maiden out of the stereo. An early appreciation of tennis raquet guitars and the rock pose held him in good stead for the musician he is today. He has played many gigs locally as well as touring interstate and internationally. In 2005, Paul toured Europe as guitarist with original ac/dc singer Dave Evans. The job was a brilliant experience of life on the road and a lesson in the excess' of the rock and roll lifestyle.
Currently, Paul is performing as a solo artist. His previous country/rock band ‘The Falconz’ released two cd’s on the Northerly Records label earning them a award nomination at the Tamworth Country Music Festival a top ten spot in the Herald-Sun best releases of 04'.
A wide range of musical influences have instilled a creative yet familiar sound to Paul’s songwriting. Contemporaries such as Keith Urban, Ryan Adams, and Eric Luoma continue to inspire.
2009 sees the anticipated release of his debut solo release 'Last Drinks, One More Night'.
Bio: Ray Hall & Steel
RHS formed over drinks at Melbournes Hard Rock Cafe in October 2006. The trio comprising of Paul William Ray (vocals/guitar), Michael Hall (drums/vocals), and Darren Steel (bass/vocals) called the Hard Rock home playing there almost every Saturday night and for various functions from November 06' to October 07'. The boys were also starring in their TV ad campaign. The RHS covers show now extends itself to corporate functions, weddings, and various other pubs/clubs in and around Melbourne
With a massive songlist branching out over five decades (incl. Elvis, Roy Orbison, Rolling Stones, Inxs, U2, Pink, King Of Leon), the boys put on one hell of a show. The versatility of RHS to play acoustic style gigs as well as bringing out the big rock show suits many venues and if you are not having a good time at the RHS show you had better check your pulse.
Publicity Photos: (left click to download)
Paul William Ray (1000 x 650 jpg) 553kb
Ray Hall & Steel (1000 x 650 jpg) 624kb
CD Reviews:
Last Drinks, One More Night
Sometimes when you hear the words country-ballad you shudder. Images of Billy Ray Cyrus and such flash before you, and you really can’t help but groan. But Melbourne singer Paul William Ray shows that these two words put together need not be a bad thing. Ray’s latest EP ‘Last Drinks, One More Night’ is mostly made up of ballads… and it sounds sensational. Opening track ‘Last Drinks’ reveals some amazing guitar work and vocals and as the EP goes on you really do start to realise that Ray has some of the best male vocals that this country has ever seen. ‘Your Favourite Song’ is an amazing ballad while the piano in ‘Alive’ adds a new element to the country sound. ‘Good Times’ is worthy of a few listens while the story-telling make-up of ‘The Valley’ combines with a good Aussie sound and it is easily the best track on the EP. Ray even manages to pull off a modern lullaby with ‘Sleep’, which caps off a truly sensational EP. Paul William Ray has delivered one of the EPs of the year with ‘Last Drinks. One More Night’. This shows that country doesn’t have to be a nasty word.
Dave Griffiths - Buzz Magazine / Mediasearch
PAUL WILLIAM RAY is a Melbourne
lad and ex lead singer of a group
called THE FALCONS, not to be
confused with the JO JO ZEP
variety. His Last Drinks, One More
Night (Northerly) continues a
direction into country but still
coming from rock. Ray has a
convincing mainstream vocal
style that in a perfect world
would fi nd him a high rotation
home on commercial radio. He
writes good heartfelt songs and
plays a bunch of instruments
(guitar/banjo/bass/harmonica)
well enough on record to get
his ideas and sound across. He
remains marginalised but defi ant
and on this six tracker touches
home on all tracks, two being
mentioned in the title while the
others are Alive, Good Time,
The Valley and Sleep. If record
companies still developed artists
they could have fostered Ray
and had a great chance of hitting
pay-dirt. The unique quality he
has is to evoke a sense of Aussie
identity without reverting to
any jingoistic tendency and also
be extremely universal - highly
recommended and found at
www.paulwilliamray.com
Keith Glass - Country Music Capital News