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Biography of Ray Thomas
Ray Thomas admits that from an early age he knew music was going to play a big part in his life.
From the age of 5 years he knew virtually all the Elvis songs in those years. He could sing them off the top,
word by word.
"I had dark hair, blue eyes and didn't spit, so they said I was cute and everyone wanted me for a son.
That´s fine, that´s how I am perceived, still. It´s probably correct. I don´t know. I´ve never tried to portray anything in particular.
I´m not a hair gel or clothes person. I want to present music, not an image."
Twenty five years after "Woman & Wine" swept the airwaves, Ray Thomas remains exposed to a vast, loyal audience,
their affection largely unabated. What you see is what you get. None of the qualities are exaggerated - the warmth radiates,
the professionalism never falters, the humour is constant and the voice soars.
Born in Johannesburg and raised in Carletonville on the West Rand, Ray first got the guitar bug after listening and watching a local band "The Runaways". Their sound inspired him to try his hand at playing and with earlier influential styles of Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Faces, The Doobie Brothers, The Eagles and numerous other Rock ´n Roll groups of the 50´s, 60´s and 70´s, a musical love affair began which lasted to this day.
After mastering the basics and playing a few chords, Ray threw himself into learning all he could about guitar playing and soon joined the popular West Rand group "This Collection".
He became friends with another aspiring musician and singer Tommy Oliver ( His big hit song "I Wanna Live") and with Tommy´s urging him on, became a regular at entertainment venues such as "Fiestaland", "Hennops Pride" and the popular "Babsfontein""
In 1982 Ray, residing in Bloemfontein then, recorded his first solo single "There´s Another Woman" on the A side and "Dana My Love" on the B side, which Tommy Oliver produced on the Trio Records label, without any success.
The same year he followed it up with his second single "Woman and Wine" produced by Adrian Strydom for Trio Records which became an instant hit record after performing it live at the first "Radio Highveld Country Picnic" at Hennops Pride. The song went on the chart on Radio Highveld´s Top Ten for 28 weeks being in the No.1 position for four weeks consecutively.
Ray was offered a recording deal by Transistor Record´s Chris Kritzinger and recorded his first long playing album "Forgiving You Was Easy" which featured the intense duet ballad, "Love Me & I´ll Be Your Best Friend" with Amanda Late and produced by Billy Forrest.
Ray´s five piece backing band "The Bronco Band" also featured on this album which was now being played over the air on numerous radio stations in South Africa as well as Namibia.
Ray became a regular within the country music fraternity and frequented and entertained crowds from a vast variety of concerts and open air country music festivals.
In 1985 Ray joined Radio Oranje (now OFM) as a DJ of the highly popular program, the "Ray Thomas Country Show"! This program was on the air six hours per week. During this time he recorded his second album at EMI Studios for Transistor records "I´d Rather be in Love" produced by Ray´s long standing friend and later partner, the late, Gene Rockwell with arrangements by Dave Pollecut.
This album included the Top Ten successes "Carmen", Save the Last Dance", Till´ Each Tear You Cry and the title track "I´d Rather be in Love".
By now Ray was featuring on the highly popular TV´4 country music program "Sing Country" hosted by Clive Bruce, "Tele Music" hosted by Bobby Louw and Leon Schuster and "Musik a la Carte".
In 1988 Ray, together with Lance James, Joanna Field, Sally Vaughn and Gene Rockwell, received the IPAC award for his contribution to country music in South Africa. This was staged at a gala evening at the Sand du Plessis Theatre. To this day no other South African performer has been recognized for this award.
Ray formed his own record company "Gemini Music" and apart from being an impresario staging huge country music festivals, he produced record albums for Andre Nel, Bernie Williams, the popular goldfields band, Highway as well as his third album "A Picture Of Me" featuring the Conway Twitty smash hit song "Heavenly"!
Introducing this song at the 1989 Nasrec Rand Easter Show Country Music Bonanza, Ray backed by the Kempton Park based band Stetson, rocked up a storm like no other! "They even brought on the house lights so we could see the crowds rockin´ - man it made me and the boys feel that this was what it was all about"!
In 1991 Ray, his wife Erna and two daughters moved to Gauteng and settled in Kempton Park where he still lives today. He joined his long time friends with the Stetson band as singer and bass player and just enjoyed casual playing at local gigs and functions.
After a burglary incident in 1999 where he and members of the band lost musical equipment he decided to pack it in.
In 2002 they moved to a new house and while unpacking his records and memorabilia and listening to some old songs "a feeling of longing came up and I experienced an overwhelming yearning to perform old time rock ´n roll music again".
"After fumbling through more "oldies" I stumbled onto John Farnham´s rendition of the Beatles hit song "Help" which he recorded in 1983. - What a ballad I thought! - I listened to it over and over. I just wanted to sing this song - it kept me awake all night. I later learned that PJ Powers recorded John´s version of this song, note for note!"
Ray was asked to produce an Afrikaans album "Novum" for local entertainer Freddy Spires. After spending time in studio and meeting up with old session musician friends, Ray decided to give it all he had and record an album consisting of songs and styles that influenced him in the earlier days.
He called up his long time friend - musical arranger, singer, and producer Bobby Louw and they formed the production house BobRay Productions and started to select the songs and discussed arrangements for this project under the Gemini Music label.
He further employed engineers Hans Thirion and Matthew Fink as well as musicians Mauritz Lotz, Denny Lalouette, Malie Kelly, Johan Kruger, Jaconell Vey and Danny Antill amongst others.
"At last the album I always wanted to make with the people I´ve always
wanted to make it with!
I hope you get as much pleasure listening to it as I had from making it!"
Ray launched his "I Feel Fine" album to the media and public on the 16 June 2006 at a venue in Kempton Park which turned out to be a "Cracker". Sharing the stage with Ray was Bobby Louw and "The Friends Band" - WHAT A BASH THIS WAS!
As Executive Producer, Ray was influential in bringing about the long awaited Bobby Louw solo album, "You & I" under the Gemini music label.
Also available on the Gemini Music label is Ray´s 34 track double album "Journey" consisting of previous songs not released on CD.
"So many people over a number of years requested me to re-release some of the songs I recorded over the past 30 years and it gives me great pleasure to make them available on this album"
With his vast experience Ray also enjoys picking out new young talent and introducing them to the industry, as is the case with upcoming country singer Jason Bradley who featured in the 2008 "Country Legends & Friends show" hosted at Carnival City as well as the upcoming country music show on KykNet TV scheduled for early 2009!
Ray is currently working on a fabulous new "Country" album consisting of great new songs. This will be released before the end of the year.
He is now in the enviable - and well-earned - position of being able to pick and choose his public appearances, and he gets to spend quality time with his family and his other interests and passions
Away From the Mic!
As well as being one of the more recognizable performers in South Africa, Ray Thomas is also a Hunter, photographer and wildlife artist!
On the "I feel Fine" album Ray recorded the fantastic ballad "A Touch of Paradise" JUST A TOUCH of paradise is what Ray is chasing as he noses his hunting 4x4 vehicle deeper into the thorn bush in his favourite Kalahari, bordering Botswana, pick up spoor and tickles after some or other wild trophy animal.
"Everybody wants to take a little time off and do their thing," he says. "Trophy hunting is my thing, I´ve always been an outdoorsy guy."
Welcome to Ray´s private world. A world that has nothing to do with rock or country music and fan clubs and tour dates. A world where he can just be himself.
"I´ve spent twenty eight years of my life trying to get people interested in what I do as a performer," he explains.
"So when they are interested, and ask me for an autograph, I´m not going to turn around and say, ´leave me alone´. But having said that, I need time for myself. And all those things - hunting, fishing, painting - they´re a perfect escape for me. They´re great!"
When the house lights go up and he unhooks his voice from the microphone, Ray swaps his suit for khaki shorts, pulls on his hunting boots,
and "goes bush" wherever he needs to go hunt a trophy animal of his choice.
Here, among the camel thorn trees, buffalo, plains game, lion and other crawling and creeping things, he can come down to earth
by walking 35 km on an animal´s spoor.
"I wanted to be a Big Game hunter when I was a kid," he explains, "and every time I put on my hunting cap and take up my rifle and start the truck, I turn into one. My wife calls it a dress up. I personally like to think I´m tooling up for the hunt."
Shooting pictures is something Ray has taken up big time. When he nails the picture he wants, he really gets excited. "It´s true, I´ve really fallen in love with my camera. Digital photography lets you muck around with a picture and do whatever you want. Bit like working your way into a song, actually. It´s all about interpretation."
Another reason for him taking pictures is that he puts down on canvas beautiful paintings of wild life that he has photographed.
"I prefer to work with pastels and charcoal mediums as I feel that it gives me more freedom to express what I really saw when I saw it the first time. When I´m busy creating the painting I can actually smell the veldt and the bush again. I prefer to do wildlife paintings and it seems that people over the world love it too. I have a fair amount of paintings hanging on walls in lounges, studies trophy rooms, corridors and offices in the States, the UK, Australia, Hungary, Bulgaria and a few other countries. I just don´t get enough time to do these things!"
Fishing for Tuna in the cape waters is another great joy of his.
"I have some mates down in Houtbay that run a deep sea fishing Charter Company,
specializing in fishing for Tuna which is awesome. The athleticism of these animals just blows me away.
I get such an adrenalin rush when hooking into one of these guys, they can weigh up to way over 100kg´s.
I also like fishing up the Mozambique coastline where my brother runs a deep sea fishing charter at Jangamo beach, Inhambane.
The water here is so full of seafood it´s like bouillabaisse,"
Ray throws most of his catches back, keeping the odd ´cuta´ for the campfire.
Home again, on safer ground, Ray unwinds with DVD musicals and a CD collection that runs to Earth, Wind & Fire, Little Richard, Drie van die Bestes, David Kramer, Bob Dylan, Keith Urban, John Michael Montgomery, Willie Nelson and the Eagles amongst others.
"I love listening to voices. And while I like what Tom Jones does, four part harmonies like
those of the Doobies, the Eagles and Crosby Stills Nash & Young are my all-time favourites. There’s something in their
voices which I idolize, and I´ve had the pleasure of recording some of their songs."
Any vices?
Ray doesn´t smoke - anything! ("Not even the occasional cigar") and doesn´t go near gambling tables. He has a weakness
for good quality Cabernet and Shiraz estate wines."I have a pretty good collection"
For a touch of paradise, he´s more inclined to gather friends around for a ´braai´ and a song at home.
"Ray´s good at making people feel relaxed," says his musical arranger and friend, Bobby Louw.
"That´s because he doesn´t pretend. The man on stage is the same man you see away from it."
Ray nods:"I am who I am and pretty much the same most of the time, I get to do what I want to do. I´m a lucky bastard."
