This is the 14th post in our Musician of the Day series.
Robert Cray was born in 1953 and grew up as an army brat. He was an introvert who took solace in his guitar. He took most of his inspiration for music from his father’s record collection and eventually became obsessed with the blues. And after high school he formed the Robert Cray Band with Tom Murphy and Robert Cousins.
The band got their start when they were invited to tour with blues musician Albert Collins who taught them the ins and the outs of the music business. In 1978, the band finally got noticed by Tomato Records and despite the financial problems of the label they put out the album Who’s Been Talkin’ in 1980. Unfortunately, the label shut down soon after, taking the album with it.
But things looked up as in 1983 they produced another album, Bad Influence, on Bromberg’s HighTone label. The album received much critical acclaim and led to their third album, False Accusations, in 1985. The band continued to release albums that were hailed by critics and even when Robert changed his style, he could do no wrong.
In the early 90s Robert built on his music success by becoming a producer himself and producing the rest of his albums. Since its creation the band has undergone many changes but both the name and Robert Cray have remained consistent. Robert Cray released his latest album, This Time, in 2009 which makes number 18. Today he is seen as one of music’s greatest, with five Grammy Awards and a nearly unparalleled contribution to both modern and traditional blues.
To learn more about Robert Cray visit Musician Guide or the Robert Cray Official Site.
