Amy Ray
Amy Ray | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Amy Elizabeth Ray |
Born | Decatur, Georgia, U.S. | April 12, 1964
Origin | Georgia, U.S. |
Genres | Folk rock |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1985–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Indigo Girls |
Website | www |
Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers.[1] She also pursues a solo career and has released six albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daemon Records.
Biography
Born in Decatur, Georgia, Amy Ray met Emily Saliers when they both attended the same elementary school.[2] They began performing together and recorded a demo in 1981. After graduation, Ray and Saliers went to different colleges with Ray attending Vanderbilt University.[3] By 1985, they had both transferred to Emory University in Atlanta and formed the Indigo Girls.[3] In 1986, Ray graduated from Emory with majors in English and Religion.[citation needed]
In March 2001, Ray released her first solo album,
Her backup band for her Stag tour was The Butchies. In 2004, when she embarked on her Prom tour, she brought Les Nuby (guitar), Will Lochamy (drums), and
Side projects
In addition to the Indigo Girls[6][7] and her work as a solo artist, Ray also runs an independent record label, Daemon Records, which she founded in 1990 and which is based in Decatur, Georgia.[7] Some performers signed to Daemon include Girlyman, Magnapop, Nineteen Forty-Five, Michelle Malone, Three Finger Cowboy, Danielle Howle and the Tantrums, Gerard McHugh, New Mongrels, Grady Cousins, The Oblivious, Snow Machine, Utah Phillips and Rose Polenzani.
She often collaborates with The Butchies, a punk band featuring drummer Melissa York and vocalist/guitarist Kaia Wilson. She has contributed the live track "Lucy Stoners" on Calling All Kings & Queens (2001) and the Mr. Lady Records sampler album as well as a live recording of "On Your Honor" on a compilation for Home Alive.
Ray is also an activist involved in multiple political and social causes, including
In 1993, she and Emily Saliers co-founded Honor the Earth with Winona LaDuke. Honor the Earth's mission is "to create awareness and support for Native [American] environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native [American] communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard."[8]
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) appears on her 2014 album Goodnight Tender, and she and Vernon continue to maintain a friendship.[9]
Ray was also a judge for the 3rd[10] and 11th Annual[11] Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
Personal life
Ray uses
Ray is a Christian.[16]
Discography
Studio albums
- Stag (2001)
- Prom (2005)
- Didn't It Feel Kinder (2008)
- Lung of Love (2012)
- Goodnight Tender (2014)
- Holler (2018)[17]
- If It All Goes South (2022)
Live albums
- Live from Knoxville (2006)
- MVP Live (2010)
- The Tender Hour: Amy Ray Live from Seattle (2015)
References
- ^ Monger, Timothy (2021). "Amy Ray | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ISSN 0004-6701. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-888375-47-3.
- ^ a b c d Baca, Ricardo (March 3, 2012). "Amy Ray: An Indigo Girl gone solo — but only temporarily". The Denver Post.
- ^ a b Rodman, Sarah (April 13, 2012). "Amy Ray's 5 top things about touring as a solo girl". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (June 17, 2009). "Where the Outdoors Are Humming With Melodies and Messages". New York Times.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8131-2310-3.
- ^ "Campaigns". Honor the Earth. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ "Episode 22 – Amy Ray (Indigo Girls)". Cigar City Management. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "3rd Annual IMA Judges" Archived November 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Independent Music Awards. Retrieved on September 4, 2013.
- ^ "11th Annual IMA Judges. Independent Music Awards. Retrieved on September 4, 2013.
- The Advocate. March 30, 2021. Archivedfrom the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (January 10, 2014). "Amy Ray talks new country album, new baby and Indigo Girls". Access Atlanta. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ "Indigo Girls' Amy Ray on tattoos and coming out - Windy City Times News". Windy City Times. November 2, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "LGBTQ&A: Amy Ray: Indigo Girls FOREVER (!!!)". Apple Podcasts. May 4, 2021. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ Jerome, Helen (November 16, 2022). "Ten Year Town: Amy Ray". Holler. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ "Amy Ray Band On Mountain Stage". NPR.org. March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019.