Night In The Life

Ray has been singing in the church at age six and is from the third generation of HARGROVE/GASKINS family singers from the southern region or deep south. He was raised in Baltimore. Maryland, first cousin to diva JOECELYN BROWN and nephew to super diva BARBARA ROY (ah!). He started clarinet at age nine and picked up the saxophone around age sixteen. He served six years in the Navy (phew), began writing dance/house music round twenty four, wrote four consecutive BILLBOARD/CASHBOX charted hits then moved to New York City to form local bands and play clubs. He toured with GORDON EDWARDS' STUFF band later to join the PHYLLIS HYMAN BAND on her last two tours. During that time he met ROY AYERS and six months later joined him for four world tours before starting his first of SIX SOLO PROJECTS starting with SOUL CRUSADE (1994) then banging out the funky CD CAN'T STOP and the acid jazz Gershwin track SUMMERTIME (95) that topped UK charts and sales for over six months.