Ray Hardison

Male

Gretna, VA

United States

Profile Information:

I am an:

Indie Artist

Artist's or Band's Name

Cowboy Ray Hardison

City & State

Gretna Virginia

Country

USA

Music Genre(s):

Country

Bio:

Music has been a part of my life all my life. Before I was two I had cowboy boot's a cowboy hat and my guitar was mamas wooden mixing spoon or anyfhing I could find to strum on. When I was nine my mother bought me my first real guitar and harmonica and I actually learned how to play them that year and I also was making up song's and writing them down and still have them today. I played my first gig at eleven and made five dollars in tips and that was the day I knew what I wanted do the rest of my life. I put together a band at fifteen with a couple of older guy's.I played wiyh a band for about a year then was asked by a local country band to play drums for them four hours every Saturday night for a $100 a month that was a lot of money for a kid in 1970, thats how I paid for my first car. I got some real good experience learning how to play drums and getting a taste of what it was like on a bigger stage but I really wanted to have a guitar in my hands and be singing the songs that I wrote so I put together a band playing local gig's around town. During that period I got a call from WBTM and they were hosting a teleathon for MD and I was asked if I would like to perform with Waylons brother Tommy Jennings I said yes and got to open for him then we did a couple of song's together. Shortly after that I hooked up with the Longhorn Rodeo. I had saved some money so I decided to cut a record of a song I wrote titled Life of a Texas Singer, WAKG in Danville was playing the song a lot so one night Hank Jr. played in Salem Va. and as they were leaving Salem his manager heard my song on WAKG so he called the station and got my number and called me about 2:00 am on Sunday morning and said he would like to met with me the next day so I met him in Rocky Mount Va. The following Thursday I went to Cullman Ala. to sign my first recording contract where I met Hank and Merle Kilgore and some of his band members. We put out another 45 and I hit the road opening up for various artist. Then in 1984 I hung it up for two reasons one we were getting ready to have a child and I wanted to be there for her and the other was I did not like the direction Country music was headed.

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