Rhythm Guitar - Ray Peterson

Ray Peterson on vocals and rhythm guitar got his first guitar when he was sixteen. At that stage the guitar was just an accessory to hang around his neck and impress the girls in high school. Well that idea worked like a screen door on a submarine so he thought he might as well learn how to play it.

Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s gave Ray his love of rock and roll music. Elvis was a huge influence and Ray saved up to buy “Hard Headed Woman” when he was just 11. He and his wife used to own an “Elvis” 1966 Cadillac convertible, a rich maroon colour with a white rag top and chrome two feet deep. He got tired of getting his face slapped when he asked the girls to go for a topless ride with him.

Every genre of music seems to have associated with it its special clothing, accessories and sometimes language but no era of music can match the sheer excitement of the 50’s and 60’s in clothes, cars, milk bars, record hops and hair styles. It’s not just a coincidence that in those days people held their partner when dancing. The beat in the music made them do it. It’s lucky for Ray and the band that people today still want to hear that beat from a live band because that’s what keeps the music alive.