Ray was born in Toronto Ontario in 1947, but moved to Woodstock Ontario in 1952 and lived there until 1959. During that time he started studying piano at the Royal Conservatory.

His musical career began in 1960. In 1962 he played with a band called the Centurys, which interestingly enough, was a band that Roly Greenway played with also, but at a different time.

In 1961 he played with Del Shannon. (Runaway, Hats off to Larry) For the remainder of the '60's he played with a number of bands on the "Kudlets circuit" (a prominent booking agent of that era).

• Little Anthony and the Apollos
• Sunny Brite and the Sequins
• The Blue Canes
• Mark V
• The Impacts
• Sugar and Spice

From 1970 to 1973 he played with The Greaseball Boogie Band , a very successful Early Rock Revival band, which transformed itself into The Shooter Review which he played with from 1973 to 1977.

In 1977 he joined the newly reformed Crowbar and toured across Canada for a year.
The band broke up in 1978 from circumstances that came out of an unfortunate road accident involving the band's equipment truck. The accident destroyed most of the band's hardware, and resulted in their early breakup.

In 1978 Ray put together the Cameo blues band, a legendary Toronto based group that worked a steady gig at the Cameo Lounge in the Hotel Isabella in Toronto. The Cameos backed up many guest artists during that period, including:

• Paul Butterfield
• Roy Buchanan
• Elvin Bishop
• Lowell Fulsom
• Etta James
• Otis Rush
• Albert King
• Spencer Davis
• Dan Ackyroyd
• Georgie Fame
• Richard Berry (wrote Louie Louie)
• Big Joe Turner

Ray has also recorded with The Downchild Blues Band, Carpet Frogs, and Private Eye.

He also modelled for Harley Davidson for their "Fat Boy Models"