Basement Tapes: The Early Years

Born in the early seventies, Robbie Ray was raised listening to John Denver, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan. As a teen in the eighties, Robbie listened to speed metal bands and played the bass for a local band, but his true love was in writing. It wasn't until a friend introduced Robbie Ray to the likes of Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Ralph Stanley, and the sounds of Appalachia. Robbie was given a banjo as a gift from his father and he fell in love with the simplicity and Americanism the banjo symbolized. Robbie has a very unique style and this album represents the wide variety of musical tastes that shaped Robbie Ray into the musician he is today. All of these recordings were recorded by the artist on multitrack software and some were even recorded on his iPhone.