Vern & Ray
| Vern & Ray | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Country music |
| founding | 1959 |
| resolution | 1974 |
| Founding members | |
| Vern Williams | |
| Ray Park | |
| Luther Riley | |
| Clyde Williamson | |
| Last occupation | |
mandolin |
Vern Williams |
guitar |
Ray Park |
banjo |
Herb Pedersen |
| Howard Courtney | |
Vern & Ray were an American bluegrass band formed by Vern Williams and Ray Park in the late 1950s.
Career
The from rural Arkansas originating Vern Williams (born 1930 as Delbert Lavern Williams, † 8. June 2006 ) and Ray Park (* 1933, † 15. May 2002 ) first met in 1957 in Stockton (California) together. The Fiddler Ray could look back on several years of experience as a country musician and had already released a record. Vern performed occasionally as a guitarist with his younger brother. From 1958 they appeared together as the duo Vern & Ray . Traditional bluegrass was played, which was slowly gaining popularity on the west coast of the United States in those years.
Only after the band had strengthened themselves in 1959 with the banjo player Luther Riley and the guitarist Clyde Williamson, they became known beyond the local bluegrass scene. In 1961 Vern & Ray recorded a few songs that were distributed by the Starday label a year later . Williamson and Riley dropped out in 1963, and Vern & Ray were forced to withdraw from show business. It proved difficult to find musicians who could meet the high demands of bluegrass. It wasn't until 1966 that they found a new banjo player, Herb Pedersen .
The three harmonized so well that the group surpassed its old successes. In 1967 they moved to Nashville , the center of country music . However, they couldn't gain a foothold here, and so from 1969 they went their separate ways. The final split came in 1974. Despite their modest commercial success, Vern & Ray are considered to be important pioneers of a Californian bluegrass. In 2006 a live recording of a concert from 1968 was released on CD.
Discography
Albums
- 1971: Sounds From The Ozarks
- 2006: San Francisco - 1968