When Ray was eleven years old he got his first guitar and he was banging out country music the best he could.
During the 50ties Ray played drums with a hillybillyband and traveled throughout the south. His interest changed to his other love rhytm and blues music as he ended up leading the house band at Al Cortrils club in Mobile. In 1959 he sighned up a record deal with Sandy Records.
In 1960 he releast his first single out Bells in my hearth/ Rocking Sattelite.
In 1962 Ray release his second single out Im gonna leave/ You gave me the right.
The next years Ray traveled round playing clubs and bars together with Ken Bozeman "the Alabama flash" and Bill Blalock. Ken is a great guitar player. My good friend Bob Osborn went to see the band at Blue Front in a town outside of Chicago in 1964, they called themselves The Cajuns. Bob was invided up by Ray to sing with them, they made a great version of Be Bop a lula as Bob told me. Bob also told me Ray sang great songs as Matilda, Please forgive me, Sick and tired, and a Otis Reading song called I been loving you too long.
Ray left Sandy Record and went to New Jersey to join a new band called Chocolade Paper. George Gummings and Billy Francis was also playing with the band. One day they played in a bar, Dennis Locorriere droped in and Ray asked him if he could play bass Dennis lied and said yes. Anyway Dennis joined the band. One day the famous songwriter and cartoonwriter Shel Silverstein and producer Ron Haffkine came to the bar and discovered the group.
Ray, Dennis, George and Bill together with Jay David formed the group which name was taking from Rays eye pach Dr.Hook and the medicine show. They were asked to sing the title song on a film called Who is Harry Kellerman The last morning. In the middle of the film there is a scene taking from a concert they did performing Bunky and Lucille together with Shel Silverstein.
After the first album called Dr.Hook and the medicine show they add two new band members Rik Elwit and Jance Garfat. After their third album Belly up they went bankrupt. And in 1975 they releast an album called Bankrupt.
In 1977 Ray made a great solo country album simply named Ray Sawyer. It was on the Norwegian chart for many weeks and his single Daddys little girl was number one on a local chart here in Norway. It was me told that that the record company would not promote the album because it sold more than Making love and music which was Dr.Hook album at the same time.
In 1978 Ray made a single called Dancing Fool/ Rhytm guitar, and in 1979 a single called I want Johnnys job/ What Im holding on.
Ray stayed with Dr.Hook til 1982 feeling used by his hat and panch, it wasnt fun anymore to go to the studio with a lot of studio musicans and just sing.
Dr.Hook with Dennis Loccorriere stayed on the road till 1985, they had a farwell tour in UK. A long journey was ended for a great band who with a lot of houmor and a lot of great music thrilled fans all over the world.
In 1985 Ray worked with Mel Tellis opening on his club in Las Vegas, Ray wanted to go back on the road now touring mostly round in Canada with his new band The rest of the story. In 1985 he gave out a new single called Im ready/69 years of interupted love.
In 1988 Ray went out for a world tour together with Clen Layne and JP Fitting who was together with Ray from 1985. No he tours under the name Dr. Hook featuring Ray Sawyer. He was in Norway, had 31 venues and we saw him 3 times, and it was great to see him back on stage with a lot of houmor and great music, he had changed the style to rhytm and blues and soul besides Dr.Hook songs. I wiil never forget songs as Georgia on my mind, I aint got no home, the dock of the bay, and a great new song called Written in the stars, written by Rays friend Zack van Arsedale. There was ment to be an album out in 1989, but sadly enough it never was releast.
In 1989 Ray came back to Norway and played 5 venues on a hotell in Drammen. Also producing and singing on an album for the Norwegian tour manager Thore Henki Holm Hansen, they were doing a song called I dont wanne hear another she,s leaving song together. We took the plane to Oslo and train to Drammen and stayed for 3 days with 3 great concerts and a lot of fun at the Møller Hotell.
The next time we saw Ray was in 1993 in Kopervik this time his son Caycy was with him only 13 years old, Keith Austin on lead guitar was also new, he stayed with the band for 10 year, Keith left the group for a solo carreer with a new great cd. Keith joyned Ray and the band again for the summer tour 2004. Ray had now changed the style to mostly Dr.Hook song, very great but I still miss those rhytm and blues and soul songs which Ray sang so good. That night we had a great party on the hotell.
In 1995 we went to see Ray in Denmark, he told us there was a new cd out soon and in the Autum Greatest and latest was releast. It went as number 2 on Danish charts and sold double platinium and as number 5 in Norway sold gold, it contens 5 news songs and 12 old ones.
In 1997 we saw Ray in Denmark again and as always a lot of great music.
In 1999 we went to see Ray at Rock festival to Ålborg Denmark, it was 15000 people there and Ray and the band did a great show. Later that year Billy Francis joined the band again after beeing with Ray in 1990. Billy sang I got stoned and I missed it with great sucses.
In 2001 we went to England and saw the band in Carlise and Newcastle two great shows, we got to meet the Ray Billy and Caycy back stage and had a lot fun.
The last time we saw the band was in 2002 in Viborg and Kokkedal slot Denmark, we stayed at the same hotell and it was early in the morning when we went to bed after having a great time with Espen from Denmark and the band at the hotell.
In 2003 and 2004 Ray and the band toured mostly Canada and US. There are now plans for Europe tours in 2005.