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Robert Cray – Nothin’ But A Woman

Robert Cray

Robert Cray is one of the most famous and respected blues guitarists of his generation. His music combines the traditional sound of blues with influences from soul and RnB, creating a fresh and attractive style that attracted many listeners in the 80s and 90s. Not only did Cray revive the blues scene, but he also garnered critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching high spots on the pop and rock charts. In this article, we’ll take a look at how Robert Cray got started in his career, how he developed his own voice as a guitarist and songwriter, and how he influenced younger blues artists.

Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia. His father was a quartermaster in the Army and moved often to another location, so Robert spent his childhood in different parts of the United States and Europe. He became interested in music through his father’s extensive record collection, which included recordings by artists such as Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Sam Cooke. After classical piano lessons, Robert began learning guitar at the age of 12. While in high school in Newport News, Virginia, he formed his first band, One-Way Street, which played covers of popular songs in a bar even though they were too young to go in.

In 1974, Robert Cray moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he joined a local blues band, The Crayhawks, led by harmonica player Curt Salgado. Working with Salgado, Cray was able to delve into blues, RnB, and soul, but was ultimately not satisfied with playing versions of existing songs. When he formed the Robert Cray Band, he began to focus more on writing his own songs than on playing guitar brilliantly. Though he can light a fire on the strings when he feels like it.

The Robert Cray Band released their debut album Who’s Been Talkin’ in 1980, but it wasn’t until their third album Bad Influence in 1983 that they gained notoriety among blues fans. The album featured songs such as “Phone Booth”, “Bad Influence” and “Playin’ in the Dirt”, which showcased Cray’s talent as a guitarist and songwriter. His playing style was clean and precise, without unnecessary embellishments, and his songs were closer to classic southern soul in their storytelling and character creation than to the typical twelve-bar anthems about whiskey and women favored by most bluesmen of the time.

In 1985, Robert Cray recorded the album Showdown! with two blues legends: Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album and raised Cray’s reputation as one of the best blues guitarists of his generation. A year later, Cray released his biggest hit, the album Strong Persuader, which sold over two million copies and reached number 13 on the Billboard 200. The album included hits such as “Smoking Gun”, “Right Next Door (Because of Me)” and “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”, which combined blues with pop melodies and modern lyrics. Cray showed that the blues can be not only music for connoisseurs, but also for a mass audience.

In the 80s and 90s. Robert Cray continued to record and tour, keeping a high level of quality and consistency in his music. He has also collaborated with such stars as Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt and B.B. King. His albums 1990’s Midnight Stroll, 1992’s I Was Warned and 1993’s Shame + A Sin were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Modern Blues Album. In 1999, Cray was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the youngest artist in the history of the institution.

Robert Cray does not rest on his laurels and continues to create new music, drawing inspiration from different genres and incorporating social and political elements into his lyrics. His latest album, Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm, from 2017, is a collaboration with one of the best soul studio bands of the 70s, Hi Rhythm Section. The album is a tribute to the classic soul and RnB sound that had a big influence on Cray’s work.

Robert Cray is an artist who brought the soul of RnB to the blues in the 80s and ushered in a new generation of blues lovers around the world. His music is fresh, attractive, and authentic, and his songs are full of emotion and character. Robert Cray is a guitarist who doesn’t play for the sake of playing, but for storytelling.

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