18-06-2018, 20:34
Raymond Charles Jack "Ray" LaMontagne was born on this day in 1973, in Nashua, New Hampshire, USA. He’s a notoriously private person so there is not a lot to speak of, in terms of bio, however, urban legend has it that he had got a job in a shoe store in 1990, after graduating from school, and was awakened, literally and figuratively one morning by Stephen Stills’ “Treetop Flyer” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opBe5z0qwRE) which was playing on his radio alarm. Then and there he decided that music was going to be the thing, and kudos to him – it is.
He developed his very own breathy brand of vocalese – singing from his stomach as opposed to his nose, and proceeded to have a top five hit in the UK (go figure – he peaked in the US at 189 on the Billboard 200!) with the title track from his debut album, Trouble. He’s since scooped up a good few awards, including a Grammy for 2011’s God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise and released seven albums to date, one this year, Part of the Light. In a world where it’s becoming more and more challenging to offer up something authentic and unique in terms of artistry, IMHO, LaMontagne holds his own. And Levon Helm had time for him which says something, I think. He sang with him a bit - here they are on “The Weight” along with Alain Toussaint, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and a few others (Toussaint having an aberrant moment on the lyrics there, but oh well …) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyXOjiVhH5U.
“Trouble” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRVbzdA4Q4
“All the Wild Horses” – also from Trouble - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF713dk1Vn0
“Gold Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMKWYSldOJc
“Let it be Me” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhH6IQlu5HU
“You Are The Best Thing” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ3xTjvj9tw
“Empty” –
He developed his very own breathy brand of vocalese – singing from his stomach as opposed to his nose, and proceeded to have a top five hit in the UK (go figure – he peaked in the US at 189 on the Billboard 200!) with the title track from his debut album, Trouble. He’s since scooped up a good few awards, including a Grammy for 2011’s God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise and released seven albums to date, one this year, Part of the Light. In a world where it’s becoming more and more challenging to offer up something authentic and unique in terms of artistry, IMHO, LaMontagne holds his own. And Levon Helm had time for him which says something, I think. He sang with him a bit - here they are on “The Weight” along with Alain Toussaint, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and a few others (Toussaint having an aberrant moment on the lyrics there, but oh well …) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyXOjiVhH5U.
“Trouble” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRVbzdA4Q4
“All the Wild Horses” – also from Trouble - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF713dk1Vn0
“Gold Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMKWYSldOJc
“Let it be Me” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhH6IQlu5HU
“You Are The Best Thing” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ3xTjvj9tw
“Empty” –
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson