Sean Michael Ray Bio

Bassist / Composer /  Producer

www.seanmichaelray.bandcamp.com/releases

When you hear the name Sean Michael Ray, you immediately think…an INCREDIBLE musician who makes a bass guitar produce pure, melodic, soul-stirring sounds that resonate throughout your body!

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Sean was born with music running through his veins! His mother is a holiness church organist and his father was a renowned bass guitarist. Believe it or not, Sean has had no formal musical training. His first instrument was the trombone, but growing up he watched Soul Train, and came to the conclusion that the trombonist only played on portions of the song and not the entire song. He noticed that the bass guitarist played all the time so Sean asked his mother for a bass. Hesitant to get another instrument, his mother said, “alright I got you that trombone and now you want a bass. I hope you don’t put that down”! Inspired by Earth, Wind and Fire’s bass player, Verdine White, Sean, at the age of 15, got his first bass and now, 38 years later, he still is playing!

Sean has traveled the world performing with such artists as Maxwell, John Waite, Gerald Albright, Alex Bugnon, Dionne Farris, Norman Brown, Joey Sommerville, Bob Baldwin, Sheila E., and Birmingham’s own, Eric Essix. He has performed in various movies and soundtracks to include: First Wives Club, Ghost of Mississippi, B5 (Hanna Montana Soundtrack - "Shining Star"), Dionne Farris - "Truth About Cats and Dogs", Jonathan Butler and Juanita Bynum - "Gospel Goes Classical", John Waite - The Hard Way - "Downtown Journey of a Heart". Selected Discography include: Eric Essix (Recordings 1988 - Present), "Columbia Radio Hour - Volume 2", Hart Ramsey - "Charge It To My Heart".

An humble spirited man who truly loves the Lord, Sean is never boastful and rarely speaks of his musical accomplishments and accolades. Though his travels have taken him far from home, he still returns to serve at church on Sunday mornings.

Sean co-produced his first recording, “Overdue” with world class producers Kelvin Wooten and Hart Ramsey. Signed to the Prayer Closet Records label, the CD is a hybrid of energetic instrumentals and great vocal tunes. Many will call it jazz, but Sean’s interest has always primarily been funk and pop. When asked why it took so long for him to produce his own CD, Sean replied “While playing with artist after artist throughout the years, I saw and heard a lot of things that I liked, and a lot that I didn't like. Those experiences shaped what eventually would become my musical vision of what I wanted to do. It just took some time to conceptualize it all.