I was born in Ottawa, Canada and raised in a bilingual environment, with an mix of French-Canadian small-town roots from my Mom's side and eccentric British roots from my Dad's. Once my father left at an early age, it was just me and the girls... when I reflect on growing up in a household surrounded with female energy, I believe it had a very positive impact on my soul. 

I can remember when I was about six years old, stretching the elastic bands on an empty kleenex box because I wanted to play guitar, and that presented itself in the shape of a Ukelele which I studied in primary school! By the time my teens hit, I was completely enamoured with rock'n'roll and the super groups of the 70's. By eighteen, I was learning all kinds of Zeppelin riffs by ear. I 'woodshedded' like this for a couple of years, lifting melodies and changes from the guitar greats, off my record collection. My friends and I would also jam almost every weekend, playing our favourite riffs and making up our own stuff too, nestled in our inspiring basement where one wall lovingly showcased a 20-foot long custom mural of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon, which my Mum graciously allowed us to do... actually I think she dug it too!

During this same period, I was buying all kinds of records and really getting into 'sound'; listening not only to the music but also the production; intrigued by the way things felt emotionally and how the arrangements gelled together. On sunny days, I used to cover the basement window with a garbage bag and I would just sit and listen. With no distractions from my visual sense, I was able to dive deeply 'inside' the music.

After high school, I enrolled in the Music Industry Arts program (800 applicants and they took 60) at Fanshawe College and studied Recording Engineering and Music Production, as well as Music Theory. This course was like going to a two year jam session! Everyone was a musician and we all played and recorded with each other, at all hours of the night, when all the other students were sleeping. When one of my fellow students asked me to play guitar on her album, I was completely beside myself, thinking: "who me?" My nickname at college was 'Rockin' Ray' and I played a Gibson Les Paul Junior (like Angus from AC/DC) through a Hi Watt amp (like Pete Townsend-a very british sound). Anyhow, this single event was really seminal for me; I thought for the first time in my life that maybe I could be a guitar player for real. With this new confidence, I started to dig deeper into the instrument, along side my recording studies which I also loved.

After receiving my diploma as a Recording Engineer, I decided to treck around Europe. For nine weeks, I feasted on incredible historic architecture and stunning artwork in the countless museums. I ended up visiting Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey (the highlight), Belgium and England before returning home.

Once back, I decided to check out the Music Program at Humber College. After one semester, I was offered a job in a recording studio, in Fort Erie of all places. I quit school and planned to move there to start my working life. Strange thing happened though; the job fell through. Disappointed, it was too late to re-enroll at Humber and life threw me one of the many unexpected curves that we all inevitably face. The silver lining in that one - and these things often present themselves further down the road - was that I moved to Toronto and sunk myself even deeper into my 'self-teaching journey', which unbeknownst to me, forced me to find my own voice. I answered an add and started playing guitar professionally and writing my own tunes. (The main part of One Witness was one of my first compositions; I wrote the end part some five years later - after seeing the late and innovative Michael Hedges - and stuck them together to make one piece.)

That was 1987 and I've been making music ever since. In 1995, I started my own recording studio and called it Soundhole Studio. These are the two worlds I've stuck to and I haven't waivered. I've been consistently honing my skills as a Composer/Guitarist/Engineer and Producer. I love all of these equally as they are intrinsically linked to one and other, and therein lies the thrust and inspiration behind this web site.

On one short philosophical note, I'm a big believer in doing what you love, following your bliss and your passion, and the rest will figure itself out. It's not always easy but I feel pretty lucky to be able to create and share my music and to assist others in realizing theirs; it's both an honour and a priviledge. I'm also keen on balancing the work and play cycle and doing things that will inspire me and my music... like getting away and riding through the mountains. Ooh, I love that...

Thanks for popping by and I hope you enjoy your visit!

Ray