Brian Ray, best known as a longtime member of Paul McCartney’s touring band, will be releasing a new solo album, My Town, on August 2. The collection features six singles that Ray has released since 2017, as well as four new tracks.
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Coinciding with the announcement of the album’s impending release, Ray has debuted a new advance track, “When the Earth Was Round.” The 1960s-influenced psychedelic pop song is available now as a digital download and via streaming services. You can check out a companion music video for the song at Ray’s official YouTube channel.
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“My new single is about romance in a post-truth world,” Ray says of the tune.
About the My Town Album
My Town features several noteworthy guest artists, including Smokey Robinson, Michael Des Barres, longtime McCartney-band drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, and bassist Davey Farragher of Elvis Costello’s backing band The Imposters.
Robinson contributed vocals to “One Heartbeat,” a song Ray co-wrote that the Motown legend recorded for a 1987 solo album. Des Barres appears on a tune called “Spell Breaker,” which he and Ray co-wrote in 2020.
My Town also includes a cover of a cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Ain’t Superstitious” that features Gia Ciambotti, who was a member of the short-lived group The Graces with Meredith Brooks and Go-Go’s co-founder Charlotte Caffey.
“These songs have been a labor of love,” Ray says of the tunes featured on My Town. “I hope you dig listening as much as we enjoyed making them, and I can’t wait for you to hear the new unreleased tracks.”
My Town will be released on Little Steven Van Zandt’s label, Wicked Cool Records.
Brian notes that having the full support of the E Street Band guitarist and his label allows him “to indulge my wildest ideas.”
My Town can be pre-ordered now, and will be available on CD, vinyl LP, and via digital formats.
About Ray’s Music Career
Ray served as soul/blues legend Etta James’ guitarist and music director when he was still a teenager. During 1980s, he collaborated as a musician and songwriter with a variety of artists. He’s been playing guitar in McCartney’s backing band since 2002.
“Working with Etta James and then Paul McCartney is like winning the lottery twice in one lifetime,” Ray said. “In terms of experiences and memories, I’m a billionaire ten times over.”
Ray also has released two previous solo albums, Mondo Magneto in 2006 and This Way Up in 2010. In addition, Ray put out an album with his group The Bayonets called Crash Boom Bang! in 2014.
Ray Will Be Touring with McCartney Again Later This Year
Speaking of McCartney, Ray will join the Beatles legend for a new series of just-announced 2024 concerts in South America. McCartney’s Got Back Tour 2024 currently features five shows, and is scheduled to run from an October 1 show in Montevideo, Uruguay, though and an October 27 performance in Lima, Peru
Tickets for the new shows will go on sale to the general public this Friday, June 14. Pre-sale tickets also will be made available. Fans hoping to score early tickets for the concerts may want to check StubHub.
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