Redneck Rock 'n' Roll is a genre that Nashville based songwriter and musician Boo Ray specializes in. He differentiates himself by both his style and his story. Hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, Boo Ray is one of the few artists that hold on to their roots when writing and performing. He is as authentic as they come.

Boo Ray started playing guitar at twelve, but it was no easy task. His first guitar was a 12 string Martin. While daunting at the time, Boo Ray overcame the learning curve, becoming a talented guitarist at a young age.

Boo Ray listened to a lot of music growing up from Tom Petty's Wildflowers, Dwight Yoakam's Guitars, Cadillacs etc., etc, and Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger. The relevance of these albums for Boo Ray is that he was inspired by each style and demeanor that these legendary musicians had. Boo Ray created his own style that can not be mistaken for anyone else while keeping close to those who inspired him.

Boo Ray followed his dreams, like Jerry Reed did, and moved to Los Angeles in 2006. His time in Los Angeles was not exactly normal. He was writing music full-time capturing the attention of many producers and publishers, but it was not until a show in Las Vegas where Boo Ray would find his golden ticket to Music City.

Hitting the the craps table with $4,000 and a lucky hand, Boo Ray struck more than the average shooter would in the game. Meeting two Music City publishers. who recognized him from his show, they started talking to one another, and convinced Boo Ray to pack his bags to come to Nashville.

The year is now 2007, and Boo Ray came to Nashville with his girlfriend, at the time. Little did he know how much would happen to him during his first weeks in Nashville. The series of events in Boo Ray's life after moving to Nashville would drive a normal man crazy.

The love of his life left him to live a simpler life outside of the city, the next week he was robbed at gunpoint in East Nashville, and the week after that he had to abandon his car on a highway after it broke down.

After the series of unfortunate events, Boo Ray had time to think, write, and create a masterpiece of an album titled Bad News Travels Fast, which was about his journey to Nashville, the events that transpired and getting through the unforgiving nature of a growing city.

Boo Ray grew his career in Nashville over the next years, trying out more energetic, gritty sounds in his music. After years of hard work came songs like "Redneck Rock & Roll", which caused a brawl in the infamous Honkey Tonk bar in downtown Nashville. Boo Ray tells the story, "People loved the song so much that they chanted for me to play the song a second time.

During the second time playing the song through, everyone was going crazy. They started throwing bottles, knocking over tables, and cheering louder. After the second time of playing the song, they chanted that we play the song a third time. By this point, the bar had to be shut down because people were completely out of control."

It is hard to imagine a songwriter getting a bar shut down in Nashville because people loved a song so much. This craze led to Boo Ray's energizing yet resolute album Sea of Lights in 2016, which was his third album to date. He retold his story from his from Los Angeles to Nashville, heartbreak, and what he has learned through his years in the music industry. Boo Ray stated that "A successful album is one that you can play poker to, and Sea of Lights is an album anyone can poker to. It's a badass record."

Boo Ray is not wrong to think highly of his record. It has been played many times on Sirus XM's Outlaw Nation, he has been asked to play Americana Music Festival on multiple dates at the Acme Feed & Seed in Nashville, and is featured on Today in Nashville.

Boo Ray is working on a project with Elizabeth Cook and Old Crow Medicine Show. In the meantime, you can find Boo Ray's full albums on Spotify and iTunes. For more on his upcoming shows, music videos, and more on his story in music, go to www.booray.com.