FOR MORE INFO ON RAY:
E-MAIL: CURVESCONTOURS@AOL.COM
RAY MINHINNETT WEBSITES
NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON!
INFO ON CREAM'D:
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/CREAMDUK
NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON!
INFO ON RAYS' FILMS & BOOKS:
CURVES CONTOURS & BODYHORNS - Story of the Fender Strat.
Plus: THE CURVES GUITAR COLLECTION:
WWW.CURVESGUITAR.COM
Influences
ROBERT JOHNSON, LEADBELLY, SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON, HOWLIN' WOLF,
MUDDY WATERS, LITTLE MILTON, LOWELL FULSOM, BOBBY 'BLUE' BLAND,
RAY CHARLES, SOLOMON BURKE, SMOKEY ROBINSON, AL GREENE,
MARVYN GAYE, ALBERT COLLINS, OTIS REDDING, DAVID GRISSOM,
HANK WILLIAMS, WOODY GUTHRIE, PETER GREEN, ERIC CLAPTON,
ROBBIE ROBERETSON, ELMORE JAMES, OTIS RUSH, BUDDY GUY, RY
COODER, JESSIE ED' DAVIES, MIKE BLOOMFIELD, FREDDIE, ALBERT
& BB KING, JOHN LENNON, LITTLE RICHARD, BOB DYLAN, DELBERT
McCLINTON, MERLE HAGGARD
Sounds Like
GUITAR LED STAX STYLE BLUES/ROCK
Record Label
RAY MAKING WAVES. FRANKIE JERKIN CROCUS
Type of Label
Indie
Ray Minhinnett - Frankie Miller's Full House's Latest Blog Entry
[Subscribe to this Blog]
NEW VIDEO RAY MINHINNETT AND CHUCK JACKSON
(view more)
MAPLE BLUES YAHOO GROUP, ENTER YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS AND JOIN NOW!
Over the last few years, Ray has been Awarded the Best British Blues Songwriter, and Best Brit. Blues Album Awards, as well as being nominated for Best British Blues Guitarist along with Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, and Gary Moore.
The Film he concieved, wrote and produced, Curves Contours & Bodyhorns - The Story of the Fender Stratocaster was a world wide success, and saw him short listed for an EMMY AWARD. This was followed by his Book entitled The Story of The Worlds' Greatest Guitar - Curves Contours & Bodyhorns, which continues to be a 'must have' read for guitar enthusiasts everywhere and has recently been translated into several languages following yet another reprint.
Initially spotted in his native north east by Ex Animal, Alan Price, in his early days he played with his own band, Highway, before he and Jim Hall (Keyboard Player with Highway) joined forces with Frankie Miller to form Frankie Miller's Full House. Ray is acknowledged by his peers as one of the few real contenders for the title of 'King of British Blues Guitar'.
Today finds Ray playing all over the world with his own band, as well as fronting the highly acclaimed Tribute Band - to Messrs. Clapton, Bruce & Baker - Cream'd which continues to fill venues all over Europe.
Always struggling to keep up with his own creativity Ray is currently planning two overseas tours for Cream'd as well as an anniversary gig for Frankies Full House. In between writing, and putting songs together for a new album project with former Peter Greens' Splinter Group Producer and Keys Man - Roger Cotten. The album will feature more contemporary arrangements of some old blues classics as well as original material.
BACK TO THE BEGINNING
Ray first came under the Music Industry spotlight, in the mid seventies as FRANKIE MILLER's Guitarist - replacing the departing Henry McCulloch who had left to form Wings with Paul McCartney. Frankie remains one of the Greatest Soul, Blues & Country Singer/Songwriters, ever to come out of Britain. with over one hundred and fifty Song Covers to his credit. Check out his song Guilty of the Crime, which the Eagles have covered on their latest album, a classic Frankie Miller Rocker.
Rays musical roots have always been firmly entrenched in the Blues, and after forming Full House with Miller, had what he still describes as the most enjoyable years of his career with Frankie, playing on classic Miller hits like, Brickyard Blues, Love Letters, The Devil Gun, Be Good to Yourself, Sail Away, Aint Got no Money, Jealous Guy, and A Fool in Love etc. etc.
To this day his relationship with Frankie and Annette is something he cherishes. "I'd have been happy workin' with Frankie till we dropped, erh, actually, thinkin' bout it, we often did!!!
After the success of Full House, he was invited to join Legendary Drummer Robert Henrits' Argent off-shoot, PHOENIX, co-writing eight of the ten songs
on the Polygram USA 'In Full View Album'.
While recording with Phoenix at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, Phil Lynott offered Ray the job of replacing the departing Gary Moore in the ranks of Thin Lizzy. "Yeah, I met up with Gary and Sharon Arden/Osbourne in a bar called The Rainbow - he was doing a solo deal with Jet Records at the time, maybe his G - Force thing - and yeah, he told me why he'd left the Band etc. Anyway, to make a short story shorter, I didn't take the Gig, which I have to say, I did regret for some time.".
'Minhinnett too busy for Lizzy', proclaimed the headline in Melody Maker shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, Ray carried on with the job in hand, the recording of, In full view, Phoenix's album for Polygram U.S.A.
On returning from the States, Ray returned to his roots and his beloved Blues with a new Big Band, featuring a five piece Brass section - The Q-Tips Horns - together with Andy Pyle on Bass, Graham Walker on Drums, and Don Airey, and Chris Parren ..s.
Once again his old pal Gary Moore entered his life, this time however, when he left, he took Rays band with him, and they became The Midnight Blues Band.
Coincidently, at this time he was offered the opportunity to act as Musical Director/Co-Presenter alongside Matthew Lorrenzo on Sky TVs new flagship show Saturday Night Live, a two hour live-weekly show that created a formula that has since been much copied in British TV. Every week, Ray was given the opportunity of inviting a special guest onto the show to perform with him and his band. This also allowed him to share centre stage with great artists like Bobby Womack, Sonny Curtis and Courtney Pine, Status Quo, Grace Jones and John Parr, playing to a TV audience counted in millions all over Europe & the UK!
MIKE VERNON founder of Blue Horizon Records, and Producer of Peter Greens' Fleetwood Mac, as well as engineering the seminal Mayall/Clapton Beano album, asked Ray to submit a track for a new British Blues compilation album he was planning. Entitled, UN-American Blues Activities, it featured the cream of the British Blues scene. The song Ray contributed was an emotive, self-penned slow blues called 'Never had the blues like this before'. The song proved a great choice, and later that year he was recipient from the BBC's Paul Jones Rn'B Show of:
BEST BRITISH BLUES ALBUM & SONGWRITER AWARD
and nominated by Blueprint Magazine for
BEST BRITISH BLUES GUITARIST
with
Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, and Gary Moore
Ray won a whole new audience for himself when he acted as Support on a 72 date sell-out British tour, for an Artist who shall remain nameless - "Well it was a sold out Tour, I needed the work, and it meant playing to audiences of between 2 & 3,000 people each night, and I thought I might sell some Albums, although I just wanna forget it now. The Tour included a Sunday night at the The London Palladium, and the response to Rays set - which he performed with only a Keyboard player - was nothing short of incredible, soliciting shouts for encores, as on most nights of the Tour. All to the dismay of the Headliner who kept asking Ray how he sang full tilt like that every night, when he himself was losing his voice, It's a secret Errol, Oops!.
During this Tour, Ray was already planning, writing, and recording new material as well as working on his developing CREAM'D Album project, hatched to tip his hat to his mentors, Eric Clapton and Peter Green.
"I wanted to do something, similiar to Gary's (Moore) Blues for Greeny, just to show my gratitude not only to Eric, but to Peter Greene as well really. They were my 'First point of reference', if you like, my start point, before I'd ever heard of Robert Johnson, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy or Freddie, Albert & BB King".
CREAM'D has been a total success, and the most recent tour in April this year with Bass Player Ian Ellis (Savoy Brown, Alex Harvey Band, Pete Townsend Band) and Baker like Drummer Kenny Ward was a huge success and won Ray particularly some great press.
Ray Minhinnett - Frankie Miller's Full House's Friend Space (Top 40)
Ray Minhinnett - Frankie Miller's Full House has 1577 friends.
Thank you for being our friend. You and your site are so cool ! Join Us On YouTube www.youtube.com/user/CruizeBrothers All new web site: www.mikedollins.biz Guido Ciardetti – bass, born in Chicago, moved to Dallas playing with Buddy Miles and Brian Atlas all over Texas. Brad Messer – drums grew up in Texas with SRV, and went to the same high school. Mike Fraz – Keys, born in New Orleans playing all the same Dr. John Bourbon Street venues. Mike Dollins – Born in California and moved to the Arkansas Delta from the group TC Webb & The Fabulous Jades. Played on the West Coast with King Biscuit Blues Band, Mighty Wings of Faith, Brothers of Praise and Blues Legends Len Rainey, and Big Daddy Rucker.
__$$_____$$__$$__ __$$_____$$______ __$$$$$$$$$__$$__ __$$_____$$__$$__ __$$_____$$__$$__ great to have you as a friend... keep on rockin and keep in touch! Much love from Switzerland (¯'·._.·Renate·._.·'¯) www.snowywhitefanclub.com
Neve Had the Blues Like This Before, got me so much, I listened twice. You are something special aren't you. Oh, my goodness... I could do another cd with your stufff alone... Best stuff I've listened to on here, ever.... It is indeed a pleasure to be your internet friend. Hope to meet you on the road somewhere... Your friend in Blues, Terri Lynn
Thanks so much for your support! Please drop by and leave a comment to let us know what you think of our music. Feel free to add a track to your page and help us spread the word!!! ELECTRALYTES x
Thank you for being our friend. Join Us On YouTube www.youtube.com/user/CruizeBrothers All new web site: www.mikedollins.biz Guido Ciardetti – bass, born in Chicago, moved to Dallas playing with Buddy Miles and Brian Atlas all over Texas. Brad Messer – drums grew up in Texas with SRV, and went to the same high school. Mike Fraz – Keys, born in New Orleans playing all the same Dr. John Bourbon Street venues. Mike Dollins – Born in California and moved to the Arkansas Delta from the group TC Webb & The Fabulous Jades. Played on the West Coast with King Biscuit Blues Band, Mighty Wings of Faith, Brothers of Praise and Blues Legends Len Rainey, and Big Daddy Rucker.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Legendary North Star Bar : Philadelphia, PA 'We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams." www.northstarbar.com www.twitter.com/NorthStarBar www.myspace.com/northstarbar -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Thank you for adding me to your friends list, I hope you enjoy my music, as time goes by I will be adding more of my new songs to the player. Your comments on my songs are much apprieciated, even if you don't like them.
I am doing my best to treat all my friends as friends and not as a buyer of music. I will always answer any questions you may have as quickly as I can.
If you have enjoyed your visit, please tell your friends
