Ray Beadle & The Hi Tones - Live At The Brass Monkey (2022)

RAY BEADLE’s guitar and vocal styles evoke numerous blues legends, whilst concocting a breathtaking style all of his own. It is not by chance that Ray has become a favourite amongst Australian blues and music fans. An exhilarating guitarist, an enthralling singer-songwriter, and an extremely talented performer.

Ray Beadle is the genuine article, his music comes deep from the heart and soul, stirring emotions in people with his guitar genius. Ray’s music is rich with a deep history of the Blues; Rich from over 30 years of experiences garnered from performing Nationally and Internationally; and rich from a deep understanding of his instrument and how to make it stir something within the listener. He knows that’s what the Blues is about. Ray’s life as a musician started when he was just 9, and for the next 30+ years, Ray has played with and learnt from the best, including many years spent performing and recording with the Foreday Riders; (commonly referred to as the ‘University of the Blues’).

Ray has shared the stage with many great Australian and International artists and has thrilled countless festival audiences. A three month residency with the house band in BB King’s Club in Memphis, as well as several Southern Blues festivals, were all defining moments during Ray’s three tours to the USA.

Following his return from Memphis USA where he placed top 8 in the prestigious International Blues Challenge, Ray Beadle released his first album in 7 years in the form of The 301 Live Session. Featuring Ray Beadle on guitar & vocals, Jonathan Zwartz on double bass and Andrew Dickeson on snare & brushes, The 301 Live Session saw the trio hit Studios 301 in March 2020 to record the 9-track album. The result is a slick collection of selected Beadle originals and legendary blues numbers (covering the likes of Robert Johnson, J.B. Lenoir, Louis Jordan, L.J. Welch, Joseph Perkins Greene, Muddy Waters and J. Smith).

Ray’s next album saw him pushing the boundaries leaning more towards Jazz with the release of Twisted Blues with Clayton Doley and Andrew Dickeson (The Guitar, Organ, Drums Trio) one of best collaborations the world has seen since Wes Montomery, Jimmy Smith and Grady Tate got together in the 60's to change the shape of Jazz as we know it, pushing it to a new level, modernising it and putting their own unique blues stamp on it!

With the downturn of live shows in 2021, Ray took to the studio, a basement at his managers house to record some solo tracks with his Tasman acoustic guitar, thinking what it would have been like to see the Delta bluesmen in their prime in some juke joint down in Mississippi. Inspired by the idea, the power the blues can have in it’s simplest form “voice and guitar” delta style. The result is a 4 track EP, Death Bed Blues available 12 November 2021

As a warm up to Thredbo Blues Festival 2020, Ray hit the stage at The Brass Monkey on Friday 17th January with his big band, The Hi Tones (Clayton Doley: Keys, James Hauptmann: Drums, Victor Rounds: Bass, Matt Keagan: Sax, Jack Purdon: Trumpet & Mike Raper – Trombone) and we hit the record button, the result, a true classic live album.