music.wikisort.org - Musician

Ray Quarles Edenton (November 3, 1926 – September 21, 2022) was an American guitar player and country music session musician.[1]

Ray Edenton
Birth name	Ray Quarles Edenton
Born	(1926-11-03)November 3, 1926 Mineral, Virginia, U.S.
Died	September 21, 2022(2022-09-21) (aged 95) Goodlettsville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country music Rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Guitarist
Instrument(s)	Guitar Mandolin Banjo Bass Ukelele
Years active	1949–1991

Early life

Ray Edenton was born into a musical family on November 3, 1926, and grew up near Mineral, Virginia.[2] His first instrument was a banjo ukelele, and by the age of six he was performing with his two brothers and cousins at square dances around the area.[3][4]

After serving in World War II with the United States Army, he joined guitarist Joe Maphis as the bassist in a group called the Korn Krackers, a regular feature of the Old Dominion Barn Dance show on Richmond Virginia’s radio station WRVA.[1] In 1949, he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, to work at radio station WNOX but was sidelined by a 28-month hospital stay with tuberculosis before moving to Nashville, Tennessee where he began to play acoustic guitar on the Grand Ole Opry.[4]

Career

Considered one of Nashville's most prolific studio musicians, Edenton played on more than 12,000 recording sessions as a member of The Nashville A-Team.[5] He played on his first session, American country music singer Red Kirk's recording of "Lovesick Blues" for Mercury Records, in 1949,[6] but his first appearance on a major hit came on Webb Pierce's 1953 single "There Stands the Glass.[7] Edenton played on 26 of Pierce's 27 chart-topping country singles and also on such well-known recordings as the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie", Marty Robbins' "Singing the Blues" and Roger Miller's "King of the Road".[5]

Other artists Edenton accompanied on record include Julie Andrews, the Beach Boys, jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton, Sammy Davis Jr., Henry Mancini, Reba McEntire, Elvis Presley, Leon Russell and Neil Young.[4][5][7]

Though Edenton could play lead guitar — and a variety of instruments — he is best known as an acoustic and rhythm guitar player.

Edenton retired in 1991.[1] He died on September 21, 2022, at the age of 95, in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.[2]

References

External links

• Ray Edenton at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• Ray Edenton at AllMusic
• Ray Edenton discography at Discogs
• Ray Edenton recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings
• Ray Edenton at IMDb

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