Powerful blues singer Sugaray Rayford brought over-the-top energy to the KNKX studios recently, despite being jet-lagged and sleep-deprived after concluding a European tour. He confessed to not knowing what time of day it was, or even what day it was, but his performance magic was on full display for our lucky studio audience. Many KNKX employees also crowded into the studio's recording booth to take in the show.
Rayford has been on our All Blues playlist for years. He has won several Blues Music Awards and released seven albums since 2010, including Somebody Save Me, which was nominated in 2019 for a Grammy Award in the Contemporary Blues category.
From his time as a child performing gospel to his current status as a soul and blues headliner, Rayford’s life has revolved around music. Starting at age 5, he traveled as a gospel drummer and singer.
“Gospel saved my life," Rayford said. "It gave me a great foundation...it gave me a work ethic, being around so many great professionals. I got to see a lot of the great artists: Shirley Caesar, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Jackson Southernaires. This was the Church of God in Christ, it’s holiness or hell they say. Holy rollers, baby. Speaking in tongues, the whole nine, playing till 3 o’clock in the morning."
He continued, “By the time I left the church at 18, musically I pretty much knew who I was, what I could do and what I wanted to do. I just felt when I went into the military there was no future at that time in music.”
So, he left his musical life behind and spent ten years in the Marine Corps. After his tours of duty, he returned to the States and began working as a security guard, later starting his own security company. At that point, he hadn’t played music for over 15 years.
One fateful night, while working as a bouncer at a rock club in Carlsbad, California, the lead singer of the performing band left the stage to work the crowd and handed Rayford the microphone during a cover of the Led Zeppelin song “Rock and Roll.” Rayford decided to start singing.
“I didn’t know the song," Rayford said. "That’s ‘devil music’! But a song is song, and a melody is a melody. So, I just made up something. And everybody in the club was looking at me!”
Rayford's then-girlfriend, now-wife, Pam, who watched the impromptu performance, noted how he lit up as he performed and she encouraged Rayford by signing him up to sing at other local jam sessions.
“I loved the way the blues sounded because it sounded a lot like gospel,” said Rayford, who always preferred to perform his own original songs.
He gradually built up his reputation and repertoire, and in 2010, Rayford was asked to sing with the well-known blues band The Mannish Boys. About the same time, he self-released his first solo album of original blues, Blind Alley. He’s steadily released new albums every two to three years since.
Over the years, Rayford has matured to the point where he feels that his role as a singer and writer is about uniting people and bringing them together.
“What I’m trying to do is open people’s eyes, so people realize that there’s just one people. There’s only one color in this country...and that’s green. I don’t care if you’re Black, white, Puerto Rican, Spanish, Jewish, whatnot. If you ain’t got it, you’re on the other side," Rayford said.
Rayford also feels that his position in the front of the band requires him to be not simply a singer, but also an entertainer.
“Even though I write something serious, it’s got to be funky, it’s got to make your booty move," he said. "It’s like cooking dinner - I can’t just give you all spinach, I got to throw some meat in there and maybe some sweet potato pie or something when you’re done.”
Surely, you'll be well-nourished after enjoying this studio session with Sugaray Rayford and his band in the KNKX studios.
Musicians:
- Sugaray Rayford (vocals)
- Julian "JuJu" Davis (trumpet)
- Daniel Avila (guitar)
- Drake "Munkihaid" Shining (keyboards)
- Allen Markel (bass)
- Sky Garcia (drums)
Songs:
- Run for Cover
- No Limit to My Love
- Gonna Lift You Up
- Invisible Soldier
