Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duet (music), duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in Primary school, elementary school and began performing together as Secondary school, hig ...

with

Emily Saliers Emily Ann Saliers (born July 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the musical duo Indigo Girls. Saliers sings soprano and plays lead guitar as well as banjo, piano, mandolin, ukulele, bouzouki and many other instruments. Ea ...

. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent label Daemon Records in 1989. Ray is known for her alto and tenor range, and plays both electric and acoustic guitar, as well as mandolin and harmonica.

Biography

Born in

Decatur, Georgia Decatur () is a city and the county seat of DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, th ...

, Amy Ray met

when they both attended the same elementary school. They began performing together and recorded a demo in 1981. After graduation, Ray and Saliers went to different colleges with Ray attending

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

. By 1985, they had both transferred to

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and formed the

. In 1986, Ray graduated from Emory with majors in English and Religion. In March 2001, Ray released her first solo album, '' Stag'', a southern and punk rock album. The Butchies, a punk band whose members include Kaia Wilson, Melissa York, and

Alison Martlew The Butchies were an all-female band, all-female punk rock band from Durham, North Carolina, that existed from 1998 to 2005. They reunited from their Sabbatical, hiatus to tour with Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls promoting Ray's new album in 2010. T ...

, provided support for five songs, and Joan Jett played on "Hey Castrator". In April 2005, Ray released the softer edged ''

Prom A promenade dance or prom is a formal dance party for graduating high school students at the end of the school year. Students participating in the prom will typically vote for a ''prom king'' and ''prom queen''. Other students may be honored ...

'', and in December 2006, she released '' Live from Knoxville''. Her fourth solo album, the melodic '' Didn't It Feel Kinder,'' was released in August 2008. '' Lung of Love'', which has more of an indie-rock sound, was released in 2012. Her backup band for her ''Stag'' tour was The Butchies. In 2004, when she embarked on her ''Prom'' tour, she brought Les Nuby (guitar), Will Lochamy (drums), and Jody Bleyle (bass). Tara Jane O'Neil replaced Bleyle when she began maternity leave in October. Ray's backup band for her 2012 ''Lung of Love'' tour was The Butchies. Jenn Stone, former keyboard player for

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round". Kesha's music and ima ...

, also performed on the tour.

Side projects

Kaia Wilson and Amy Ray on stage at The Saint sms

In addition to the Indigo Girls and her work as a solo artist, Ray also runs an independent record label, Daemon Records, which she founded in 1990 and which is based in Decatur, Georgia. Some performers signed to Daemon include Girlyman,

Magnapop Magnapop is an American Rock music, rock band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper as vocalist and Ruthie Morris on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux ...

, Nineteen Forty-Five, Michelle Malone, Three Finger Cowboy, Danielle Howle and the Tantrums, Gerard McHugh, New Mongrels, Grady Cousins, The Oblivious, Snow Machine, Utah Phillips and Rose Polenzani. She often collaborates with The Butchies, a punk band featuring drummer Melissa York and vocalist/guitarist Kaia Wilson. She has contributed the live track "Lucy Stoners" on '' Calling All Kings & Queens'' (2001) and the Mr. Lady Records sampler album as well as a live recording of "On Your Honor" on a compilation for Home Alive. Ray is also an activist involved in multiple political and social causes, including

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

low-power broadcasting Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at a low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" (more common ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

, indigenous struggles,

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

and the anti-death penalty movement among others. She has made several trips to

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

, Mexico to support the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. In 1993, she and Emily Saliers co-founded

Honor the Earth Honor the Earth is a non-profit organization dedicated to Indigenous peoples, Indigenous environmental justice. The organization's mission is to protect the lifeways and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples around the globe. The organization is ded ...

with Winona LaDuke. Honor the Earth's mission is "to create awareness and support for Native mericanenvironmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native mericancommunities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard." Justin Vernon (

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...

) appears on her 2014 album '' Goodnight Tender'', and she and Vernon continue to maintain a friendship. Ray was also a judge for the 3rd and 11th Annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Personal life

Ray uses she/her pronouns and is a lesbian. Ray lives in the foothills of North Georgia with her partner, Carrie Schrader, and their daughter, Ozilline Graydon. In March 2021, Ray spoke on the '' LGBTQ&A'' podcast about having

gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to inconsistency between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender i ...

and being

genderqueer Non-binary or genderqueer gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gender that is differ ...

. Ray identifies herself as "religious" and a "Pagan Christian".

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Stag'' (2001) *''

'' (2005) *'' Didn't It Feel Kinder'' (2008) *'' Lung of Love'' (2012) *'' Goodnight Tender'' (2014) *'' Holler'' (2018) *'' If It All Goes South'' (2022)

Live albums

*''Live from Knoxville'' (2006) *''MVP Live'' (2010) *''The Tender Hour: Amy Ray Live from Seattle'' (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Amy 1964 births Living people 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American singers American folk singers American harmonica players American lesbian musicians American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters American mandolinists American non-binary musicians American non-binary writers American rock singers Daemon Records artists Emory University alumni American feminist musicians Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) Indigo Girls members Lesbian singers Lesbian songwriters LGBTQ people from Georgia (U.S. state) Non-binary songwriters Non-binary singers People from Decatur, Georgia Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Singers from Georgia (U.S. state) Christians from Georgia (U.S. state) Lesbian Christians Non-binary lesbians