Caron Nimoy "Sugaray" Rayford (born February 13, 1969) is an American soul blues singer and songwriter. He has released five albums to date and been granted three Blues Music Awards. Rayford's 2019 album, ''Somebody Save Me'', was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category. In 2010, '' Living Blues'' magazine noted that "Sugaray is a first-rate blues artist with a deep-running, church honed soulfulness." His latest album, ''In Too Deep'', was released on March 4, 2022.

Biography

Rayford was born in Smith County, Texas, United States, and sang at the age of seven in the Bethel Temple Church of God In Christ in Tyler, Texas. He also played the drums there, but his childhood was poverty stricken with his mother dying from cancer early in Rayford's life. “She suffered and we suffered,” Rayford said. “Then, we moved in with my grandmother and our lives were a lot better. We ate every day and we were in church every day, which I loved. I grew up in gospel and soul.” Living in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, he moved to contemporary music at the age of 12, initially singing with the Urban Gypsys. Turning towards the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

he joined the Temecula, California-based Aunt Kizzy's Boyz as lead vocalist. They released their debut album ''Trunk Full of Blues'' (2004), and represented San Diego in January 2006 at the International Blues Challenge, where they finished as runners-up. Their second album was ''It's Tight Like That'' (2007) and the following year won the LAMN Jam Grand Slam 'Urban Artist of the Year' title. They were offered a distribution deal by RBC Records. His first solo album was ''Blind Alley'', a self-released affair in 2010. In May 2011, Rayford joined The Mannish Boys. He sang lead vocals on nine of the songs on their album, ''Double Dynamite'', that won the Best Traditional Blues Album title in May 2013 at the Blues Music Awards. In May 2012, Rayford made his stage debut starring in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominated

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

, '' It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues'' at the Portland Center Stage. After relocating to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, he undertook recording studio vocal work, including on the theme for '' Judge Joe Brown'', the movie trailer ''City Lights'' and back up vocals for The Heavy Pets. ''Dangerous'' on

Delta Groove Productions Delta Groove Productions is an American blues record label in Van Nuys, California, United States. The label was founded by Randy Chortkoff ( Rand Jay Chortkoff; 1949–2015), a producer, concert promoter, and harmonica player. Chortkoff's biog ...

followed in 2013, and supporting Sugaray were guest performers including Kim Wilson, Kid Andersen, and Sugar Ray Norcia. Norcia wrote a duet for the album, called “Two Times Sugar”. The album debuted at number 2 on Blues Debut Chart, number 6 on the Roots Music Chart and number 2 on The Living Blues Chart. In October 2013, Rayford toured with Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes. At the 36th Blues Music Awards, Rayford was nominated in two categories; B.B. King Entertainer and Traditional Blues Male Artist. In 2014, Rayford performed at the Waterfront Blues Festival in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. On May 19, 2015, Rayford released ''Southside''. It featured a guest appearance by Bob Corritore on harmonica. On September 1, 2017, Rayford released his fourth album, ''The World That We Live In''. On January 9, 2018, Rayford was nominated for four Blues Music Awards for the 39th annual Blues Music Awards. These included 'Soul Blues Album', for ''The World That We Live In'', plus 'Soul Blues Male Artist', 'Instrumentalist - Vocals', and 'B.B. King Entertainer'. At the 40th Blues Music Awards in 2019, Rayford was named as 'Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year'. Rayford's fifth album, ''Somebody Save Me'', was nominated for a

in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category. In May 2020, Rayford was presented with two Blues Music Awards for 'B.B King Entertainer of the Year' and 'Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year'. His latest album, ''In Too Deep'', was released on March 4, 2022. The album was cited as 'Soul Blues Album of the Year' at the 2023 Blues Music Awards.

Discography

Albums

References

External links

Last.fm biographyReverbnation.com synopsis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rayford, Sugaray 1969 births Living people American blues singers 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers American male singers Electric blues musicians Songwriters from Texas Texas blues musicians Soul-blues musicians People from Smith County, Texas African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American musicians American male songwriters

Biography

Discography

Albums

See also

References

External links