CONTRABAND PRESENTS DR. HOOK FEATURING RAY SAWYER Ray Sawyer, the spirited, eye-patched lead singer of the group Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, whose soulful and sometimes comic vocals fronted the band’s breakthrough “Cover Of The Rolling Stone” to international superstar status in the early 70’s and 80’s, has been touring the United States, Canada and countries overseas since the break-up of the Band in 1984. Now Ray is with a new band and has added a new twist to his familiar sound. Ray‘s current style is harder edged and more soulful then his previous country-rock and pop efforts, although the humor is still there. Born and raised in Alabama, Ray got his first job as a professional musician at age 14 playing drums with a Dr. Hook local band. His style was indelibly marked by blending black and white Southern music that kept Alabama dance halls and clubs hopping. When Ray grew up playing music in Mobile, “You play either Country or Rhythm & Blues, though down there they’re just about one and the same thing – it’s two races talking about their lives,” Ray explains. He proceeded to develop a style that extracted honesty and emotion - the best traits of both Country & R&B. Ray sings with an intensity and sense of conviction that truly moves an audience. His trademark eye patch was acquired following a 1967 auto accident that left him without his right eye and kept him laid off for two years. When he was back on his feet, Ray set out for Los Angeles in 1968, working his way back East to New York where the nucleus of Dr. Hook was formed in time to record the score to a Dustin Hoffman film “Who Is Harry Kellerman (And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me).” Accumulating 60 gold and platinum records worldwide with Dr. Hook, Ray gained the confidence of a seasoned entertainer, and to this day, travels the globe with his band. In addition, Ray’s son, Cayce, has been touring with him since he was 13 years old, playing percussion instruments as well as singing background vocals, and has currently taken on the role of “drummer” for the band. Ray has been working in Nashville on his days off, keeping busy recording a new CD with his friend Ron Haffkine, who produced all the Dr. Hook Hits of the 70’s and 80’s. Ray has also had the honor of being inducted into the “Alabama Music Hall Of Fame” in April 2005 With an abundance of stage energy, and prankish sense of humor, Ray Sawyer has an unmistakable voice and image, as well as a unique ability to reflect his good times in good music. He is definitely a song stylist of the first order and Dr. Hook’s hits include: On The Cover Of The Rolling Stone, Sylvia’s Mother, Only Sixteen, Sharing The Night Together, When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman, Sexy Eyes,Freakin’ At The Freakers Ball, I Love You A Little Bit More, Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk.
THE GEORGIA SATELLITES OBRIT CONTRABAND DAYS The Georgia Satellites were one of the most ferocious bands of the eighties, and what set them apart from the other 10,000 groups that cranked their amps to 11 was that their wild riffs and tanked cries came from a quartet that understood its place in rock tradition and fought hard to solidify it with each recording. “Let It Rock: Best of The Georgia Satellites” shows they expanded forever the limits and the promise of what a band could do with those three chords (well, sometimes only two) played harder than ever before. The Georgia Satellites immortalized the line "Don't Hand Me No Lines and Keep Your Hands to Yourself" in their hit single "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" which made it's way up to #2 on the Billboard atellites charts and made them overnight hick superstars. orgia S The Ge Followed by the Top 40 singles "Hippie, Hippie, Shake" recorded for the movie Cocktail staring Tom Cruise, The Georgia Satellites were keeping southern rock alive at a time when everyone was doing something other than southern rock. The Georgia Satellites made their imprint on rock n roll as a barnstorming live act and are holding true to that today playing over 60 dates a year including public, private, Casino, Biker and NASCAR events! From the start, The Georgia Satellites were full of audacity and talent to justify their fearlessness, demanding entry into the room that housed the top rank of rock and rollers. It didn't take long to smash down the door. Any band now exploding out of a garage that wants to live out the dreams of Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land" now has the greatest role model the U.S. has yet produced – The Georgia Satellites. PAGE 32
APRIL 17, 2008