Ray Bonneville

Ray Bonneville
Ray Bonneville performs on eTown
Background information
Birth name	Raymond J. Bonneville
Born	Hull, Quebec
Genres	Blues
Instruments	Guitar, harmonica
Labels	Red House
Website	raybonneville.com

Ray Bonneville (Born: Raymond J. Bonneville; October 11, 1948) is a Canadian traveling blues singer, musician, and songwriter. Born in Canada, and raised in the United States, Bonneville is a blues-influenced, song and groove man who is strongly influenced by New Orleans, Louisiana.

To date, Bonneville has released seven records and, in 2000, won the prestigious Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for his third album Gust of Wind. As a touring musician Bonneville plays more than one hundred and fifty shows a year across the United States, Canada and Europe.

Ray Bonneville was born in Hull, Quebec the second-oldest of nine siblings in a family that spoke solely French. When he was twelve his family re-located to Quebec City. Soon after, his father, a mechanical engineer, found work in Boston, Massachusetts, the family relocated to the States and Bonneville was placed into public school without knowing a bit of English. There, Bonneville fell behind in school, but took to music in a big way after a friend showed him how to play guitar. Bonneville always had a contentious relationship with his father and often ran away from home. To keep his son home his father bought him a guitar and let him smoke cigarettes in the house.

Bonneville's family moved back to Canada when Bonneville was in his late teens and Bonneville, who had been expelled from school, signed up for the United States Marine Corps just in time for the Vietnam War.

Returning from the war, Bonneville worked in Boston as a taxicab driver to pay the bills, teaching himself to play harmonica between fares. Getting more involved in the music scene, Bonneville began freelancing with R&B and blues bands in the Boston area. Then, in the 1970s, Bonneville began traveling the country exploring and absorbing musical styles, playing at festivals and small clubs across the United States, and opening for the likes of B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and Dr. John.