Musician’s Corner Feature – Ray Reed & Gator
Musician’s Corner Feature – Ray Reed & Gator
Ray “Ray Boy” Reed — Ray Reed, from Maypearl, a small town south of Ft. Worth, TX, was born the son of sharecroppers in 1940. Granddad Willie Parramore showed Ray his first guitar, and he learned his first song from Uncle Bob. Growing up he listened to records on his grandma’s Victrola such as Lightnin’ Hopkins, Little Son Jackson, and Rosetta Tharpe. He saved his money from working in the cotton fields and at the age of 16 he bought his first guitar at a pawn shop in Ft. Worth. Since then, he has played all over the US and represents the origins of delta blues as played in South Texas, Mississippi and LouIsiana. Former bass player for Freddie King, Ray knows it all from his vast experience in playing and singing the blues. In 2016, Ray was named a “Fort Worth Living Legend” at a ceremony honoring his contributions to the culture of FW held in Bass Hall..
Gary “Gator” Millhollon — Gator played for 10 years with T-Bone Turners Band in Austin, Texas. He spent more than 15 years playing the Indian casinos in the Southwest with the Blue Rhythm Kings. Gator moved to the DFW area 7 years ago. After jamming with Ray one night, they both agreed to start a band together. Gator has opened for or worked with such other luminaries as Jimmie Vaughan, The Fab Thunderbirds, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, George Thorogood, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Canned Heat, Louisiana Red, Memphis James, Guitar Shorty, Anson Funderburgh, Johnny Winter, Chris Duarte, Al Perkins, the Mississippi All-Stars and (while in St. Louis) shared the stage with the legendary Chuck Berry. Gator has performed in London England, Dublin Ireland, Germany, France, and all over Texas, NM, Colorado, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Memphis. Gator has entertained Hollywood stars including Christopher Walken, Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, and Rex Linn (CSI Miami) playing private parties in Santa Fe. His band’s music was used in “Suspect Zero” starring Ben Kingsley. Gator and Ray’s music was used in the 2021 movie “Miss Juneteenth” which was a winner at the Sundance Film Festival last year. Gator’s 2 youtube channels (Gary Millhollon and Gator Blue) feature numerous performances and original recordings made over the past 5 years.
Last year, Gator was featured in the European magazine “Keepin’ The Blues Alive.”
Together, Ray and Gator work with a select group of seasoned musicians as they play blues, rock and some songs that they call “house party blues.” www.rayreedandgator.com