'APPALACHIA MEETS THE DELTA' is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear JEFF RAY. Sometimes a solo performer and sometimes a band leader, in 2008 slide-guitarist and songwriter JEFF RAY joined up with NICK SALISBURY, one of the Midwest's grooviest and smoothest R&B-influenced bass players, to form the foundation of a twisted circus-like roots fest known as Jeff Ray and the Stakes.

The two musicians create their own rhythm section by equipping themselves with purely homemade attire… for Jeff, a portable wood front porch with a microphone underneath; for Nick, a foot-shaker contraption attached to a pair of Converse all-stars. Combining their homemade wears with Jeff's thumb-thumping resonator slide-guitar and Nick's gospel-meets-groove bass lines yields a sound that really moves.

Often, guest musicians and honorary members at their live shows join the group. Sometimes it's an auxiliary percussionist, sometimes a harp player… the spontaneity of the Stake's lineup adds an extra level of excitement and anticipation, making every show unique and every song different every time it's played.

Rays music has a quality that could only come from the merger of sounds from his two backgrounds, Minnesota and Memphis. He grew up in Minnesota and began playing the guitar at a young age, drawing inspiration from his days spent writing music deep in the Mississippi River valley. At age 17, he bought an old car and made his way down to Memphis to get schooled. He spent his days jamming with friends and his nights cuttin heads on Beale Street. There he found his soul in music and made his way back to the Midwest to begin his extensive solo music career.