TEXARKANA MONTHLY
As a child growing up in Texarkana, Scotty attended Wake Village Elementary and Westlawn Junior High School. Early on, music became an obsession. “I was pretty good at it at a young age and could not really keep my mind on anything else. [There was] lots of really good music out there in those days. I was a like a sponge.” Though Scotty’s parents got him started, many other talented people in the Texarkana area helped to advance his talents. “I have learned from a lot of different folks over the years. I learned a lot from older fellas that I played with. Randy Altenbaumer was a big help to me. Randy still plays around here. [He’s an] amazing musician!” With all these great mentors, opportunities and venues, for Scotty, there is still something special about the memories of making
easily visible on the sides of their hands and remind them every time they look at them of all they have overcome together. Traveling with Miranda, Scotty earned his place on stages all over the world. Such a career presented opportunities that most people only dream about. Being a lifelong baseball fan, Scotty savored the chance to play Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. He also had the opportunity to share the stage with John Fogerty a couple of times. “Hard to top that,” he said. Shows at Madison Square Garden in New York, The Red Rocks Theater in Colorado and stages in the UK previously graced by The Beatles, are among his fondest memories. “If I had to pick one gig, it would have to be September 24, 2009. We played a live version of her new record Revolution at the Ryman [Auditorium] in Nashville. Folks around town took us
music with family. Known professionally as “Collin Raye,” Scotty’s brother has had 24 top-ten records, 16 number one hits, and is a ten-time CMA and ACM nominee. Better known in those days as “Bubba Wray,” Collin was Scotty’s first partner in music. “The funniest memories were probably the ‘Frenzy’ concerts we did at the college auditorium. My brother and I would rent it out once a year to do our heavy rock stuff. We really had no idea what we were doing, but a lot of our friends would pitch in to help us. We were happy if we made our expenses back. [I] don’t remember if we ever did. [It] sure was fun though!” The two formed The Wray Brother’s Band, who released two independent singles and a couple of singles on Mercury Records between 1983 and 1987. After The Wray Brother’s Band members went their separate ways, Scotty moved around a little, describing himself as a “journeyman guitar dude.” Scotty’s best
a lot more seriously after that. She and I did ‘Crazy’ for the encore by ourselves. I still smile every time I think of that night.” Scotty also had the opportunity to meet some of the greatest musicians and singers of all time including Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Buck Owens to name a few. Beyond these musical legends, Scotty says some of his favorites from the music industry have often been guitar players. “Chuck Berry was probably the first to really get me excited. His records still sound great. James Burton with Ricky Nelson, Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris invented the chicken picking style which I’ve always loved. Keith Richards basically reinvented rock rhythm guitar,” he said. Eric Clapton, Albert Lee, and “tons of acoustic players” also make his list of favorites. Grateful for every opportunity he has had to play with those the world calls “the greatest,” there is one more musician
Special thanks to Trent Hanna at the Sullivan Center and TISD for graciously accommodating the production of the Scotty Wray photo shoot.
friend and songwriting partner was playing with the young Miranda Lambert. One weekend the band needed a bass player, so they recruited Scotty. “To be honest, I balked at doing it. I hadn’t been doing that kind of stuff in a few years. Long story short, he talked me into it and I really enjoyed the weekend. I played bass for around a year, then moved on to guitar.” Scotty and Miranda just clicked. “Eventually, it was just she and I most of the time in songwriter type shows.” Miranda went on to audition for Nashville Star, and the rest is history. “I was flattered that she still wanted an old fella like me, when it came touring time.” With Scotty at her side, Miranda Lambert has become the most honored artist in history by the Academy of Country Music Awards. “It’s been an amazing ride. [It was] lots of hard work the first few years, and lots of fun the last few!” In 2015, Scotty and Miranda both were going through a tough time personally. They were a great support to each other during that trying year. “We decided to move on to 2016 around October.” In honor of that transition, they decided on a whim to get matching tattoos as encouragement to themselves and each other to keep going. “The tats are of arrows moving forward.” The arrows are
with whom Scotty would like to share the stage. “The one person would have to be Bruce Springsteen, the last great rock ‘n’ roller.” Because of some health issues, Scotty is no longer on the road. He is more focused these days on his daughter, his friends, politics and old movies, but that is not stopping him from making music. Twenty years ago, Scotty wrote the beautiful song, “Scars.” It has finally made its way to the masses as the title track of his brother’s most recent album and Scotty was heavily involved throughout the project, writing, singing and playing. From the very beginning, singing and playing music with their gifted parents, to all these years later, these brothers have taken all they passed on to them and are still standing together to create timeless melodies. Scotty is extremely grateful, looking back on his incredible career. “To be honest, belonging to something bigger than myself has been the most rewarding part of the whole thing. The climb is more important than reaching the summit sometimes.” That is very true, but after a career like Scotty Wray’s, I would imagine the view from the top is spectacular.
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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