Paul Ray And The Cobras - early Stevie Ray Vaughan - Picture Sleeve PS 7" single

$

250

Paul Ray And The Cobras - early Stevie Ray Vaughan - US PS 7"

Sleeve VG+, item is in great shape, could arguably be rated M-, no seam splits, writing/stickers. Comes with a leaflet that was being used to promote the single back then (I got this through a radio station contact), a period "Austin Best Of".

Vinyl VG+. Does not look like it was played.

Paul Ray And The Cobras

Of all the events that shaped Austin’s musical psyche in the early 1970s, few are as important as the migration of Dallas blues players to the capital of Texas. Paul Ray had fronted bands in the Metroplex since the 1950s and had a crooner’s voice that suited big band blues. After playing around Dallas for so long, he then joined the exodus of Metroplex musicians such as Jimmie Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall, Denny Freeman, and Mike Kindred. Though its reputation had been one of a musical oasis where anything goes, the burgeoning progressive country scene in Austin dominated. He joined then quit drumming for Jimmie's first Austin band, Texas Storm, which became simply Storm. Paul Ray then drafted two fellow Dallasites, guitarist Denny Freeman and bassist Alex Napier, to play rhythm & blues with him and brought in drummer John Henry Alexander and percussionist Oscar “Bubu” Watson as the earliest lineup of the Cobras, who held a Wednesday night residency at the One Knite. Former Southern Feeling drummer Rodney Craig replaced Alexander, and when Watson also left, Ray brought in a second guitarist, Jimmie Vaughan’s younger brother Stevie. To say that Stevie set fire to the band is to ignore Freeman’s own sublime style – one that Bob Dylan took on tour 30 years later. Yet Vaughan was a fuse waiting to be lit, and the Cobras were his fuel. By the time the Cobras picked up a Tuesday night residency at the Soap Creek Saloon, the band was smoking with Stevie pealing out well-muscled leads against Denny Freeman’s jazzy blues. Throat problems beset Ray, however, and he was forced into early retirement in the late 1970s not long after Vaughan departed. Ray went on to a DJ position at KUT-FM, where he hosts a variety of shows includingTwine Time, and served a emcee for the Austin Music Awards for 25 years. 

Stevie Ray Vaughan w/ Paul Ray :

In 1975, Vaughan joined a six-piece band called Paul Ray and the Cobras that included guitarist Denny Freeman and saxophonist Joe Sublett. For the next two-and-a-half years, he earned a living performing weekly at a popular venue in town, the Soap Creek Saloon, and ultimately the newly opened Antone's, widely known as Austin's "home of the blues".In late 1976, Vaughan recorded a single with them, "Other Days" as the A-side and "Texas Clover" as the B-side. Playing guitar on both tracks, the single was released on February 7, 1977.[44] In March, readers of the Austin Sun voted them as Band of the Year.[45] In addition to playing with the Cobras, Vaughan jammed with many of his influences at Antone's, including Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rogers, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Albert King.

Paul Ray passed away in 2016.  

It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of Paul Ray, Texas Radio Hall of Famer and host of “Twine Time” on KUTX. He was 73.

Ray hosted “Twine Time” on KUTX 98.9 – which spun out of KUT 90.5 as a full-time music service in 2013 – since 1978 when he teamed up with KUT music hosts Bill Bentley and Pat Crumhorn for the monthly rhythm and blues show, which went weekly in 1979.

For nearly 40 years, “Twine Time” has been the de facto soundtrack for Austin’s Saturday night. Occasional specials celebrated everything from Elvis’ birthday to gospel music – all of it fueled by Ray’s encyclopedic knowledge, passion and a music collection that numbered more than 5,000 records.

“There’s no doubt that Paul left an indelible mark on the Texas music scene – from his early years performing in Dallas, to his nearly 50 years in Austin as both a musician and a radio host,” said Matt Reilly, KUTX program director. “His legacy will live on through the countless musicians he inspired and the fans that looked to him as an encyclopedia of musical history. He will always be an Austin treasure.”

Ray and “Twine Time” received many local awards, including “Twine Time” being named “Best Radio Program” in the Austin Chronicle 2014 Austin Music Industry Awards, Paul Ray & The Cobras being inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and Ray receiving multiple “Best DJ” awards in the Austin Chronicle Music awards starting in 1981. In addition to hosting “Twine Time,” he previously hosted “Paul Ray’s Jazz” on KUT.

Ray founded the Dallas blues band Paul Ray & the Cobras, which helped launch musician Stevie Ray Vaughan’s career.

Ray died at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. He is survived by his wife Diana.

Check out my store!!! Over 1,000 Picture Sleeve 45 rpm 7" singles for sale starting at $5.00 and $10.00, as well as albums and CD's.

Combine auction wins with Fixed Price purchases from my eBay store!!! I combine shipping and offer FREE shipping for any order over $100 (Domestic and International).

Combining wins lets you save on shipping charges two ways :

• For orders over $100 shipping is FREE.
• You only pay one flat rate shipping fee for all purchases in a 5 day time period totaling less than $100 (see rates below).

(Payment must be made in one payment, if you are "shopping", finish shopping before you pay. Once you make a payment I must ship the item(s), as per eBay, within 24 hours).

Domestic S&H (flat rate for any size shipment under $100) for my eBay listings is :

• For 7" records and CD’s : - $3.00 (First Class Mail, Media Mail for combined shipping).
• For 12” records, magazines and box sets :  $4.00  (Media Mail)

International S&H (flat rate for any size shipment under $100) for my eBay listings is:

• For 7" records and CD’s : - 11.00 (First Class International Package Airmail)
• For 12” records, magazines and box sets :  $18.00 (First Class International Package Airmail)

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Pictures shown are typically of the front and back of the sleeve, and at least one side of the record label (both sides if there is damage to the label). Please note Japanese, Mexican and some 60's European Picture Sleeves are often picture inserts or fold over sleeves, not full covers. This is the way they originally came. All PS 45's are stored and shipped with the record removed from the sleeve, put in an inner sleeve, and then put together with the Picture Sleeve in a plastic outer sleeve.

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