Josh Bray

Josh Bray is a folk blues singer-songwriter born in Devon, currently living in London. His debut album Whisky And Wool will be released on March 7, 2011 on NewTide Records. His track 'The River Song' was featured recently in a TV advert for Jack Wills.

Biography

Born in Devon, Josh grew up in Dorset, where he spent his time listening not to acoustic singer-songwriters, as you might imagine, but the likes of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Led Zeppelin and Pantera. It wasn’t until Bray happened to switch on the TV a few years later, when he moved to Bristol to live with his brother, and heard the late Nick Drake performing ‘Riverman’, that he wanted to start to learn to play all the songs that had surrounded his life to that point. Josh started down a path which, not only, took in all those previously mentioned but also incorporated this newly discovered folk/blues world. As such he soon became immersed, taking in Joni Mitchell, CSN and Neil Young as well as John Martyn, Fairport Convention, Bob Dylan, The Band, Little Feat, The Allman Brothers and more. He did so by picking up an old Spanish guitar which belonged to his late father whilst living in Bristol, and which he still plays with, and began to teach himself. The detuned style he inherited from the British folk scene is still a significant part of his style.

After having dabbled in music for a while and having played local clubs, Josh decided to put music to one side and went to study law at university. After graduating, he was all set to move to the US and work in human rights law for people on death row, where he’d been offered a job – but then a friend persuaded him to put his law career on hold for a while and give music a go.

Discography

EP

• "Whisky & Wool" (2010)

Albums

• "Whisky And Wool" (Release Date March 2011)

Half of the album was recorded in Truck Studios, run by the Bennet Brothers, members of the critically acclaimed Oxford-based group Danny and The Champions. Whilst the other half of the record was recorded in London’s Apollo Control Studios by renowned producer Howard Gray and Ashley Krajewski. Howard has worked with Tom Jones, Van Morrison, Jimmy Page, U2 and the Cure.

Press

Indie London: “EP of the Week - You really do need to check this guy out.”^[1]

BBC Music: "An album that’d sit nicely between solo efforts from the likes of Roddy Woomble and Fyfe Dangerfield, Bray’s debut is a really accomplished, affecting set."^[2]

allgigs.co.uk: "I'm certain that at least a Mercury Music Prize Award nomination is surely forthcoming later this year."

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Josh Bray

• Josh Bray's Website
• Josh Bray's Facebook
• Josh Bray's Myspace
• Josh Bray's YouTube Channel
• Josh Bray BalconyTV London performance

References