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Lyman Wade Ray was born on
April 6, 1916, in Evansville, Indiana. Raised inBoynton,
Arkansas, Ray showed a real interest in the fiddle and by the
time he was 5, he was performing on stage as the “Youngest
Violin Player in the World.” Ray soon took up singing and the
guitar and tenor banjo.
In the 1930’s, Ray was on the
Orpheum Vaudeville Circuit touring Indiana. By age 10, he had
amassed a collection of over 100 fiddles, most of which were
given to him by his enthusiastic fans. He continued touring
until 1931 when he turned 18, then joining Pappy Cheshire’s
National Champion Hillbillies on KMOX in St. Louis. Ray
continued this gig for the next 12 years. After a year in the
Army, Ray settled in Chicago and became a member of the
Prairie Ramlers often appearing on the WLS National Barn Dance
(Chicago). One of Wade Ray’s great distinctions is that he was
the very first person to play an electric fiddle
Over the years, Wade Ray
backed up performers such as Patsy Montana and the Ozark
Mountain Boys.
In 1949, Ray moved to Los
Angeles and became a regular on the Rex Allen Show. Ray’s
career really took off during this time, doing a 10-year
engagement at Cowtown and appearing regularly at clubs in
Reno, Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. In the 1960’s Ray was a
regular on the Grand Ole Opry, the Ernest Tubb Show and the
Roy Rogers Show
Ray’s recording career began
in 1949 with a one year contract with Paramount (now absorbed
by MCA) which produced three singles. In 1951, Ray signed with
RCA Victor and stayed with that label for six years releasing
23 singles! “Idaho Red” was a single from this time period. In
1966, Ray signed with ABC-Paramount (also absorbed by MCA) a
released his first album, A Ray of Country Sun. In 1967, Ray
collaborated on a “who’s who” of country musicians on an album
titled Down Yonder -- Country Fiddlers. Other greats on that
album included Homer & Jethro, Sonny Osborne and Pig Robbins.
The album was produced by Chet Atkins.
Ray moved to Sparta, Illinois
in 1979 and continued playing with the KSD-AM roadshow until
his retirement. In Sparta, the town hosts an annual Wade Ray
Fiddling Contest.
Wade Ray is best known in
Route 40 circles as the performer who made the highway just a
bit more famous with the trucking ballad “Idaho Red.” The song
tells of a trucker who journeys from coast to coast, reciting
the names of cities and towns in a fashion similar to Bobby
Troupe’s “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” The song was written
by the songwriting team of Frank R. Kauzlaric and Larry
Sullivan. Ray’s recording was released by RCA in 1954 as a 78
RPM single. The song is published by Peer Music. I really
enjoy “Idaho Red.” The tune is quite catchy and the Wade Ray
recording has a great rockabilly sound, very much like the one
used for “Hot Rod Lincoln.”
Wade died on November 11,
1998. He was 82 years old and was living in Sparta, Illinois -
not too far from Route 40! I spoke with Wade during the summer
of 1998 over the telephone. I had been trying to track him
down for about a year and a half. Ray had undergone major
surgery earlier in the year and was not in great health.
Nonetheless, he was incredibly happy to speak with me.
I was particularly interested
in how his recording of “Idaho Red” came about. Wade said that
when it came time to do some recording, his producer brought
in a stack of sheet music. When he saw “Idaho Red,” Wade said
he immediately put that song in the “to do” pile.
Wade and I had planned to
rendezvous, but as fate would have it, the rendezvous will
have to wait for a while longer. Wade was a real gentleman.
We’ll miss you!
Frank Brusca
Who’s Who On
Route 40 |
