Home » Member Page
David Hadley Ray
Music is my Sanctuary - Gary Bartz
About Me
In 1987, I was fortunate to
play bass on several studio
sessions in which Dana
Walden of the band
Champaign (How ‘bout us, Try
Again) produced. I continued
gigging on the Midwest
college circuit, playing blues
and folk rock. This is where I
fell under the tutelage of
several notable figures… Pete
Bridgewater, John Pennell,
and Donald Rafael Garrett.
Pete Bridgewater was a
veteran upright bassist that
encouraged me to play in the
local community college big
band. John Pennell was
teaching at a music store on
the campus of the University
of Illinois. I went there for
technique, but John was felt
that he couldn’t, in his words,
“teach me anything
technically.” Eventually, we
concentrated on my reading
skills. I subsequently spent
the next few years gigging
and studying voraciously.
John advised me to become
friendly with the Upright bass.
That’s when the name
Donald Rafael Garrett was
brought to my attention. My
first lesson with Rafael was
notable because I learned
that he had played and
recorded with John Coltrane. I
thought that he was bluffing,
to my chagrin.
I found myself back in
Philadelphia, the city of my
birth, and by luck or fortune,
met
Jim “Jif” Hinger. The engineer
for Boyz II Men and other
notable artists. Jif started
calling me for recording
sessions which led to more
local notoriety and gigs at J.C.
Dobbs and other Philly
venues. I continued my
studies with Gerald Veasley,
who
was playing with The Zawinul
Syndicate, led by Joe Zawinul
(Weather Report,
Cannonball Adderley), Pieces
of a Dream, and Grover
Washington Jr.
Finding myself on welfare and
scuffling for work, I scored a
gig playing R&B with an
all American band located in
the Canary Islands. Playing 7
days a week, 4 sets a
night, I came to the attention
of Mike McCartney, brother of
Paul McCartney. He said
“You’re a shit hot bass player,
you should come to
Liverpool... ” Eventually, I
landed
at Liverpool airport,
afterwards, doing session
work and gigging. I then had
the
good fortune of being brought
to the attention of Henry
McCullough, the former
Wings guitarist and the only
Irishman onstage at
Woodstock (Joe Cocker and
the
Grease band). After joining
his band and touring Ireland,
I found myself in London,
meeting Pete Brown. The
lyricist/poet for the 60’s rock
band the Cream. Pete
provided support for my
writing and also invited me to
join his band the
Interoceters.
In 2007, by the Invitation of
Pete Brown, I was fortunate
to Play on the Eagle Rock
album, “From Clarksdale to
Heaven: Remembering John
Lee Hooker.” This album
was a milestone for me,
because it allowed me to play
with the legendary Jeff Beck.
Another bonus for me, was
the drummer, Richard Bailey.
Richard was a member of
the electrifying Jeff Beck
group that released seminal
albums that prefaced the
1970’s explosion of jazz/rock
fusion.
In 2001, by the invitation of
Poet/Lyricist Pete Brown, I
played on the W.C. Handy
nominated album Blues and
Beyond. This album was a
solo endeavor for the late
saxophonist Dick Heckstall-
Smith, a founding member of
the British Rock band
Colosseum. This album
allowed me to work with
many of the Elite members of
the
British Blues scene (Peter
Green, Paul Jones, Jack
Bruce, Mick Taylor, et. al.).
In 2009, I played on the
Album Road of Cobras, under
Phil Ryan and Pete Brown.
Recording History
Dick Heckstall-Smith - Blues
and Beyond (Nominated for
W.C. Handy Award)
ThunderClap (Newman) -
ThunderClap
John O’Leary Band - Sins
(Produced/Bass)
Various Artists - From
Clarksdale to
Heaven/Remembering John
Lee Hooker
Saiichi Sugiyama - So Am I,
Saiichi
Various Artists -
Strength/Album for the
Victims of the Japanese
Tsunami
BlackBird - Tribute to the
Beatles
T.S. McPhee - GroundHog
Blues
Arthur Brown - Road of
Cobras
John Mizzarolli - Mizzarolli Axe
Phenomenon
Various Artists - Sunshine of
Your Love/Tribute to The
Cream
John O’Leary Band - Two For
The Show
Pete Brown and The
Interoceters - Live at the
Borderline
Various Artists - The
Phenomenal Pound
Puppies/Swingtime
The Phenomenal Pound
Puppies - I get so excited
(When You Call) - My first job
as
producer.
IVY - Did You Forget?
Colorblind - Deja Vu
Music Director/Session
Musician – Self Employed in
London, England - June 1993
to
December 2009
Recorded/Toured with the
following:
• Jeff Beck
• Chuck Berry
• Bo Diddley
• Ilam Al Madfai
(Iraqi solo artist)
• Dana Walden
(Champaign)
• Henry McCullough
(Wings)
• Mick Taylor (Rolling
Stones)
• Jack Bruce
(Cream)
• Reg Presley (The
Troggs - “Wild Thing” remake)
• John Mayall
• Pete Brown
(Cream lyricist/Poet)
• Dick Heckstall-
Smith (Colosseum, Solo
artist)
• EuroVision Song
Contest
• Mac 2 Band - (Rico
McFarland, Goldie McFarland,
Sonny)
• Dave Early (Sade,
Mary Black, Van Morrison)
Tours/West End
Shows/Residencies
The London Stage Production
of “The Billie Holiday Story”
with Rain Pryor.
The Manchester Stage
Production of Barry Manilow’s
“Copacabana.”
The St. Lucia Jazz festival.
David Hadley
Page 3
Education
Bachelor of Science in
Computer Science
Instructors (Bands Affiliated)
Joe Hubbard - Hubbard’s
Cubbard, Gary Numan
Ron Bridgewater
Gerald Veasley - Heads Up
Recording Artist, Grover
Washington Jr., Zawinul
Syndicate, Odean Pope,
Donald Rafael Garrett - Sun
Ra, Thelonius Monk, John
Coltrane, Sonny Rollins
John Pennell - Nashville
Recording Artist, Composer &
Teacher, Alison Krauss and
Union Station (Grammy 1991)
Peter Buckoke - Royal College
of Music
Currently studying under the
tutelage of Rufus Reid
Still Studying, still learning...
My Jazz Story
My advice to new listeners... Is to play from the heart. The technique comes with study, but if you allow it to happen, music can provide peace of mind, soul and spirit. Trust me, I know... My love of this music, and the hope of playing it better, has provided me with comfort that can't be measured...