Ray LaMontagne is an American singer-songwriter, born in Nashua, New Hampshire in 1973, working in raspy, soulful folk rooted in the classic '70s singer-songwriter tradition. Trouble (2004) is the entry point, and God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (2010) took the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Browse Ray LaMontagne vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on June 18, 1973 and raised in poverty by his mother across multiple states. He launched his recording career in his late twenties after a late-blooming musical awakening (autobiographical account of his discovery of Stephen Stills's 1971 self-titled album while working at a shoe factory). His 2004 debut Trouble received critical attention. His 2010 album God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2011. He has continued releasing material across multiple decades.
Ray LaMontagne's sound combines folk, indie folk, alternative folk, Americana, soul folk, singer-songwriter, and country with his distinctive raspy vocal delivery, intricate acoustic guitar work, and lyrical content addressing relationships, mortality, and personal experience drawing on classic 1970s folk and singer-songwriter traditions.
RCA Records and self-released pressings of the Ray LaMontagne catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Ray LaMontagne typically start with Trouble (2004) or God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (2010).
