Tag: @MichaelRay

Michael Ray thrills fans with ‘Dive Bars & Broken Hearts’

Debuts entire 6-song EP at live show for fans

By Preshias Harris

What better place than a dive bar to launch a project titled Dive Bars & Broken Hearts? That’s exactly what Michael Ray and his Warner Music Nashville team did at The 5 Spot during the 50th CMA Fest in Nashville.

To be fair, The 5 Spot is more of a casual live music hangout than a true grungy dive bar, but it provided the ideal atmosphere to match the event.  The venue was packed to capacity (and then some) with fans, some of whom had been lining up outside since before daybreak.

Michael Ray walks up the steps to take the stage at The 5 Spot. Photo: Preshias Harris

The six-song EP, Dive Bars & Broken Hearts, is available everywhere June 23 (pre-add / pre-save here) with the title track released June 9. 

In the nearly two years since the release of his 2021 EP, titled Higher Education, Michael spent much of the time since then reflecting on the kind of music that he wants to make moving forward. He began talking with renowned producer Michael Knox, a CMA Album of the Year-winning producer. Knox best known for producing all of Jason Aldean’s albums as well as projects for Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins, among others.

Continue reading “Michael Ray thrills fans with ‘Dive Bars & Broken Hearts’”

Michael Ray joins songwriters, publishers to celebrate No. 1 for “Whiskey and Rain”

62-week climb to the top for writers Josh Thompson and Jesse Frasure

By Preshias Harris

It was ‘party time’ on April 21 in Nashville: specifically, the Number One party celebrating the chart-topping success of “Whiskey and Rain,” recorded by Michael Ray. The event was held at the popular music venue The Local and hosted by BMI Senior Director David Preston.

Ray was there to share his appreciation for Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson, the writers of “Whiskey and Rain.” The song represented Frasure’s twentieth No. 1 and the seventh for Thompson. The song was produced by Ross Copperman and is the lead single from Ray’s next album.

Pictured (L-R, back row): Big Machine’s Mike Molinar, MV2’s Tony Harrell, Warner Music Nashville’s Ben Kline, BMI’s David Preston, Rhythm House’s Vanna Moua, Rhythm House’s Stevie Frasure; (L-R, front row): Josh Thompson, Michael Ray, Jesse Frasure. Photo: Steve Lowry / BMI

During the presentations, it was noted several times that “Whiskey and Rain” was an ‘outside’ song (a song not written by or with the artist or producer or someone closely tied to the project).  Outside songs have become more infrequent in recent years – as have songs with only two songwriters.

Continue reading “Michael Ray joins songwriters, publishers to celebrate No. 1 for “Whiskey and Rain””