From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun Nov 3, 2002  7:05 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Ray Edenton
 
RAY EDENTON

Born Raymond Quarles Edenton, 3 November 1926, Mineral, Virginia

Self-taught and skilled on several instruments (guitar, bass guitar, mandolin,
ukulele, banjo), Ray Edenton has played in Nashville studios since 1953,
until his retirement in 1991. He was a member of the famous Nashville A-team.
In one particularly busy stretch, Edenton did 22 sessions in 5 days. He could
play many different instruments and often did, but rhythm guitar was his
specialty. By his estimate, he played somewhere around 15,000 sessions,
although he has no way to get an accurate count.
In 1946, after a stint in the army, Ray joined the Rodeo Rangers at WMBG
Radio in Richmond. Later Ray and two of the other Rodeo Rangers split from
the group and formed a trio. This trio went to work for Bob Nicholson in an
open air show (drive-in) working along the east coast and did a radio show
in Fredricksburg, Virginia. Later Ray left the trio and went to work for Joe
Maphis and The Corn Crackers on the Old Dominion Barn Dance, WRVA,
Richmond, Virginia. At this time, he was playing bass and singing in a country
trio. Ray's first record session was in 1949, in Morristown, Tennessee, working
on Red Kirk's recording of "Lovesick Blues" for Mercury.
In 1953, one year after Ray had moved to Nashville, Chet Atkins started using
Ray on demo sessions for Acuff Rose Music. Ray began playing on the Grand
Ole Opry on a regular basis, yet he continued working on the road. He was a
member of the original touring bands of both Webb Pierce and Marty Robbins
and worked with other road bands such as Hank Williams, Ray Price, Cowboy
Copas, George Morgan, and many others.
Country music gradually changed where drums were acceptable in the studios.
Ray's drum-like rhythm guitar was no longer required, but he had begun
working with a new tuning: the high third. It was Ray's high third played in
tandem with Don Everly on the Everly Brother's Cadence recording of "Bye,
Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie", that would bring Ray into his own and
give him a reputation that held trade upon for years to come.
By the early 60's Ray was experimenting with yet another tuning, known as
the "high string". In this tuning, four strings are tuned an octave higher
instead of just one as in the high third tuning. The high string tuning was
usually used in conjunction with another guitar to give a wide tonal spread
on the rhythm sound. This not only enhanced the rhythm, but also contrasted
with the lead instruments.
In the next few years there came an entirely different style of rhythm playing
that brought Ray back to the electric guitar, known as "chink rhythm". For
"chink rhythm" Ray played only one electric guitar, which he got from Chet
Atkins: an experimental cutaway Gretsch.
In the '70's the trend returned to flat top, 12 string, and high string and Ray
did
thousands of sessions on these instruments.
Ray has done many jingles, movie soundtracks, and TV shows, such as "Austin
City Limits" "Nashville On The Road", and "The Jimmy Dean Show" with Chet
Atkins, Boots Randolph, and Floyd Cramer at Carnegie Hall. He has recorded
with practically all the artists from the Grand Ole Opry from 1953 until 1990.
He worked with other artists such as: Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash,
Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, The Everly Brothers, and pop
artists such as: Tommy Sands, The Beach Boys, Sammy Davis, Jr., Perry
Como, Andy Williams, Julie Andrews, Brook Benton, Rosemary Clooney,
Pat Boone, Don McLean, Patti Page, Burl Ives, Henry Mancini, Connie Francis,
Elvis Presley, Johnny Ray, Ann Margaret, and Neil Young.

(Adapted from http://www.nashvillesound.net/rayedenton.htm )