Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Hawthorne
Hi Ray, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Many moons ago, after an episode of The Simpsons (on channel 5 at 6:30) I decided I wanted to write a song. The song was terrible. It was some thinly veiled “joke” song about a girl I had a crush on in the 8th grade. But I totallyyyyy didn’t have a crush on her unless she had a crush on me, ya know? So it was just, like, a joke.
Many moons later I still write songs. Just not about that girl. That I know of.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road would best be described as rocky. But not a classic one like Rocky 1, more of a gritty one like Rocky 5. [Spoilers for Rocky 5 ahead] A whole lot of ego ultimately culminated in a knock-down-drag-out street fight. The ego was me believing that I was a good enough musician to just sit in my room, get high, make music and somehow have people actually care about what I was doing. The street fight was me finally realizing I was only hurting myself by doing this and having to do the hardest thing I’ve ever done: get sober.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make generic pop punk songs. Some about girls, some about all of the messed up things I’ve done to myself and others. I try to be as honest as possible, even if that makes me look like the bad guy. Because if I’m being honest, I’ve done a lot of things in my life that don’t exactly make me feel like the best person.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until I die, I would not be here if it weren’t for Geno White. He was my first, and only, guitar teacher. But more important than that, he was the first person to believe in me as a musician. When I showed him my first songs he was so excited about them, he made me feel like I had so much potential. Sure, I’ve met other people that helped me immensely in my career that I’m extremely grateful for, but I never even would’ve had the confidence to take the first step if it weren’t for Geno White.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rayhawthornesucks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhawthorne_/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rayhawthorne_
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0J5nCTJjXFkd88GfmZX1K2
Image Credits
Hanna Middleton
