Ray LaMontagne
Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (/ˌlɑːmɒnˈteɪn/; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise, Supernova, Ouroboros, Part of the Light, and Monovision. He was born in New Hampshire and was inspired to create music after hearing an album by Stephen Stills. Critics have compared LaMontagne's music to that of Otis Redding, Ryan Adams, Beck, Pink Floyd, The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake and Tim Buckley.
Ray LaMontagne
Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne
June 18, 1973
Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S.
- Vocals
- guitar
- piano
- harmonica
Early life[edit]
LaMontagne was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1973, one of six children raised by his single mother. In his early teens he lived in Morgan, Utah, and was more interested in drawing images of Dungeons & Dragons than in his school work.[1] After graduating from high school, LaMontagne moved to Lewiston, Maine, and found work in a shoe factory.[2] LaMontagne also spent a significant amount of time in Wilton, Maine.[3] Other sources state that by his teen years he was living in Maine, spending time in Turner and Buckfield.[4]
Career[edit]
1999–2005: Trouble[edit]
LaMontagne was inspired to quit his job and begin a career as a singer-songwriter after waking up one morning to the radio on his alarm clock playing the Stephen Stills' song "Treetop Flyer".[5][6][7][8] LaMontagne began performing in 1999 while maintaining a part-time job as a tutor.[6] In the summer of 1999 he recorded 10 songs for a demo album that was sent to various local music venues including Maine's Oddfellow Theater, where he was hired as an opening act for John Gorka and Jonathan Edwards.
A business executive named Ron Clayton discovered LaMontagne at a musical festival in Maine and introduced him to Chrysalis Music Publishing and in 2004 LaMontagne recorded the album Trouble with producer Ethan Johns and sold it to RCA Records in the US and Echo Records in the UK.[9] The album featured performances by Sara Watkins and Jennifer Stills, daughter of Stephen Stills.[10] The album sold over 250,000 copies in the US and 500,000 worldwide.[2][11][12] During a 2005 tour, LaMontagne appeared on the PBS music program Austin City Limits (season 31, episode 4).[13]
An EP of LaMontagne's performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was released in 2005 and his song "All the Wild Horses" was part of the soundtrack for the TV series Rescue Me[14] and the 2009 film The Boys Are Back. His song "Trouble" appeared in the TV series Alias as well as in a national television commercial for Travelers Insurance,[15] and his song "Jolene" was heard in the credits of the 2010 film The Town. His song "Hold You in My Arms" was featured in the 2006 movie She's The Man.[16]
In 2005, he performed at two charity events, a New York City fundraiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam.[17][18]
Style[edit]
LaMontagne has a unique vocal style which he says is created by singing through his gut instead of through his nose.[41] He cites Stephen Stills, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko as strong musical influences, while critics have compared LaMontagne's music to that of The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley.[42][43] A Rolling Stone review of his album Supernova referred to his voice as an "impeccably weathered tenor croon" and his phrasing as "marble-mouthed."[44]
Personal life[edit]
In 2009, LaMontagne paid $1.05 million for a 103-acre farm in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the former residence of U.S. Ambassador William C. Bullitt, where he lives with his wife, Sarah Sousa, and their two children in the farmhouse built in 1830.[45] Sousa is a published poet via Red Mountain Press and their sons are budding artists.[46] LaMontagne refers to himself as a "very private person" and rarely gives interviews.[47][48]