Robert Cray Band

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Melanie Lemahieu

Robert Cray and guitar.

Robert Cray

It’s been more than a quarter-century since Robert Cray appeared at the second Madison Blues Festival in 1999 at Olin Park, part of a mind-blowing bill that also included Ray Charles, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor and a very young Shannon Curfman. Cray, who turned 72 on Aug. 1, has made it a priority to return to the capital city every few years. This time, he arrives having not released a new album since 2020’s That’s What I Heard. But with a deep catalog, including Billboard hit singles such as “Smoking Gun” and “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” — along with his timelessly smooth, soulful and reassuring voice and guitar — Cray still demands attention and respect.

media release: Blues icon. Soul man. Rock and roller. Robert Cray is all these things – and more. The Georgiaborn, Washington-raised musician first picked up a guitar after seeing The Beatles on TV then, having witnessed Jimi Hendrix perform in Seattle, determined that his destiny would also follow a similar path. And so he has: across the past half century Robert Cray’s developed into one of American music’s most singular artists.

“I guess you’d have to say that we were lucky,” reflects Cray on his life in music, “because, growing up in the 1960s, the different music played on the radio really opened us up. I mean, we even had Albert Collins play our high School graduation party.”

From forming a teenage garage band, through to striding the stage alongside several of the world’s greatest guitarists, Robert Cray’s story is one of struggle and commitment. Struggle and commitment that led to Cray enjoying phenomenal success – selling millions of albums and countless concert tickets, winning five Grammy Awards, being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, recipient of the Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award, designing two signature model Fender guitars – yet for Robert what’s always mattered most is the music. Every note he plays counts, every song he sings is delivered as if it is his last: integrity and intensity are what has guided Cray’s musical career. He has never cheapened his output or delivered a substandard performance. Indeed, his commitment to making music of the highest standard has won Cray both a loyal audience and the respect of many of popular music’s most legendary figures.



Think about it: Robert Cray has shared stage and/or studio with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Albert Collins, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Memphis Horns and Hi Rhythm Section. Cray’s stinging guitar playing and soulful voice, his skills as a band leader and performer, mark him as keeper of the flame for American roots music, an artist who never fails to deliver.