CARL RAY HOPPER
Birmingham Alabama native Carl Ray Hopper didn’t pick music, music picked him. Son of Hayes Hopper, renowned saxophone player of the Tiki’s, Brenda Lee, and Loretta Lynn, took Carl Ray on the road as a baby where he was bitten by the music bug at an early age. He ended up this way watching his daddy play because the rhythm is in the blood. He started playing bass guitar when none of the other kids that wanted to start a band in the neighborhood had one.
Soon after he was gigging in bars way under-age and played in several popular groups that started having a big draw. A touring band from Texas asked him to join their group and the next day he was on a greyhound to Fayetteville NC, where he was picked up by a crew member and taken straight to a show, and then toured relentlessly for years. After returning to Alabama, he soon joined Austin Hanks and “The United”, moving to Nashville for the first time excited to play country songs he had written over the years. He then got an unexpected call from Mars Electric, another rock band Ed Roland of “Collective Soul” had signed to Atlantic Records, using the same production team as “Matchbox Twenty” before John Kalodner the “God-Father“ of A & R, signed them to huge deal with Columbia Records where they had years of top 40 success. This kept Carl Ray busy touring with Stone Temple Pilots, Vertical Horizon, and opening for Motley Crue, just to name a few. Since then, he has worked with several artists as a touring bassist….name dropping upon request.
On August 7th, 2018 his life was changed forever after being struck by a negligent driver on his Harley Davidson. This tragic accident left him on death’s doorstep in the hospital undergoing several surgeries and in a wheel chair, fighting for his life and claiming the life of a loving friend. After months in a nursing home and tired of knocking things over in his living room, he was determined to get out of that wheel chair and finish what he started.
Carl Ray has a new album being released in 2021, titled “American Skin” and fueled by a promising new single “I Made A Wish” launching a relationship with a new label CCB Records Nashville, which will be going to radio late March. You can find his entire catalog and body of work @ www.carlraymusic.com and all other digital platforms.
Contact Info: carlray771@gmail.com or 205-478-3599
