VERNON WRAY
Vernon Aubrey Wray was the eldest of the Wray brothers, born on January 7, 1924 in Dunn North Carolina.
In 1943, along with the rest of the family, Vernon moved to Portsmouth Virginia. Vernon's "day job" was a taxicab service, and it's said he had the first taxi license in Portsmouth.
At night, Vernon and his brothers Doug and Link played the honky-tonks, clubs, and fairs in the area, backing many famous musicians of the day. The band, consisting of Vernon, Link, Doug, Shorty Horton and Dixie Neal, seemed to change names according to the venue they played - Lucky Wray and the Lazy Pine Wranglers and Lucky Wray and the Palomino Ranch Hands. It's been said that Vernon picked up his nickname from his success at gambling.
In 1955, the entire Wray family moved to Washington DC and began to establish the Wray musical legacy that brought you to this web site.
Washington DC at that time was a hotbed of country music, with stars like Jimmy Dean, Roy Clark and Charlie Daniels playing clubs throughout the area. The Wray Brothers were no exception. In these clubs, they caught the attention of Ben Adelman, a local record producer.
It was here that Vernon (now known as 'Ray Vernon' - establishing himself as a solo performer) was probably first exposed to production and record work. Local Southern Maryland rockabilly Vince Maloy recalls first meeting Vernon working at Adelman's studio when he went in to record a few sides.
Vernon, being promoted as a teen idol, went on to record sides for Starday, Cameo and Liberty Records, as well as his own label, Rumble Records. He later went on to host the Milt Grant Show, DC's answer to American Bandstand.
You can find more on Vernon's records over at the Discography section of this website.
Vernon later went on to open his own studio in Washington DC, recording many of the top rock and country acts in the area.
In the mid-1960s, Vernon moved south to Accokeek Maryland. He soon moved his DC studio to the basement of his new home. For a short time the studio was relocated in the former Wray's Market building in Accokeek. This studio was soon moved to a converted chicken coop behind the house and dubbed WRAY'S SHACK THREE TRACKS (from where this web site takes it's name).
In addition to local musicians, Wray's Shack Three Tracks saw much of Link's most classic work. Link's former band mates say they were there many a night after a gig, recording to the wee hours of the early morning, recording hundreds of hours of music. They recall cans literally stacked floor to ceiling of The Shack.
Sadly, much of that work never saw the light of day. It was rumored that Vernon buried these reels on the family farm when he sold the place.
Vernon also took an active role in Link's first Polydor LP, recording it at Wray's Shack Three Tracks. Mordicai Jones was also recorded there.
Vernon moved to Arizona in the early 1970s where he continued his recording work (in his continually-evolving studio, now WRAY'S SHACK THREE TRACKS +5 (he went to 8 track recording) and began his acting career. He was a frequent actor on GUNSMOKE and had a cameo in the movie ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE and a few others that were filmed around Old Tucson in Arizona.
It was in Arizona that he recorded his final two works. He released SUPERSTAR IN MY HOUSE, an extremely rare recording available only on cassette and 8 track, and the LP Wasted, on his Vermillion Records label at WRAY'S SHACK THREE TRACKS (+5) - as he expanded the studio to 8 tracks. It is a sought after collectable, as are his 45s and the Kay records EP. He passed away in 1979.