Hi There!

Hopefully this page will answer most of your questions. If not, feel free to contact me with your question which I will post on this page. You can also catch me at any of my Live Shows and pose your question then. I value your feedback.

If you would like to submit a question you can
Contact JR Here

Question

Are your songs about your personal experiences?

Answer

Some are very personal like "Happy Mothers Day" or "Drop A Line". So personal that I have a hard time performing them without becoming too emotional. Others like "Marissa", "Faith" and "Be Good At It" are a mixture of personal experience and craftsmanship. And then there are those like "Fantasy Flight 2469" or "Once Again One More Time" that are total fabrications of creation.

Question

Would you consider yourself more of a songwriter or a performer?

Answer

I am both a songwriter and a performer. Since you have to write the song before you can perform it I'd say that I am a songwriter first and a performer second.

Question

Who was your biggest musical influence?

Answer

Without a doubt my dad. If my dad hadn't played guitar and sang I probably would have never learned to play guitar. It was my dad's excitement for my music that made me try so hard. I later would decide to perform for my own reasons.

Question

Are you married?

Answer

Yes. Married on 17th July 2006 to Sharlene :-)

Question

Is JamesRAy your real name and is the "A" in "RAy" supposed to be a capital letter?

Answer

Yes. That is my real name. It is my first and middle names put together. Where I grew up in Arkansas it was common that our first and middle names were used as if it were one name; even when we weren't being yelled at for getting into trouble. If we were getting in trouble then it was the whole given name (ie. JamesRAy Still!). Now, the reason for the capital "A" in "RAy" was initially a typo caused by me not getting my finger off of the 'shift' key fast enough after typing the "R". Because I was always having to back space to correct my typo I finally decided that it must have been one of those things that 'is just meant to be.' :-) Some people have told me that they don't like seeing my name spelled like that. And, some friends just call me J.R. for short.

Question

Do you prefer to sing other peoples songs or your own?

Answer

A great song is a great song. And, I love to perform the greatest songs I can. I try to write songs that I hope are as great as any other song that I would sing. I prefer to sing my own songs where I can. Too often audiences like to hear songs they are familiar with. I am truly flattered when I get requests for my songs.