Ray will be missed! He was super duper down to earth, His online persona was just for fun, he was a real awesome guy in person!....With love of God, country and people, HE was Veteran, father, grandfather and a great friend to all!...Watch this short clip and remember, it's never to late to BELIEVE!
Here is a true story.

People always say that Red Dog Guitar youtube videos inspired them to play cigar box guitar, but long before Red Dog videos, there was Ukulele Ray videos.

I was in Puerto Rico and I had cigar box guitars on my wall and was trying to sell them and they were still a craft in my life, just for fun.

A friend of mine in 2006 came over and said there was a new website called "youtube" and you could upload your own videos....we searched and it was ukulele ray and his lunch box ukes and a link to his site that poped up.... I admit, I thought he was nuts and strange, but I researched his site and saw how he combined art and video and a "persona" to create sales....and it all made sense!

I remember my friend saying this exact thing" no you don't want to do that"....and I went and did exactly was my friend said NOT to do and I used Ray's templete for sales, but with my own inspiration and twist....and I started using Youtube for cigar box guitars....and that is where it all came from....there would be no C B G movement like it is today without that spark Ray started, yes there were Shane Speals before Ray ( I love Shane!, and Daddy mojos and Red Dogs and Ted Crokers and Bill Jehle)....but it was without a doubt Ray who would grabbed the ball and ran with it business wise...he is the first person to take homemade instruments and turn them into a viable sales format.

..Flash ahead to about 2015, and he got real sick, and you can learn more about that or perhaps I will post below, BUT I saw that he was part of a Discovery Show Investigation ID about his girlfriend's (common law wife) her son went missing with another teenager and the person was never caught and his son was never found and he had double tragedy with both his sickness and a missing family member.

anyways,,,I felt sorry to see that on TV and I just researched him and found his phone number and I called him and guess what????? He was so approachable and down to earth and It was great I got to tell him how wonderful I though he was.

God Bless You Ray....Your wacky persona inspired me and He was the FIRST to capitalize on homemade instruments, the first!