Ray Beadle then went on to form the Vipers, and went to the
USA to play with B.B. King's house band.
After marriage to his 'angel' and needing to support a young family he drove
trucks and gave up music for a few years until nearly drowning when he drove
his truck into a river.
Last Christmas Ray Beadle gave away truck driving and got back into music.
He quickly released a new CD, 'Loaded' which has been followed up with 'It's
Personal'.
A couple of months into his new career Ray Beadle played at Tanja Hall where
I made the related videos with this story.
The Tanja videos feature solo acoustic performances and also Ray Beadle's
powerful electric guitar playing with his trio.
The following week he was off to Sydney to support John Mayall, whose
'Bluesbreakers' featured a young Eric Clapton.
Ray Beadle then supported Peter Green, who replaced Clapton in Mayall's band
before going on to Fleetwood Mac.
At Bluesfest the following week Ray Beadle was ready for a big gig and
didn't hold back.
With the addition of Lachlan Doley on keyboards the band was a blues
powerhouse.
Ray Beadle is the kind of musician who lifts several notches when the music
is hot and at Byron he went ballistic.
At Tanja there was a real sense of anticipation, that every chance to
perform really counted, and absolutely no sense of 'just another gig'.
Ray Beadle doesn't go through the motions, his music is all heart and soul.
By the time we spoke after the Bluesfest gigs that sense of anticipation had
been replaced a sense that here was a masterful musician who had made a long
journey back to the stage, had opened his soul and had been welcomed home by
huge appreciative audiences.
It was like the final stage of a rocket launch.
Ray Beadle has begun a new stage of his career, he's back.
