This west Texas singer/songwriter takes honky tonk to an all-new level.

12 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Western Swing, COUNTRY: Traditional Country



Details:
West Texas, 1971. That's where Jim Raby's story begins.

It was a warm May wind that brought into the Raby household, a baby boy and the country sounds of local radio station. His mother's comforting lullabies were mixed with the sounds of Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush and many other great Texas artists coming from the family radio. Though as a boy he enjoyed good country music, he pretty much did what all young boys do. He played ball, went hunting and fishing, spent time with his grandpa, and tried to stay out of trouble.

It wasn't until the age of seventeen that the music bug really grabbed hold of him. "I heard George Strait's All My Ex's Live In Texas on the radio and I flipped over it, I tried to sing like George. Heck, I tried to sing like all the greats." Honing his singing through high school, Jim still wasn't quite sure what he was going to do following graduation. He decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.


After enlisting, Jim was on his way to California for a four year stint at Camp Pendelton. During his stay at Camp Pendelton Jim was deployed to the Gulf War and to Somalia. While away from home and family, Jim began his foray into songwriting. After many fruitless attempts to convey his musical ideas to other guitar players Jim finally picked up the guitar and began to teach himself to play. Jim and his guitar traveled from California to Kuwait, Japan to Germany, and played and sang the whole way. He would sing at any function that would have him. During the course of his travels, he penned forty original songs; some you can find in his live shows today. Upon his return to the States, Jim tied the knot with his Texas sweetheart. He finished up his stint in the Marines, moving through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. But Texas was his home, and soon after leaving the Marines, he returned. Utilizing the education and experience in architecture and drafting he received while enlisted in the Marine Corps, Jim soon found work at several architectural firms.

Now, evenings and weekends find Jim balancing family life with performing and songwriting. Jim's great love of songwriting has given him the chance to express his feelings about his family and relationships. Titles such as Thick and Thin, a touching story of a father passing down words of wisdom to his soon to be married son, speaks straight to your heart. Jim also knows how important it is to have a good time out on the dance floor, keeping up the good times with In the Mood, Too Many Twos, and many others. Jim wrote/co-wrote 11 of the songs on his new release, "Until Now." Always working to outdo himself, Jim has already begun building a new batch of songs for his next release.

" I just want to play music people can dance to, and do it well. " - Jim