Ray Cardwell to Americana Vibes

Ray Cardwell is the newest signee with Americana Vibes, the label of The Infamous Stringdusters, their individual members, and a number of other popular newgrass/jamgrass acts.

Cardwell is know for his strikingly high vocal range, and his affinity for the style of New Grass Revival, so the John Cowan comparisons are inevitable. Those are fair, and something that Ray welcomes, as he is a big fan of the Cow Man himself.

Like so many grassers of his generation, Ray grew up performing in a family band in the mid-1970s, along with his parents and two sisters. And before you ask, he is the brother of Nancy Cardwell, who led the IBMA for several years after serving various roles within the organization, and is now the Executive Director of the IBMA Foundation.

Ray toured with his family for several years, and with New Tradition, with a stint in Hollywood playing sax on a variety of recordings in between. While taking time off the road to raise a family, he also completed a degree in music education, and accepted a job in his home state of Missouri as a band and choral director.

But a demo chanced to get to final New Grass Revival guitarist Pat Flynn, who coaxed Cardwell back to recording again, which led to his Tennessee Moon album with Pinecastle in 2017, followed by Stand On My Own, and Just A Little Rain.

Another detour from bluegrass occurred in 2021 when John Cowan recommended Ray to English rocker Dave Mason. Ray is in his third year with Mason, who takes several months off each year where Ray can play some bluegrass.

So he’s back now with a new album, The Singing Tree, set for a 2025 release on Americana Vibes. Guests include banjo pickers Scott Vestal, Ryan Cavanaugh, and Andy Thorn, Cody Kilby on guitar, and John Cowan singing harmony vocals. A debut single is releasing next month as well.

The album title comes from a tree that Ray remembers near his home as a child, which was so large that they could stand under it and sing during a rain storm without getting wet, and would also keep them cool in the summer. He tells us that they called it the singing tree.

Here’s one from Stand On My Own called Time To Drive, which topped our Grassicana chart in 2019, to give you a taste of his songwriting and his sound.

Welcome home, once again, Ray Cardwell.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.