Music Man
Eddie Ray
December 21, 1926 – June 21, 2026
Record Man · Songwriter · Poet · Author · Mentor
Edward W. Ray of Franklin, North Carolina — record man, songwriter, poet, author, and mentor. From “Hearts of Stone” to the Capitol Tower, from a federal chairmanship in Washington to the rebirth of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, he spent ninety-nine years opening doors for other people’s music.
Celebrating His Life · July 24–26, 2026
The family invites you to Eddie’s memorial weekend: the homegoing service, a celebration of life you can join in person or by livestream, and a soulfood cookout & games night in his honor.
Against All Odds
Eddie’s memoir tells the whole story in his own words — from a hillside above Franklin to the heights of the American record business.
Hall of Fame
Inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009, after serving as the first Executive Director of its modern era — the Hall he helped bring back to life.
Full biography, book, and photo archives are being restored to this site.
This site wears Eddie’s colors — the greens of the Blue Ridge mountains and trees he kept on every screen he owned.
Family contact: [email protected]