Ray Lunsford Born:  November 8, 1908 Died:  October 17, 1981 WLW Boone County Jamboree WMOH Hamilton, OH WNOP Newport, KY

About The Artist Ray Lunsford who hailed from Broadhead, Kentucky is best known for his decade and more playing electric mandolin on 102 Jimmie Skinner recordings. He met Jimmie in Hamilton, Ohio and his instrumental support provided Jimmie with his distinctive sound on all of his Red Barn, Radio Artist, Capital, Decca and nearly all of Skinner's Mercury offerings. Lunsford also made a few recordings of original instrumental tunes on his own, mostly on local Cincinnati labels. Ray did a bit of songwriting during his career. Some of the songs we have found attributed to him include: Station Door Blues (co-writer Jimmie Skinner) Running Out Of Time (co-writer Jimmie Skinner) I'm Allergic To Your Kisses What A Pleasure (co-writer Jimmie Skinner) Tell Them (co-writer Jimmie Skinner) Prior to his move to Ohio, Ray had played in the area around Renfro Valley and appeared a few times on their barn dance. However, he never gave much thought to a musical career until he and Jimmie began playing in the taverns around Hamilton and Middletown after he had migrated to the Buckeye State during World War II (Skinner had relocated to Ohio in the mid-and late twenties). His mandolin playing was quite prominent on nearly all of Jimmie's best known numbers until about 1958 when Mercury producers begin tuning down his instrument in favor of more conventional country sounds of that era. The major and real reason for discord was misunderstandings over money. The two had only a brief chance meeting a few years prior to Skinner's death. Of Ray's mandolin tunes, "Sheila" and "Carroll County Blues" are probably best known. Lunsford's musical prominence began to fade after he left Skinner, but he lived on another two years after Jimmie died. Credits & Sources Hillbilly-Music.com would like to express its thanks to Ivan M. Tribe, author of Mountaineer Jamboree — Country Music in West Virginia and other books that can be found on Amazon.com and numerous articles in other publications for providing us with information about this artist.

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Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)   Doc Records Rec. No. Side Song Title   30909 A A Little Bitty Tear (w/Doc Armstrong)   30909 B In A Mansion Stands My Love (w/Doc Armstrong)   Excellent Rec. No. Side Song Title   309 A Mount Vernon Rag   309 B Carroll County Blues   310 A Under The Double Eagle   310 A Bluegrass Blues   310 B Bluegrass Blues   310 B Under The Double Eagle   400 A Sheila   400 A The Tragedy of School Bus 27 (by Ralph Bowman)   400 B Tragedy of the School Bus   400 B Shelia   Prism Records Rec. No. Side Song Title   PR-1918 A A Little Bitty Tear (w/Doc Armstrong)   PR-1918 B In A Mansion Stands My Love (w/Doc Armstrong)   Sage Rec. No. Side Song Title   EP 285 A I Don't Love Nobody   EP 285 B Rustic Dance   EP 285 C Red Wing   EP 285 D Pickin' Around   Starday Rec. No. Side Song Title   296 A Carroll County Blues   296 A Carroll County Blues   296 B Mt. Vernon Rag   296 B Mt. Vernon Rag   Style Rec. No. Side Song Title   45-1928 A Down And Out Feelin' (Called The Blues) (w/Randell Barker)   45-1928 B Mt. Vernon Rag (w/Randell Barker)