Album Notes

'Guitar Ray'-BIO:

"Guitar Ray has got the GOODS", Duke Robillard writes in his liner notes for the cd Guitar Ray-' Live at the Nix'. (Firesweep Records, release date october 24th, 2004) "Rockin', stompin' and swinging guitar music that sets his audience on it's heels", Robillard continues.
And that's the best way to describe the Red Hot Roots & Blues played by dutch guitarist/singer Raymond Nijenhuis, better known as 'Guitar Ray'. From Rhythm & Blues to Swing, from high octane fingerpicking to 21st-century-surfrock.Whether it's one if his original compositions or a classic piece of american roots music:Ray just loves to play and it shows! So make sure to check out this Live cd.
Both with his band 'The Rhythm Dukes' consisting of rock solid players Hans Molenaar (drums) and Jaap van der Sluijs (bass/vocals) and with various other groups he has appeared at many festivals and club gigs over the last fifteen years.

Ray toured and gigged all over Western Europe with many well known performing artists like Sax Gordon(USA), Teddy Edwards(USA) Mason Casey(USA), Madeline Bell(USA), Enrico Crivellaro(I) and the legendary Charlie McCoy (USA) to name but a few.
Highlights include a solo performance at Muriel Anderson's "All Star Guitar Night" in Los Angeles(1999).Also in '99 he was invited by Fender Musical Instruments to play a show at their plant in Ensenada, Mexico with his wife, singer Debby Knol.
Appearances at numerous festivals in The Netherlands(North Sea Jazz), Belgium Luxembourg (Blues 'n Jazz Rallye), France and Germany.
Ray recorded cds with pianist Hod 'O'Brien (USA), New Thundering Swingmates and Swingmatism among others.


LINER NOTES -"LIVE AT THE NIX":

"I've known Ray Nijenhuis for over a decade now an every time we meet, we exchange some sort of musical tid-bits of information about new musical discoveries we have made and sometimes tapes or CDs get exchanged of projects we have each been working on. To my joy and amazement we have found much common ground to share. From swinging jazz groups and organ combos, to country pickin' Merle Travis or James Burton style, to Blues and good rockin R and B, Guitar Ray has got the GOODS!
Here on his first solo CD he gives us a set of rockin', stompin' and swinging guitar music that sets his audience on its heels. Once he was a polite kid who used to come to my shows and watch intensely. Now we have come full circle. I'M the fan, and I can't wait to catch "Guitar Ray and the Rhythm Dukes" on the road so I can watch, listen and maybe learn a thing or two! "

Duke Robillard,
September 2004

QUOTES & REVIEWS:

"Ray, thank you a million times over for one of the best cds I have heard in years I played 3 tracks last Saturday with much much more to come. Any other music you have please send for vip treatment.
Add 'Blues Flight' to your list of shows that are playin' the hell out of 'Live at the Nix'!
Please keep me posted on happenings with Guitar Ray".
-Mark' the Blues Pilot' Smith. 88.9 KJLU FM
Jefferson City Mo USA, November 2004

"Guitar Ray - Live at the Nix is not only CD of the Month for december 2004. Being very happy with the quality of all the music we heard this year, we could only decide to choose this one CD OF THE YEAR 2004 too! It's great!
Although the music lasts for almost an hour, this CD is just too short! Only solution is pressing the replay button, and I did, more than once!"
-Frank Zoetebier,
Bluescruisers( online Bluesmagazine, december 2004)

"I will have to sit down for two months with the cd player on low speed, to figure out your solo on "Gee I Wish"!!! Great, great job. It really is an excellent record. You should be proud of it.
I like every note of it, and every track is outstanding. I've been particularly blown away by the Jerry Reed tune and by Brent New, but really every tune is awesome. I like your surf tunes, they are great.
I think the cd does justice to the way you play the guitar, you really come across as a killer guitarist. There's a lot of original material on it, which is an excellent thing (especially because you are super as a composer as well). With a cd of this quality you should definitely be able to play all over Europe. I am sure you'll have a lot of new fans soon.
Yeah!! This is great!! Congratulations and I can't wait to hear the next one :-)".
-Enrico Crivellaro, december 2004
(Italy's foremost internationally acclaimed
Blues 'n 'Roots guitar player)

"I really LOVE the CD you gave me (the live disc)- I really dig your rockabilly-surf-twang thing, and the country pickin' stomps you do, along with the swingin' blues- it's a really great mix of styles, and you do them
all so well.You all are a shit-hot band!!! It's gotta be a lot of fun playin' with Sax Gordon too- what a sound!"
- Ricky Nye, Cincinnati
Blues & Boogie Woogie piano player