Musician Ray Andersen’s childhood bedroom was where Carole King did her songwriting.
WEST ORANGE — Ray Andersen still pinches himself when he thinks of his life as a musician. He performed with Bruce Springsteen. He was in Meat Loaf’s touring band. And he grew up in the house where Carole King and Gerry Goffin once lived. Living near Pleasant Valley Way, Goffin was inspired to write the lyrics for the hit song “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” recorded by The Monkees.
It was serendipity that, in the same manner as King and Goffin, Andersen also became a musician and a songwriter. His bedroom was where King did her songwriting.
But Andersen says he had the seed of music even before that. Watching The Beatles on television with an older cousin inspired him. “I became obsessed,” he said. “Me and millions of other people heard them and that was it.”
Looking back at his time in West Orange, Andersen, who now lives in Highland Park, recalls going to EJ Corvettes and Record World – two record stores in West Orange. He also remembers other West Orange musical notables such as House of Music, where Kool and the Gang recorded; and South Mountain Arena, where they had the South Mountain Music Fair. He also performed at Turtle Back Zoo.
“New Jersey is so fertile for being a musician,” Andersen said. “It’s a mini-NYC, L.A., Nashville…”
Andersen never went to college; he said he knew his destiny. “I can’t read a note of music,” he said. “Neither can any of my idols. We just plowed away, gigging, gigging, gigging. That’s how you learn to be a good musician.”
Early in his musical career, Andersen was in the Stone Pony House Band playing guitar. Bruce Springsteen would jam with them. “It takes my breath away thinking about it,” he said. “This world class musician, one of my Top 5 singers of all time – that was a crystalline moment. This was one of the pinnacles.”
He also was in Meat Loaf’s touring band and opened for Matchbox 20 for an entire month in Germany in the 1990s. And he performed with the legendary Chuck Berry.
During all this time, Andersen was writing his own music, too. He became a hit on the children’s music scene performing under the name Mr. Ray. His songs about friendships, dinosaurs and rainbows are cool and the children tap into that.
Now, writing songs for children and performing for them is the main thing he does. “It’s so organic,” he said. “It’s beautiful. You have to love kids. I have an infinity for them. They inspire you. You can learn a lot from kids. I write my own songs about kindness, being healthy and creative. I talk to kids about how we should never treat each other in a bad way. I’m not overly woke, I just care about manners.”
Andersen has an upcoming off-off Broadway production called “Sound Mind.”
“I’m over the moon,” he said.
In 2013 and 2014, Mr. Ray was the 10th best-selling children’s artist, according to Billboard Magazine. He’s sold more than 100,000 of his children’s compact discs. They are currently in Walmart, Best Buy and Dollar General stores. His song “Born from Our Heart” has been a staple on Sirius/XM Radio’s KidsPlace LIVE. His song “Make the World Safe” has been played on that station nearly every day since 2010. His songs for children are the backdrop for many television commercials such as NIKE Golf.
In 2011, he landed a national singing spot, singing the classic “This Magic Moment” for Publisher’s Clearing House. And, in 2012, he sang the James Taylor hit, “How Sweet it Is,” for Publisher’s Clearing House.
He’s also had television appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Top of the Pops and VH1 Storytellers.
And he performs with his David Bowie tribute band, Bowie and Beyond.
Having such longevity as a musician, Andersen feels that you have to keep putting yourself out there. He stresses to younger artists the importance of having gigs. At his Mr. Ray shows, he said he used to sell CDs for $15 – in addition to the payment he received at gigs. He says that the payment he receives for being on Spotify is “pathetic.”
But he said he never had a nano-second of “maybe I should find a real job.”
“When you’re a musician, it’s like your hobby. It’s your profession. It takes up so much time. It’s so enjoyable,” said Andersen. “It’s beyond a profession. I’m always writing in my car. Melodies come up. Different ideas about things keep our minds active.”
Andersen likes to spend his free time with his girlfriend and his daughter.
To learn more about Ray Andersen, aka Mr. Ray, visit: https://mrray.com/.
Visit his David Bowie tribute band, Bowie & Beyond at: https://bowieandbeyondshow.com/.
Photos Courtesy of Ray Andersen
About the Author
