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On February 20, country singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late bandmate Scotty Wray, who served as the singer’s guitarist for several years. Wray reportedly passed away on Friday, February 18, from some cardiac complications.
In her Instagram post, Lambert shared multiple pictures of herself with Wray. She wrote a long emotionally charged caption, which mentioned:
“No matter what. If he was there on my right side I felt like I could take on the world. Scotty Wray was family to me and I’ll never sing a note without him because I know he is there with me.”
Lambert’s associate singer-songwriter Gwen Sebastian also shared a tribute to Wray on her Instagram.
What is known about Scotty Wray?
Wray is best known as a guitarist in the country music scene. He was associated with the Oregon-based musical group, The Wrays, which he started with his brother Collin Raye (aka Bubba Raye).
While his exact age is unknown, Scotty Wray was expected to be in his mid to late 60s at the time of his death. With multiple decades of experience as a guitarist, he met Miranda Lambert in 2001 in Greenville, Texas, when the singer was around 17. Wray was involved with Lambert’s musical journey for over 20 years until his recent demise.
Wray was born in De Queen, Arkansas. His mother, Lois Wray, was also a singer-songwriter. In the 1950s, the musical artist reportedly performed as the opening act for artists like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Later, she forayed into her solo career and often brought her sons to the stage to perform alongside her. At the time, the two brothers would serve as the harmonic backup vocals for their mother.
Later, the brothers professionally forayed into the music industry in the 1980s. According to his LinkedIn page, Scotty Wray reportedly resided in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. The late-guitarist was also associated with the local branches of the American Federation of Musicians.
One of his last known collaborations was with Miranda Lambert and his brother’s duet, Skars, which was a part of his brother Collin Fraye’s 2020 album. Over the years, Wray also wrote multiple songs with Lambert. The two also got matching arrow tattoos on their hands.
