Robert Cray

Robert Cray is the guy who proved blues could sound this clean and still hit hard. That stinging, vibrato-free Strat tone and his understated, soulful voice make tracks like 'Smoking Gun' feel effortless, but there is real craft underneath. What I love is how he never overplays. Every note earns its place, and his songwriting actually tells stories about jealousy, regret and bad decisions. He was a huge part of the 1980s blues revival without ever chasing flash. For me he is proof that taste and restraint can be more powerful than a hundred fast solos.

Robert Cray (born August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Over a career beginning in the 1970s he has fused blues, soul and R&B into a smooth, melodic sound that helped bring blues to mainstream audiences in the 1980s. He has been honored with multiple Blues Music Awards and Grammy Awards and is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of his generation.

Name (English)

Robert Cray

Name (Japanese)

ロバート・クレイ

Reading

ろばーと・くれい

Born

August 1, 1953 (age 73)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Leo / Snake

Origin

Columbus, Georgia, USA

Occupation

Guitarist / Singer / Songwriter / Musician

Awards & achievements

• Blues Music Award

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://robertcray.com
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AD%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4

Tags

• From Georgia
• Guitarist
• Singer
• Songwriter

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.