Cray, Robert

Cray, Robert

Robert Cray was born in Columbus, Georgia on 1 August 1953. The family moved a good deal because his father was in the military.  They settled in Tacoma, Washington in 1968.

Robert formed his first band with Richard Cousins in 1974 after they both toured with Albert Collins. It was not until Bad Influence was released in 1983 that Robert began to garner wider recognition. In 1987, his album Strong Persuader became the most successful blues album in more than two decades.

Robert has jammed with Eric Clapton on many occasions, most notable being the blues nights at the Albert Hall in 1990 and 1991. He has appeared at all three of Eric’s Crossroads Guitar Festivals on 4, 5 and 6 June 2004 in Dallas, Texas, and the two Chicago, Illinois events on 28 July 2007 and 26 June 2010. The festivals have all been released on DVD.

Robert can be heard on Eric’s 1990 CD, Journeyman. On the album, Eric recorded Robert’s composition “Bad Influence” and the two wrote “Old Love” for the recording. He can also be heard on 24 Nights.

Robert Cray and his band opened for Eric on his 2006 / 2007 World Tour with Robert frequently joining Eric for "Old Love" and "Crossroads".