Musician Ray Sorenson has been to Tasmania twice, once in 1976 and then in 1986. The latter trip saw him, as he so eloquently puts it ‘chasing a sapphire’. Ray had a mining lease in Pioneer (in North East Tasmania) with a half share in a hotel. It was here he met and later married the lovely Pauline who was working in the hotel kitchen. Ray even helped deliver his two boys there. A lasting memory are two trees planted in Pioneer commemorating the boys’ birth.
Ray says he’s lived through a lot of social change from ‘pence’ to ‘dollars’ and more.
He’s been a live performer for over 40 years and written many songs in that time. Now at last he isn’t a silent writer anymore as he presents his first album and first single ‘Blue Haze’, a song inspired by the passing of his close friend’s father but lending itself to interpretation for the personal meaning of the listener.
Ray says of song writing that it’s emotion, just as it did in Blue Haze, that triggers his writing, such as scenes of drought in the bush. There are many repercussions from the drought including effects on performers such as in his own case in an abandonment of a four month tour from Melbourne to Cairns.
Instead of a drought it’s been a flood letting for Ray career wise. Last year saw him support Russell Morris on tour where he heard ‘The Real Thing’ live for the first time and gained some good advice from the’ gentleman’ that is Russell Morris.
After a hectic year spent on promotion, now Ray is enjoying the release of his first album ‘Silent Writer’ and it’s single ‘Blue Haze’.
You can read more about Ray and purchase his album from his web site
http://raysorenson.com/ .
Paula Xiberras
