Ray Lemelin was born and raised in the eastern townships of Quebec and now lives in Calgary. Playing music was a natural move for Ray as he was raised in a home where musicians were common on both sides of the family.  As a young adult, Ray was inspired by musicians such as Willie Dixon and Clarence Gatemouth Brown to pick up a Stratocaster and play the blues.

After attending a Willie Dixon concert in Calgary, Ray got a hair cut and bought a suit, a Stratocaster and tube amp. From then on, he gave his life to playing the blues.

The iconic King Eddy, renowned as the home of the blues, was where Ray took every opportunity to listen and learn at the feet of blues masters. Being a regular at the club led to an opportunity to do the sound for artist Clarence Gatemouth Brown, who was on tour across Western Canada. This friendship with “Gate” and the experience he gained led to him performing with local greats such as Jimmy Payne, Tim Williams, Ron Casat, Amos Garrett, Rusty Reed, Back Alley John, Johnny V, and Harpdog Brown.

As Ray become better known he was asked to back touring blues artists such as Wes Mackey, Lowell Fulson, Fenton Robinson, Jimmy Payne, Pinetop Perkins, Billy Branch, Sugar Blue, Sherman Robertson, Johnny Copeland, Sonny Rhodes, Mark Hummel, Johnny Nitro, Carl Weathersby, Michael Coleman, James Cotton, Lurrie Bell, Country Pete, Alabama Mike, Big Dave McLean and Brent Parkin.

Ray released his latest album, "Dark/Out of Phase" in 2023. The album is all acoustic and features guitarist Tim Williams throughout.

Brother Ray Lemelin and his band, The Matinee Kings, currently host a weekly Sunday night Jam at a local club.

Singing and playing the blues as well as mentoring young musicians is what Ray lives for.

‍

‍