Country music singer / songwriter Michael Ray is set to dive into important topics such as family and his health on an upcoming episode of The Doctors, airing this Friday, February 12 (check local listings HERE). Recently going through the tragic deaths of both his uncle and grandfather due to heart complications, Ray addresses the importance of maintaining regular check-ups and staying healthy.
“We live in a society where we’re telling young people not to check on their hearts, but we have so much stress put on us nowadays that more and more young people are dying of heart attacks,” said Ray. “We need to spread awareness on this issue and on the symptoms and teach kids how to eat better. There’s a lot we can fix if we know early on.”
The hitmaker also addresses how music has just as much of an impact on your health, stating playing shows is like therapy to him. With COVID-19 erasing in-person events over the last year, Ray leaned into social media to stay in touch with his artistry and fans. His weekly livestream series dubbed Honkytonk Tuesday, showcasing his love for classic country, drew in over 700,000 views in 2020 and placed him at No. 32 on the 2020 Pollstar Top 100 Livestreamers Year End list. Ray will provide another virtual experience this Thursday, February 11 with his Warehouse Sessions Livestream. The event, set for 6:00pm CT, will feature five full-band songs from his growing catalog of hits, including his current single “Whiskey And Rain.”
Currently Top 50 and climbing on the Mediabase and Billboard country charts, “Whiskey And Rain,” written by Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson, has been streamed over 10 million times since its fall release. The Ross Copperman-produced track has been described as “tap[ping] into the moody, sultry, darker sounds of the ‘90s” by MusicRow, while Billboard notes “the tune is a throwback to brooding songs from the ‘80s and ‘90s with solid production by Ross Copperman highlighting Ray’s vulnerable delivery.”
“Whiskey And Rain,” described by Rolling Stone as “equal parts Ronnie Milsap and Gary Allan, a mix of the piano man’s Eighties swing and the Nineties lonesomeness of Allan’s Smoke Rings in the Dark,” follows two hit albums, three No. 1s and five RIAA Gold-certified singles, such as “One That Got Away,” “Think A Little Less” and “Her World Or Mine.” Ray continues to write for his current project, coming soon.