Steven Ray Will

Steven Ray Will was raised in the suburbs just south of Houston, TX where he had access to the extensive, eclectic record collection of his parents which was supplemented by the AM radio of the day. At age 13, he asked for a bass guitar for Christmas and everything else immediately became secondary. Playing along with his favorite records for more than 8 hours a day, Steven quickly worked up the nerve to sit in with a neighborhood band and that was all it took. From that moment forward, Steven began working regularly as a musician in Houston's exploding Blues and cover band scene, years before he was legally allowed entry to the venues he was being paid to perform in. He later toured the world as a sideman with Sheila Marshall, Chris Duarte, Patrice Pike and many more. A chance meeting led him to spend 10 years alongside local legend Hadden Sayers. The time spent with Hadden taught him the ins and outs of the music business and would again see him touring throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. During a tour stop at an Austin club, Steven was captivated by the talent and abundance of live music the city had to offer. Three months later, Steven loaded his belongings into a U-Haul and relocated to Austin permanently. His passion inspired him to partner with any and everyone he could just to play the music he loved and learn from legends.

Initially having taken up guitar and songwriting as a way to alleviate boredom in hotel rooms, Steven switched his focus to guitar in earnest and began writing material inspired by his heroes ranging from Gram Parsons, Tom Waits and Paul Westerberg to contemporaries like Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams, Daniel Lanois, and others. One Sunday night, he took his writings for a test drive at The World Famous Saxon Pub. Shortly afterwards, he was offered a much coveted weekly residency by the owner. Over the following months, Steven would use that residency to refine his sound and further evolve his songs and stage presence.

Feeling satisfied with the strength of his material, Steven would hit the studio to record his debut album "The Leaver". The album was shipped to radio and press outlets world wide and was instantly embraced with heavy rotations in the United States, Australia and Europe. The album charted within weeks on The Americana Chart, The Route 66 Chart, 3rd Coast Music Charts, Euro-Americana Charts, The Far Charts, The Texas Music Charts and more. The significant radio exposure led to on-air radio appearances and an official showcase at SXSW. That SXSW appearance landed him a European Distribution deal with leading Americana label, Blue-Rose Records. 

Working for the first time with an outside producer, Matt Smith, Steven is currently preparing his follow up for a late 2024 release on EarHertz/SoSouth Records.. 

Steven will be out performing and promoting "Sex and Lies and Petty Crimes" starting this summer and continuing into the fall/winter of 2024.

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