Ray LaMontagne
Born in New Hampshire, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne came to music in one fell swoop: while working in a shoe factory in his twenties, he woke up to the Stephen Stills song “Tree Top Flyer” on the radio and had an epiphany – this was his life’s calling. Five years later, in 2004, his debut album, Trouble, was released on RCA to much acclaim, including numerous notable cover versions of its title track. LaMontagne has built a devoted following ever since, over the course of three more studio albums – including his 2010 release with The Pariah Dogs, God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock, Independent, and Folk charts and won the 2011 Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.