Country and bluegrass music recording artist, announcer, and promoter. Over the past 50+ years Davis has been arguably the greatest proponent of bluegrass music in the Baltimore area. In 1948 the Baltimore area native moved to Dover, Delaware and became an announcer on WDOV-AM radio. After moving around through several radio jobs around the country he returned to Baltimore in the early ‘50s and secured a position at WBMD.
For almost 40 years Davis hosted his popular radio program broadcast from a studio at Johnny Wilbanks’ ‘Johnny’s Used Cars.’ The business was originally located at 900 East Fayette Street and in the early ‘60s moved to 4801 Harford Road. Many of the top local and national country / bluegrass artists were recorded and broadcast from these locations.
Davis founded his own Wango Records label in 1961 and released records by Reno & Harrell, Stanley Brothers, Charlie Moore, and many other well-known bluegrass and gospel artists.
In 1985 Ray joined WAMU-FM radio where he hosted the “Saturday Bluegrass” show and co-hosted the weekday afternoon program “Bluegrass Country” until the show was discontinued in 2001. In the ‘00s he continued to host his Sunday morning “Ray Davis Show” on WAMU while also promoting regional bluegrass festivals.
Singles by Ray Davis:
1953 Marshall 701 The Drunken Driver / You Can’t Break My Heart
1953 D-C 6001 I’d Rather Die Young (Than Grow Old Without You) / Ray’s Boogie
19** Audio 1025 Give A Broken Heart A Chance / Slippery Path
196* Wango 2757 Little Orphan Joe / Dreaming of A Little Cabin
(Side B above by Don Reno & Bill Harrell)
Davis produced 7” EP on Wango:
196*(EP) Wango LP 110 Wango Presents the Stanley Brothers at Johnny’s Used Cars
(Side B above by Don Reno-Bill Harrell & the Tennessee Cut-Ups
