‘Catch of the Day’ – Ray Scott – “High Road” [AUDIO]

Today we turn our focus on a singer/songwriter who was born and raised in Semora, North Carolina, and who has built a reputation that many have called "difficult" and many have said its just the artist doing things his own way.

Ray Scott started his first band at age 19, moving from his life-long home in Semora, a small town of about 1700 people, 60 miles northeast of Greensboro, to the big city of Atlanta, GA. While in Atlanta, Scott attended the Music Business Institute, graduating with an associate's degree. After graduation, Scott returned to his home state, moving to Raleigh and starting another band. He didn't stay there long, deciding to head to Nashville to concentrate on his song writing.

Scott achieved early success in Nashville as a songwriter, with songs recorded by Clay Walker ("A Few Questions") and Randy Travis ("Pray for the Fish"), he caught the attention of Warner Brothers Nashville in 2005, signing with the label for his debut album My Kind of Music; looking back on it, it proved a very precognitive title, sending three singles to the top-20, "Gone Either Way", "I Didn't Come Here To Talk" and the album's title track.

In 2008, after the release of "I Didn't Come Here To Talk", a disagreement arose between Scott and the label as to the direction of a follow up album. Scott left the label and produced his second album, Crazy Like Me, on his own label, Jethropolitan Records. The album received critical acclaim, but to the small stature of the label, did not receive much airplay by country radio, with just one single breaking the Hot Country 100, "Sometimes The Bottle Hits You Back". Scott, ever undaunted, had more success with his 2011 album Rayality. Two singles from the album, "Those Jeans" and "What Works For Willie" received a good deal of air play on satellite country radio, but failed to again crack the Hot 100 of earthly bound country radio.

At the end of the day, Ray Scott identifies as a modern day outlaw, not in image, but in his approach to the music industry. He is an artist whose fan base identifies with his honest, man of the people lyrics. In 2014 Scott released his third self produced album, this one self-titled also. Two singles, "Drinkin' Beer" and "Ain't Always Thirsty" received good reviews, but again, failed to chart. Scott and Jethropolitan Records have picked up a distributor for the album DeciBel Records Nashville, and are hoping to reboot and jump-start Scott's relationship with terrestrial radio.

We have new music from Scott into our spotlight today, his latest single, from an as yet unidentified album. Ray Scott and "High Road" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.