It doesn’t take more than a second or two after meeting country-rock musician Ray Johnston to figure out he’s one determined dude. Though his motto is “smile hard,” he seems to live by a more famous mantra: “Failure is not an option.”
Determination drove the lanky Montgomery, Ala., native to make good on his childhood pledge that he would one day play pro basketball; he wound up joining the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent in 2004. It’s what helped him turn his passion for music into his post-basketball profession, leading the Ray Johnston Band, which just completed a new album, AGAINST THE GRAIN. And most of all, it’s what kept him going as he battled leukemia. Five times.
If anyone has the right stuff, it’s Johnston. His focus, work ethic and winning attitude — and those bouts with cancerous blood cells — mean he doesn’t have time for mediocrity. Which is why he was able to attract top-notch talent for AGAINST THE GRAIN, and why he’s been able to book high-profile gigs, such as opening a huge SXSW 2012 show with Cracker, the BoDeans and Cheap Trick, even as an unknown just breaking in to the music biz. People believe in Ray Johnston because he believes in himself. This is a guy who admits, “I get kind of offended if people don’t like me,” and goes to the airport early when he travels because he makes a new friend every time.
“My dad taught me early in life that any successful business is going to come from a lot of relationships,” Johnston says while kicking back in an Austin B&B, his adorable Boykin spaniel, Lil Dude, snoozing next to him. A southern charmer with the kind of dimpled-chin good looks that led to some modeling during his athlete days, Johnston discusses his life and music in a conversation filled with references to sports, business, faith and friends — and success.
“Son, any successful business that has longevity has a point of difference,” his father, a high-risk insurance writer–turned cattle rancher, told him early on. Pondering how that axiom might apply to his music — what would make his rootsy songs stand out from the rest — Johnston came to a realization.
“I’ve always been a big fan of the adjective ‘authentic,’” he says. “I want to make sure whatever music I’m writing is me, and I’m not just tilting to make sure it fits the market.”
His pals Jason Mraz and Michael Franti assured him his evolution from a Jack Johnson/Dave Matthews sound to one more in league with fellow Texans Randy Rogers and Kevin Fowler was not an issue. Says Johnston of the band’s direction: “If Dave Matthews is on first base and Zac Brown is on third, we fall on second base.”