Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica

raymondjohn@gertrudeshearse.com

Raymond John was born sometime between 1970 and 1980 to unknown parents west of the Mississippi river. He was self-raised on the streets of the United States of America, often gaining a penny following panhandler and vaudeville jug bands from town to town, changing strings, tuning bottles, and occasionally taking a hitch with the circus. After surviving a short stint as the petting zoo keeper at the Neverland Ranch, Raymond took up the guitar to fill in for the lead singer of the jug band Fingers, Lips, Lungs, and Hair who had up and died moments before their big gig on the corner of 5th and Wabasha in St. Paul July 9th, 1967. Those passing by took a shining to him and he was offered a traveling gig with a cigarette and whiskey cartel out of Toronto, playing stand-in performances with the likes of near-famous acts such as The Humblebees, The Bean Flingers, and Olivia Newtron Bomb." After the big fire, he found himself once again playing the circus scene, only this time armed with a 5-string banjo. In the off times between cleaning up after the elephants and patching tires on stunt motorbikes, Raymond honed his skills as a true good-timin' musical performer, a fast talker, and one hell of a roustabout. He lit out one day on a borrowed horse carryin his 6 shooter, his 5-stringer, and a case of rusty ol' mouth harps he'd recovered from the lion tamer. Hell, he was a one man band, save the clapping monkey who adorned his shoulder and together they made man and monkey into a modern legend. Unfortunately, the two parted ways over the love of a woman, too much whiskey, and the thought of making it big on their own. Raymond used his smooth-talkin', heart stealin', and hard fightin' ways to land himself a blossoming music career with the band Fen Hollen out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Later, he sold the horse, bought a truck, found a gal, grabbed his dogs and headed west to californ-eye-A. His music career tinkered on this way and that, but it wasn't until the gal up and left with his only pal, took the dogs, took the house, and crashed the truck that Raymond was finally in the right state of mind to get serious about music again. Today he makes his way as an undertaker and country-rock-bluegrass-rockin-punk-folk singer.