Ray Majors obit

Mott the Hoople news: Ray Majors has passed away

 

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Ray Majors has passed away

Guitarist Ray Majors has passed away together with his partner Sandy Dillon. Ray played guitar with Hackensack before playing with MOTT from 1975 to 1976 and British Lions from 1977 to 1978. My thoughts are with Ray's and Sandy's families at this difficult time.

Majors – or Smith, or Major, as Ray used to be known at various times – was respected by multitude of his peers and listeners. First coming to the fore as vocalist and guitarist of the late ’60s psychedelia-pursuers OPAL BUTTERFLY and soon proceeding to HACKENSACK to work alongside Nicky Moore (who also died recently, on August 3rd), his main claim to fame lay with MOTT which, together with Overend Watts, Buffin Griffin and Morgan Fisher, the axman reinvented into BRITISH LIONS. They were a mighty on-stage unit if the concert albums "By Tonight" and "Live At The Old Waldorf" are anything to go by, so when John Fiddler returned to solo action, he had Majors play on his single and on a single credited to MEDICINE HEAD before inviting Ray in the next decade to contribute, as both player and writer, to BOX OF FROGS’ self-titled debut that opened the doors for the six-string master to record later for Jim McCarty‘s projects and pay homage to Sonny Boy Williamson on a Dave Walker-curated tribute CD. There were also guest spots with DOWNLINERS SECT and Art Wood’s QUIET MELON, and two platters released under Ray Majors’ own name, the latest being "The 7% Solution" from 2014. And, of course, there were songs laid down with his wife, Sandy.