Ray Reach obit

Well-known Alabama jazz musician convicted in child porn case dies in state custody

 

He was not on the list.

A well-known Birmingham jazz musician and teacher died while in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections following his conviction on child pornography.

Ray Reach, 77, died Tuesday at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery, ADOC officials confirmed Friday.

Reach had been transferred from Kilby Correctional Facility to the hospital on Feb. 15 because of medical complications from an ongoing condition.

Reach has performed and recorded in various genres, including pop, R&B, Motown/soul, gospel, rock, classic rock, country (contemporary and traditional), contemporary Christian, classical, and jazz music, but is perhaps best known for his work in jazz, combining jazz piano stylings with Sinatra-style vocals. He resided in Birmingham, Alabama.

Reach was a member of several active performing and recording groups, including the Magic City Jazz Orchestra (of which he was the founding director), the Ray Reach Orchestra, and the Night Flight Big Band.

As a composer, he wrote and arranged five Broadway-style musicals for Birmingham Children's Theatre: Rumplestiltskin, The Perfect Prince, The Bravo Bus, Backstage Baby, and Tuxedo Junction.

On April 23, 2018, Reach was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Alabama for the possession of child pornography. The connection between those charges and his Jazz Classes for Children for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is still under investigation. Ray was convicted May 15, 2025. Ray was sentenced on July 9, 2025 to 10 years split with two years to serve in prison followed by three years of unsupervised probation. He was also required to register as a sex offender