Ray Lamontagne Tickets : Lamontagne Is Particularly Known For His Raspy Voice

Raymond Charles "Ray" LaMontagne is an American singer-songwriter. Reportedly, after hearing a Stephen Stills song, LaMontagne decided to quit his job and pursue a career in music. He has since released four studio albums, Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain and God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise.

In the UK, Trouble was a top 5 hit, and the title track of the album was a top 25 hit. Till the Sun Turns Black was a top 40 hit in the U.S. A soft-spoken person who is known for his raspy voice, LaMontagne has won a number of awards for his music and has performed at several charity events.

In a period of two weeks, LaMontagne re-recorded Trouble at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California with producer Ethan Johns. RCA Records released the album on September 14, 2004. The album featured performances by Nickel Creek violinist Sara Watkins on two tracks, along with Alex Davids and Stephen Stills's daughter, Jennifer Stills, on another.

In the US, the album reached a low peak of #189 on the Billboard 200, but sold over 250,000 copies. Trouble has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide.During a tour to promote the album, LaMontagne played six songs for an episode of Austin City Limits, in Season 31, 2005-2006.

On the third week of finals in the fifth season of American Idol, eventual winner Taylor Hicks performed "Trouble". Chris Sligh, an American Idol Season 6 Top-12 finalist, also performed the tune to rave reviews from the judges. During the ninth season of the show, contestant Alex Lambert also performed LaMontagne's "Trouble". An EP of LaMontagne's performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was released on December 6, 2005.

"Trouble" and "Burn" have been used as background music for the TV. "All the Wild Horses" was used in the TV series Rescue Me and the 2009 film The Boys Are Back."Trouble" was used in the TV series Alias, in season 4, 14 episode called 'Nightingale'. The song "Jolene" was used in the 2010 film "The Town."

LaMontagne is particularly known for his raspy voice, which he says he learned by singing through his gut and not his nose.LaMontagne stated that he is highly influenced by Stephen Stills, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko. Critics have compared LaMontagne's music to that of The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley.

LaMontagne refers to himself as a "very private person", and rarely gives interviews. He also usually does not interact much with the audience between songs during his live shows and has been known to perform in the dark to avoid distracting bright lights and to separate himself from the audience because of his shy nature.

Much of this has changed as his music career has progressed and he has become more accustomed to doing interviews.[citation needed]In 2005, he performed at "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy", a fundraiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The concert was held at the Radio City Music Hall on September 20, 2005, and also featured Dave Matthews, John Mayer, and Simon & Garfunkel among others.

LaMontagne also played at the "Warren Haynes Christmas Jam" that year on December 17, 2005. The concert raised funds for Habitat for Humanity in Asheville, North Carolina.LaMontagne performed at KYSR's Lounge for Life charity concert on October 5, 2006 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. He also auctioned off one of his guitars on eBay for its charity auction.

Funds raised from the concert and auction went to breast cancer research.Recently in August 2010, he performed with David Gray and Samuel Ofosu in Nashville, TN, and giving a portion of the proceeds to the victims affected by the devastating flood that hit Nashville, TN in May. The money went to Habitat for Humanity in the aid of rebuilding homes destroyed by the flood.