RAY WILLIAM LEDFORD

Ray Ledford, born in Cleveland County NC on November 10, 1928, is a versatile and mostly self-taught musician. A versatile musician, he is best known as a jazz and swing guitarist. His interests also include the classical guitar, and he once studied with Segovia. He also worked with Ziedonis, a classical violinist from Latvia, who was displaced to Cleveland County NC.
Ledford also builds guitars and is a guitar teacher. One of his students, Alicia Bridges, went on to success with her hit single, “I Love the Nightlife.”

He was born into a farming and textile family and has memories of working in both in his early years. He later became a watchmaker, thereby supplementing the income from his musical gigs. Ledford and his bands performed, primarily in the Piedmont and western North Carolina, for more than 50 years. In this transcript he tells stories reflective of his long career and also relates experiences with numerous area musicians.