Wow! I didn't know Ray Couture was famous. He's just an old guy that I know that sells carports in Belmont, OH. I don't think he's dead, though. I haven't seen him in years.
Ray Couture - 1999
(AKA: “Abner Doolittle”)
Ray was born and raised in Lewiston, Maine. At the age of 15, Ray and his cousins, Champ and Rich Bilodeau, formed a country band called Champ-Rich & Pan. They were one of the first groups to broadcast on WCOU in Lewiston.
In 1938, Ray joined the Lone Pine Mountaineer Show. The group broadcaster nightly shows in the area until moving to Bangor where Lone Pine was well known. They broadcasted daily on WABI and played many concerts in the area. About this time Ray joined Gene Hooper and played for several years in Bangor, Lewiston, Aroostook County and Eastern Canada.
In 1953, Ray went to Wheeling with Lone Pine and Betty Cody. When Lone Pine left the show in Wheeling, Ray stayed on and spent 45 years working on the Wheeling Jamboree, originally as a guitar player and later as Director of the Staff Band.
Ray has recorded with Lone Pine & Betty Cody, Gene Hooper, Big Slim, The Lone Cowboy, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Chet Atkins, Grady martin and played back up for many well known artists.
The late Lenny Breau, one of the greatest guitar players in the world, was taught by Ray Couture when Lenny was a young boy.
Ray is now retired and spends his musical time writing sounds with more than 500 to his credit, including “Good-Bye and So Long To You”, “Prince Edward Island Is Heaven To Me”, and “The Tom-Tom Yodel”. Doc Williams recently recorded 12 of Ray’s original songs.