Ray Ruff was a significant contributor to the North Texas music scene, taking on a variety of roles throughout his career in the music industry. Born on March 24, 1938, in Amarillo, Texas, Ray's journey into music began in 1956 when he was playing semi-professional baseball for Amarillo. During a game against a team from Lubbock, he met Buddy Holly, a 20-year-old member of the opposing team. The two quickly became friends, and Buddy invited Ray to see Elvis Presley perform in Lubbock. When Buddy decided to pursue a professional career with his rock band, The Crickets, Ray joined him for fun, visiting radio disc jockey Bob Montgomery’s studio at KDAV. In 1957, Buddy introduced Ray to producer Norman Petty, which led Ray to accompany The Crickets to recording sessions in Clovis, New Mexico. Inspired by this experience, Ray decided to tour with Buddy and The Crickets as a roadie and musical assistant, collaborating with Waylon Jennings.

Following Buddy Holly's tragic death, Ray formed his own rock band, The Checkmates, and began recording tribute songs in Buddy's style. He performed these songs while wearing a pair of “Wonder glasses” that Buddy had given him. Between 1959 and 1964, Ray recorded approximately a dozen songs across various locations and labels in Texas before shifting his focus to becoming a record producer, following the example set by Norman Petty.

Ray moved to Hollywood, where he secured a meeting with renowned producer Dick Pierce at RCA Victor, gaining valuable insights into studio recording and artist collaboration. His first production credit came in late 1962 when he worked with pop singer Brian Hyland on the song “Ginny Come Lately.” In 1967, Ray relocated from Amarillo to Hollywood and began working as an A&R man for Dot Records following its acquisition by Paramount Pictures. He brought Brian Hyland to Dot and produced the song “Tragedy” in 1969. Throughout the late 1960s, Ray collaborated with various record labels and notable artists, including producing Van Morrison’s first major solo hit, “Brown-Eyed Girl,” at Bang Records in 1967. He later recorded a version of the song in 2003 for country-western artist Tony Brantley.

In the late 1960s, Ray also worked with Anita Kerr at labels such as Era and Happy Tiger, where they contributed to the successful orchestral projects with poet Rod McKuen. Despite experiencing financial success, Ray sought greater control over his musical projects and established his own record label, Ruff Records, in the early 1960s. This label became known for recording garage rock bands, including the Kansas group The Blue Things. He also took over Sully Records from Gene Sullivan in the mid-1960s, relocating its headquarters from Oklahoma City to Amarillo. Wanting a more polished operation, Ray founded Oak Records in 1970, marking a new chapter in his career.

One of his early projects with Oak was a Rock Opera titled TRUTH OF TRUTHS, which featured a large cast and became a musical stage roadshow. The show and its soundtrack album were released on Easter Sunday in April 1971, achieving considerable success with the album selling half a million copies throughout the 1970s and the show touring six major U.S. cities within a year. Ray continued to explore various projects, including producing two albums for Hank Williams Jr. and a bicentennial album titled “Happy Birthday USA!” in 1976.

Throughout the following two decades, Ray was in high demand, co-founding two additional record companies: Cougar Records in 1994, where he produced Nancy Sinatra’s 1995 album “One More Time,” and Outwest Entertainment Inc. in 1998. Entering the 21st century, Ray resumed work on his Oak Records label, auditioning new Country-Western artists and producing a new Country-Western Rock Opera in 2001 titled “Billy the Kid.” He frequently collaborated with singer Pat Boone, producing Boone's last two albums, “Ready To Rock” in 2004 and “Gospel Train” in 2005.

Ray Ruff passed away on September 15, 2005.