Artist

Ray Obiedo

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Smooth jazz guitarist Ray Obiedo was born and raised in Richmond, California, where as a child he frequently traveled to nearby San Francisco to take in free concerts by the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:776Uo845nYHJpNaStv1Ds4">the Jimi Hendrix Experience</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:74oJ4qxwOZvX6oSsu1DGnw">Cream</a>; still, he did not pick up the guitar until age 17, also drawing considerable influence from acts including <a href="spotify:artist:7GaxyUddsPok8BuhxN6OUW">James Brown</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0kbYTNQb4Pb1rPbbaF0pT4">Miles Davis</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4QQgXkCYTt3BlENzhyNETg">Earth, Wind & Fire</a>. At the outset of his career, Obiedo regularly shifted between jazz and R&B, working with a variety of artists including <a href="spotify:artist:2ZvrvbQNrHKwjT7qfGFFUW">Herbie Hancock</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1xIC7zdokMyFfUiFOnDw4o">Julian Priester</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6OQrOpxSIfPai3cFaN4v4P">Sheila E.</a>; he also led the fusion unit Kick as well as the rock outfit Rhythmus 21. After signing to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Windham+Hill%22">Windham Hill</a>, Obiedo made his solo debut with 1989's Perfect Crime, followed two years later by Iguana; with 1993's Sticks and Stones, he reached the Top Ten on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Billboard%22">Billboard</a>'s Contemporary Jazz charts. After 1995's African-influenced Zulaya, he resurfaced two years later with Sweet Summer Days, and 1999 saw Obiedo move to the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Domo%22">Domo</a> label for the release of Modern World, a hybrid of R&B, pop, and Latin jazz. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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