Ray's first influence came from his father playing records by Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. along with '50s Rock 'n' Roll around the house when Ray was growing up.  Later, Ray would go to Rock 'n' Roll and R&B clubs as a teenager.  There, he discovered the sounds of Louis Jordan and Louis Prima, among many other legendary entertainers, who would later be huge influences on Ray's music.  In 1979, Ray took up tenor sax.  Studying hard at night school and with private tutors, he developed a life-long love of jazz tenor sax playing.

1982 saw the birth of The Chevalier Brothers with Maurice Chevalier, and remained Ray's band until 1988.  After winning a talent contest at London's Camden Palace (the first time Ray was featured as lead vocalist), the band became the "darlings of the London club scene." 

In 1988, Ray appeared playing and singing in the hit British film, Scandal. That same year, he formed Ray Gelato and the Giants of Jive.  This bigger, seven-piece band was the prototype of the winning formula Ray uses today.  Their extensive list of gigs included shows at Carnegie Hall, the Nice Jazz Festival, the Lugano Jazz Festival and many tours throughout the U.K. and Europe. 

In 1994, Ray found more film work, performing on the soundtrack for the BBC drama, No Bananas.  That same year, he formed The Ray Gelato Giants, with whom he still performs today.  This highly successful combination has played to critical acclaim wherever they have appeared, including the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy (four times), the Montreal Jazz Festival, San Sebastian Jazz Festival (Spain), and concerts in New York City, Philadelphia, Tampa, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.

Ray gained international notoriety in 1998 when he was featured in a commercial for Levis Dockers, distributed worldwide, performing the classic Renato Carosone song, "Tu Vuo' Fa L'Americano," made popular by Louis Prima. 

In 2000, Ray found the time to make another celluloid cameo with his appearance in the Jude Law film, Enigma, playing the sax - naturally!

2001 saw an award-winning feature article on Ray appear in ATOMIC Magazine and later that year The Ray Gelato Giants opened for Robbie Williams "Swing When You're Winning" concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London, before an appearance at Bryan Adams' birthday party - at the singer's personal request. 

In 2002, The Ray Gelato Giants put on a fantastic show to a star-studded audience at Paul McCartney 's wedding, performed for HM the Queen at The Ritz Hotel in London, and also played at the home of music biz boss Richard Branson.

Other national TV appearances included performances on Top of the Pops 2, the Terry & Gaby Show, BBC News and Good Food Live where Ray demonstrated his talents as a chef.

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