Photo by Allison Morgan
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Sugaray Rayford on Friday, August 22, 2025 at 7:30pm. He is a Grammy nominated American Soul Blues singer and songwriter with six albums in his catalog.
Sugaray Rayford is a man with a message, a larger-than-life personality, and a voice to deliver it. Working with producer and songwriter Eric Corne, the soul-blues powerhouse has crafted an incendiary sound and narrative, contributing to an exciting new chapter in American soul music.
It's a sound that combines classic soul melodies and funky R&B grooves with raw blues power. The pair's first collaboration, Somebody Save Me, earned Rayford a 2020 Grammy nomination. Later that year, he won Blues Music Awards for 'Soul Blues Male Artist' and 'B.B. King Entertainer of the Year.' Rayford's follow-up, 2022's In Too Deep, won many awards, including the Blues Music Award for 'Soul Blues Album of the Year'.
Tickets are $45 and available for purchase online. The Lizzie Rose Music Room is located at 217 East Main Street in Tuckerton, New Jersey. Free parking is available.
At his core, Sugaray Rayford is a unifying force. His live shows are a party. Some conversations may be had, and some self-reflection may occur, but at the end of the day, people feel a sense of joy and togetherness; this shines through on the album's closer, the slinky, funky "United We Stand." As the album fades, Rayford takes us home with concert banter and good vibes, a lingering feeling tempting the listener to hit play again.
Born in Tyler, Texas, Sugaray Rayford's early years were full of turmoil. His mother struggled to raise three boys alone while battling cancer. "She suffered, and we suffered,' Rayford says. "Then, we moved in with my grandmother, and our lives improved. We ate every day and went to church daily, which I loved. I was raised on Gospel and soul."
Rayford began his musical career at the tender age of seven, singing and playing drums in church, and his Gospel influences shine through in his music. The soulful rasp and expressive vocal style hint at his first-hand experience with hardship and a childhood marked by poverty and loss. As an African American youth growing up in poverty, Rayford saw the military as a path out, serving ten years in the Marines. Today, he is as comfortable using his voice to deliver songs with a message as he is singing about love. "I believe in social justice and want that to be a focus in the music, but I also like to have a good time. The light and the shade, baby!" says Rayford.
The Lizzie Rose Music Room is a Non-Profit organization in the State Of New Jersey established in 2014 to bring live music to Tuckerton, surrounding Ocean County and beyond. The Lizzie Rose Music Room is a “Listening Room”, not a bar or restaurant. It presents a variety of music featuring Blues, Jazz, Bluegrass, Country, Rock,Soul, Singer/Songwriters and much more.
