When Country musician Frank Ray took the stage at Red Rocks Saturday afternoon, it came after a day of speaking to Denver police and other first responders about mental health.
Ray is a former police officer and bilingual recording artist “opening doors for a modern Latino County movement,” according to his website.
Ray grew up surrounded by both his own Mexican culture, living near the border in New Mexico, and by country music in Texas and his music harmonizes the two, according to his Spotify profile.
Frank Ray with Denver Fire Captain JD Chism by Riley Mau
Ray has been touring with country band Old Dominion since January, playing stages in cities where he also promotes his campaign, First Responders Mental Clarity (FRAY).
Before Ray picked up his guitar and took on the music industry, he spent 10 years as a police officer with the Las Cruces Police Department in New Mexico, he said.
Now that he’s gained some notice on the country music scene, Ray wants to use his voice to raise awareness of mental health challenges for first responders and give them resources to deal with the trauma they often face on duty, he said.
“First responders are notorious for compartmentalizing (trauma) because we’re trained to kind of suck it up and deal with it,” Ray said. “When you serve the community first, you often put yourself last.”
Ray hopes FRAY removes the negative stigma often associated with mental health for first responders and break down barriers for accessing help, he said.
“FRAY focuses its efforts on not only raising awareness, but also directing first responders to organizations that can help,” Ray said. “I’ll use my platform to garner some national attention but also make these visits because I think (first responders) are more receptive to someone who’s walked a mile in their shoes.”
Since the beginning of the tour, Ray has visited an estimated 40 police stations and other first responder bases, he said.
Ray’s music is a healthy outlet of expression for him, he said.
“Dealing with law enforcement and trauma, I know the things that keep me up at night and I often find myself turning to writing a song,” Ray said.
Songwriting is Ray’s “light at the end of the tunnel,” something he hopes everyone dealing with mental health struggles and trauma can find for themselves, he said.
“I haven’t necessarily written a song specific to trauma, but I find that (songwriting) has healing properties,” Ray said. “And if I can help someone else kind of escape the dark side of the world for a little bit and enjoy a song or enjoy a county music concert, if I can spread joy, I’m effecting some sort of change.”
Ray’s songwriting process varies, sometimes beginning as a melody and other times beginning with a title idea, he said.
He has a list in his phone of titles he’s come up with through conversations with people and thoughts that pop into his head.
“Sometimes it starts with a groove or melody and then I try to find a title that fits that music, so if it sounds happy, I’m more likely to write a happy title,” Ray said. “Of course, if it sounds sad, I’m probably going to write a whiskey drinking song.”
Ray has been interested in music since he was a kid and decided to take the leap and pursue music full-time in 2017. He found a manager, moved to Nashville and formed a self-titled band, he said.
“We kind of just hit the ground running,” Ray said. “I decided to take a leap of faith and I put down the badge and picked up the guitar.”
His transition into the music industry was scary, Ray said, but he was fortunate to have a community of people who offered him support.
“I understood that once I left and jumped into this really competitive market, I had no other option than to work really, really hard and that’s exactly what I did,” Ray said. “I’m glad I did it at the time that I did.”
Touring while promoting FRAY not only helps Ray spread awareness for mental health, but also helps him maintain a bond with the first responder community.
“Even though I left law enforcement, I still try to remain really close to that family,” Ray said. “It was more than just a job for me, it was a family that I became a part of.”
First responders interested in learning more about FRAY can visit the campaign’s website at www.frayoc.org.
Your morning rundown of the latest news from overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day.
Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
