don't call me madam

the life and work of ray bourbon

Discovering Ray Bourbon

My interest in the work and life of Ray Bourbon began around 1995 when I ran into one of his recordings and found a brief reference to his eventful life in the book Gay New York. Originally, I thought Ray would be an ideal subject for a documentary, but soon discovered that there were few people left who knew him and little surviving visual material recording his life and performances. So, I decided to create a web resource about Ray and network with others who appreciated his unique contribution to Gay history and the theater.

I've been fortunate enough to have been contacted by a number of individuals over the past few years who contributed recordings, articles, and other material to his project. Recently, as I have finished restoration of practically all of Ray's known recordings and had the opportunity to edit Ray's autobiography, the research project has taken a very different turn.

I hope to soon go back to filmmaking, but I'm sure that there will always be more information and leads about Ray's fascinating life and that this web site will be an ongoing project for years to come.

Thanks for stopping by.

Randy A. Riddle
11.21.01/rand@coolcatdaddy.com