Ray Deaton
Musician · 1952–2019 · Lawrenceville, Georgia
Best known for
Bass
Ray Deaton was the founding bassist of IIIrd Tyme Out, anchoring the band's seven-time IBMA-Vocal-Group-of-the-Year quartet harmonies through sixteen years and providing the deep bass voice in the band's gospel arrangements.
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- Born William Ray Deaton on October 6, 1952 in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
- Came up through family groups including the Country Ramblers and the Everett Brothers in north Georgia.
- Joined Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver as bassist and bass singer in the mid-1980s, performing on Lawson's late-1980s touring lineup.
- Co-founded IIIrd Tyme Out in May 1991 with Russell Moore (guitar / lead vocals), Mike Hartgrove (fiddle), Terry Baucom (banjo), and Alan Bibey (mandolin) — all Quicksilver alumni.
- Recorded across the band's 1990s peak: the self-titled debut (1991), Puttin' New Roots Down (1992), Grandpa's Mandolin (1993), Letter to Home (1996), and the all-gospel Living on the Other Side (1996).
- Sang the deep bass part in IIIrd Tyme Out's quartet harmonies and could swap to tenor on the next song — a vocal range that made him uncommonly versatile in the band's stage show.
- IIIrd Tyme Out won IBMA Vocal Group of the Year seven consecutive years (1994–2000) during his tenure.
- Left IIIrd Tyme Out in early 2007, replaced by Edgar Loudermilk; played in the Anita Fisher Band and worked as a booking agent and producer afterward.
- Died June 4, 2019 at age 66 at his home in Wilsie, West Virginia, after roughly a decade of cardiomyopathy.
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IIIrd Tyme OutPlayed on recordings with IIIrd Tyme Out
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Doyle Lawson and QuicksilverPlayed on recordings with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
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Rhonda VincentPlayed on recording with Rhonda Vincent
