BRINGING THE BEST BLUES TO YOU FOR 40 YEARS

Singer, harpman and three time Grammy Nominee Sugar Ray Norcia’s career kicked into high gear in 1979 when he formed the original Sugar Ray and the Bluetones with guitar giant Ronnie Earl and it has stayed there ever since. Norcia has received over two dozen Blues Music Award Nominations including winning two Blues Music Awards in 2014 and has appeared as a special guest on countless albums. In 2012 Ray was inducted into Rhode Island’s Music Hall Of Fame. In 2016 Sugar Ray and his band The Bluetones released a CD called “Seeing Is Believing and Sugar Ray was nominated for an unprecedented seven 2017 Blues Music Awards including Traditional Blues Male Artist and BB King Entertainer of the Year! Sugar Ray’s 2020 release titled “Too Far From the Bar” features the late great Little Charlie Baty and was nominated for five Blues Music Awards as well. In 2022 Ray was nominated for Traditional Blues Male Artist by the Blues Music Awards Foundation.

Sugar Ray Norcia- Vocals, Harmonica 

Troy Gonyea -Guitar, Vocals 

 Michael 'Mudcat' Ward - Bass

Neil Gouvin - Drums 

Photo Credits @ Carol Gallagher- Tampa Bay Blues Festival 2022

Sugar Ray and the Bluetones

SUGAR RAY HAS BEEN ON OVER FIFTY RECORDINGS WITH THE LIKES OF J. GEILS, MICHELLE WILLSON, OTIS GRAND, PINETOP PERKINS, AND IS A FEATURED VOCALIST ON BOTH KNICKERBOCKER ALL-STARS RECORDINGS.

The original line-up of Sugar Ray Norcia, Anthony Geraci, Michael "Mudcat" Ward, Neil Gouvin and then guitarist Ronnie Horvath (who subsequently changed his name to Ronnie Earl) was dominant in the late 1970's/early 1980's in the New England area, (where they were the House Band at the legendary Speakeasy Café in Cambridge, MA) New York City, Washington, D.C., throughout Virginia and a long road trip to Chicago where they played at Theresa’s Lounge on the South Side with Junior Wells. The band recorded two records with Chicago harmonica giant Big Walter Horton and toured as the backing band for blues legends Otis Rush, Big Joe Turner, J.B. Hutto, Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Roosevelt Sykes and many more. After Mr. Earl left to join Roomful of Blues, a relatively unknown guitarist joined the Bluetones--Doug "Kid" Bangham~"Kid" coming from the band members as they didn't even know his name at the time! The Bluetones traveled to California and back, and were one of this generation’s first blues bands to tour Europe, as early as 1980. Bangham left to take the place of Jimmy Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Sugar Ray also joined Roomful of Blues in the 1990's for seven strong years of touring and recording. 

Nowadays Sugar Ray Norcia is backed by these fine New England musicians:

A former member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Booker T. Jones's band (where he was part of a guitar-duo with Marc Ford), Troy Gonyea is a distinguished and respected Blues guitarist and general maniac. Troy has also performed with Chuck Leavell, Mavis Staples,  David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos) .

2X BMA Winner, Bassist Michael "Mudcat" Ward has toured and recorded with J. Geils, Jimmy Rogers, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, and Rockabilly Legend Sleepy LaBeef. His recording with Hubert Sumlin also included Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Levon Helm, part of Ward’s over sixty recordings.  

Drummer Neil Gouvin has been with Sugar Ray since they were in Jr. High School together, and graces the drum kit on every Bluetones recording. He has also been featured on a cd with John Hammond, Jr. Found True Love (Virgin) that was nominated for a Grammy, and has made multiple recordings with Otis Grand, Joe Houston, and others.

Awards & Nominations

2017

Nominated for Seven Blues Music Awards…

“Album” (Seeing Is Believing)

“Band” (Sugar Ray and The Bluetones)

“Traditional Album” (Seeing Is Believing)

“BB King Entertainer”

“Song” (Seeing Is Believing”)

“Traditional Blues Artist Male”

“Instrumentalist” (Harmonica)

2020

Nominated for Five Blues Music Awards…

“Album”  (Too Far From The Bar)

“Band”  (Sugar Ray and the Bluetones)

“Traditional Album”  (Too Far From The Bar)

“Vocalist”  (Sugar Ray Norcia)

“Traditional Blues Artist Male”  (Sugar Ray Norcia)

2021

Sugar Ray and the Bluetones won The Blues Blast Award for “Band of the Year”