Running From Another Man's Gun

Last Updated on Thursday, 24 March 2011 09:29 Wednesday, 23 March 2011 11:48

Written by Anton R. Casta

Ray Lyell gained his fame during the late 80's and early 90's. His band, Ray Lyell & the Storm, had hit singles such as "Another Man's Gun", "Gypsy Wind", and "Bitter Creek", among others. However, his fourth and most recent album, "Running on Faith", is an independent piece which Lyell describes as a Christian rock album.

After his first album, there was money, international tours, parties, cars and women, Lyell told the audience. But the high life didn't last forever, and his life has been anything but easy since then.

He says that a voice, God, spoke to him and told him 'I did not give you the talent to be spent this way'. He ignored the voice and continued to party and live the often sought after, life of a rock star.

I met Ray Lyell in Cambridge, Ontario when he was directing a music video for David Wang's Critical Mass band back in 1998. He had become a born-again Christian and had left the pop rock scene. We chatted a bit about video technique and such. He struck me then as a very authentic "people-first' person. What I didn't know was Ray's incredible journey had already begun when Christ had called him through the desert of emolation and suffering to where he is today -- answering the call of that "little voice" that has him composing, voice training and teaching youth about his passion for music from his studio in Hamilton.

Most of us remember Ray as the multi-talented Juno nominated Canadian pop-rock musician from the late 1980's and 1990's. And that he was. His song writing skills were exceptional and laced with an inner moral and story. Both his top hits, Another Man's Gun and Carry Me are fine examples of the man's interior resonant frequency.

Now that I listen again to the lyrics of Another Man's Gun and Carry Me, I am struck not just by the powerful Christian message within the "rock-shell" delivery but how I failed to grasp the full poetic message when I was young and swept away by the rythm of the musical run. There is something about the mode of the media and our relation to it that can fog our total understanding of the bigger picture; something akin to a child being eye-witness to the bloody WWII Battle of Monte Casino and not fully comprehending its scope. He remembers and experiences through his mode of life -- as a child.

Even as adults we tend to be tuned to our immediate experience and needs. We hear selectively. That's certainly a lesson for us media missionaries when considering our target audiences and how the message must in all cases be filtered by the layers which make up a person's character.

The Guelph Tribune gives us an in-depth perspective on Ray Lyell. They write,

ray-lyell

In a random act of kindness, The Gathering Place Caledonia offered the Caledonia and surrounding communities the unique opportunity to celebrate Easter at a special concert performance by local band, The Breaking Wind and Juno Award-nominated, international recording artist, singer and songwriter, Ray Lyell.

The Easter celebration service filled the school gymnasium with a crowd which applauded, listened intently, and jammed to the beats of the bands and the stories being told on the morning of Easter Sunday, March 23, at St. Patrick's Catholic School in Caledonia.

With his guitars stolen, a car accident, and irreversible disagreements with his band manager, "everything started to spiral down," said Lyell.

Low on funds with the pressure to create another album, he dug himself a hole of $60,000 in personal debt to produce his second album. His first marriage ended. His band left him and he was in debt with no direction. He began to hate music so much he says he took the radio out of his car.

But then he was contacted by a group of writers in Nashville who were seeking to work with him on a third album. With what felt like nothing to lose, he went to Nashville and met writers who started their day in prayer. It was a combination of these writers and a spiritual martial arts teacher who encouraged Lyell to examine his faith and path in life.

His third album did not succeed the way he wished, but it did get him out of debt.

He began to listen to the voice inside him and used his skill with music to teach children. He remarried. Together, he and his new wife invested in a music academy for children. When his second wife became ill with cancer, he hired a business manager to run the academy for him so he could care for his wife.

But the business failed, and Lyell was on the verge of bankruptcy.

He listened to the voice a little more openly this time and after his wife beat cancer, he released his fourth album. This one was different from the others. The music has a message. Lyell has devoted his music to his newly found Christian faith. He is hoping that through his new music and his performances, which share his life story with others, that he is doing what he was meant to do with the talent he was given.

Ray Lyell now works at the Dunnville Youth Impact Centre and performs for ministries of all denominations. Lyell is also a vocal coach to two young members of The Gathering Place Caledonia.

"It's important to share with the young kids what the music industry is really like and what it is they're up against because so many of them are looking to get in," says Lyell about his reasons for sharing his story.

Read the full story: Guelph Tribune

Visit Ray Lyell's web site: http://www.raylyell.com/index.htm

Running on Faith at iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/running-on-faith/id393854374