Ray’s Childhood, Part 2: The Real Story

This is the second in a series of three blog posts. You can go back to part one or skip to part three. In our previous post in this series, we looked at new research by Charles C. Cage revealing Ray Bourbon’s real name and some basic facts about his family and where he grew … Continue reading Ray’s Childhood, Part 2: The Real Story →

Ray’s Childhood, Part 1: New Revelations

This is the first in a series of three blog posts. You can skip directly to part two or part three. Over the past few years, I’ve been examining Ray’s unfinished autobiography and stories he told close friends and digging through magazine and newspaper articles and other documents to verify - or dispute - Ray’s … Continue reading Ray’s Childhood, Part 1: New Revelations →

Did Ray Perform a Fire Dance at the Opening of the Los Angeles Coliseum?

One of the more unusual credits hawked by Ray that always seemed odd - and implausible - to me was included in photographer and filmmaker Avery Willard’s 1971 book, Female Impersonation. According to Willard, Ray, billed as “Ramon Icarez”, performed a fire dance at the opening of the Los Angeles Coliseum. The four-age bio in … Continue reading Did Ray Perform a Fire Dance at the Opening of the Los Angeles Coliseum? →