James gray blue rodeo biography of barack

The Toronto music scene has lost one of its most talented and prolific figures, as James Gray has died of a heart attack at age 52.

His family has confirmed with Exclaim! that he passed away as a result of the incident, which occurred when walking home Monday (August 5) night after playing a show in Toronto

Born December 8, 1960, Gray is best known as Blue Rodeo's keyboardist from 1993 to 2006, contributing to six of the band's studio albums beginning with the landmark Five Days in July.

However, Gray — the son of Jerry Gray, the leader of '50s/'60s folk group the Travellers — had a wide-ranging career both before and after Blue Rodeo. While studying classical music composition at the University of Toronto in the early 1980s, he played with several fledgling outfits within the eclectic Queen Street scene, including the punk band Vital Sines, the ska band Hopping Penguins, and an