Dropping a needle on Kayla Ray’s music can feel a bit like driving down a sun-baked Texas highway. You roll the windows down, feel a sticky-warm breeze circling your hair and you let the soundtrack of real-life stories fuel every mile of the drive. A native of Waco, Texas, Ray was baptized to the tune of Bob Wills and Tanya Tucker. She can recite Merle Haggard deep cuts without missing a beat and as a kid, Ray often tuned into the Grand Ole Opry with her grandfather, who built a makeshift antenna to ensure the family picked up a long-distance AM signal from faraway Nashville, Tennessee.

Jump over to the Listening Room tab to hear a song.