meet tray dahl
Tray Dahl is a band leader and entertainer. She’s a composer, singer, tenor banjo player, lecturer and story teller. Tray has written many songs for her Jugtime project. She sold three original tunes and two arrangements to Universal Music Group (UMG), all of which are being used in television, movies, and radio all over the globe. Her songs are stories set anywhere from the 1870’s to the 1930’s. Tray is a comical character whose infectious good mood and witty banter between songs has entertained audiences all across the United States. Each Jugtime Ragband show features Tray Dahl with as many accompanying musicians as each individual venue feels is the best fit for their particular space. Tray Dahl & The Jugtime Ragband shows can be anywhere from a trio to a six piece or beyond. Tray has a little black book full of all the best accompaniment players around! She also performs solo gigs at senior homes, educational music shows at schools (and senior homes) and is a featured guest singer for other bands at times. Wherever you can catch one, any Tray Dahl show is much more than a musical concert, it is a true experience of early 20th century classic entertainment.
Tray Dahl & Jugtime Bio
Lead Vocal & Tenor Banjo
Tray has a long relationship with dixieland, swing, and big band music through the influence of her grandfather John Joseph Durante (Pop). In fall of 2011 she began seeking out a tenor banjo to start learning some of the old tunes after her latest months long bout of listening to the dixieland cassettes made for her by Pop in the 1990's. Around February of 2012, when a guy who desperately wanted a 5-string banjo was gifted a tenor banjo & gave it to Tray, she never looked back. She started learning her favorite songs while trying to find guys to play them with her. Many open mics later, The Jugtime Ragband finally came together in Atlanta in December 2013. For the first several years TJ Shirley (Trumpet), Patrick Stacey (Drums) & Scott McIntyre (Upright bass) had worked tireless with Tray to help her get the band off the ground. She is forever grateful to them, but as life changes take folks in different directions (only one of the gang still lives in Atlanta and it ain’t Tray!), Tray now plays shows around the U.S. with a host of different people. Stephanie Hooks (Harmony vocals) and Steve Saunders (Drums) are very frequently with her in 5 piece configuration shows.