Ray LaMontagne (born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician known for his husky, emotionally direct voice and a body of work that moves between contemporary folk, blues, soul, rock, and psychedelic pop. Although his music is often associated with the introspective singer-songwriter tradition, LaMontagne has consistently resisted staying within one stylistic lane, reshaping his sound from album to album.
Born in Nashua, New Hampshire, LaMontagne spent much of his youth moving around New England. Before pursuing music, he worked in a shoe factory in Lewiston, Maine. He has identified Stephen Stills' song "Treetop Flyer" as a decisive influence, an encounter that encouraged him to leave factory work and begin writing and performing. LaMontagne started playing live in 1999 and gradually built a following through performances and a circulating ten-song demo.
His debut album, Trouble, was released in 2004. Produced by Ethan Johns, the record introduced LaMontagne's weathered vocal style and a set of songs marked by vulnerability, restraint, and roots-oriented instrumentation. The title track and "Burn" became defining recordings, while the album's success established him as a major new voice in American folk-rock. Trouble also earned him several early honors, including Boston Music Awards.
LaMontagne expanded his palette on Till the Sun Turns Black (2006), adding horns, strings, and more elaborate arrangements to his acoustic foundation. The album retained the intimacy of his debut but showed a growing interest in orchestration and atmosphere. Gossip in the Grain (2008) continued that development, blending folk, soul, and roots rock. It became his first album to reach the top three of the Billboard 200 and included "You Are the Best Thing," one of his most widely recognized songs.
For God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (2010), LaMontagne was credited with the Pariah Dogs, a backing group featuring musicians including Jennifer Condos, Eric Heywood, and Jay Bellerose. Recorded in a more collaborative band setting, the album emphasized warm, organic performances and classic American songcraft. It became one of his most successful releases and won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. The song "Beg Steal or Borrow" also received a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.
LaMontagne's later albums demonstrated an increasingly independent approach. Supernova (2014), produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, brought psychedelic color and late-1960s pop-rock influences into his sound. Ouroboros (2016) pursued a more continuous, expansive album form, while Part of the Light (2018) was produced by LaMontagne himself. On Monovision (2020), he recorded the instruments himself, creating a notably personal and self-contained production.
His ninth studio album, Long Way Home, was released on August 16, 2024. Issued through his own Liula Records with distribution by Thirty Tigers, it was co-produced by LaMontagne and Seth Kauffman. Across his career, LaMontagne has remained a comparatively private performer whose music, rather than celebrity, carries the central story: a distinctive voice, carefully shaped arrangements, and an ongoing search for new forms of the American roots song.