Ray Grappone is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn. He holds a B.A. from CUNY in Percussion Performance and an M.A. in Music Education from Lehman College. Along with his solo productions, Mr. Grappone is partners in the productions teams of HipBone, Cookin' With Gas and Children of Planet Earth. As a solo artists he has recorded two LP's for HipBone that best feature his dynamic Percussion and Drumming talents: "Double Drums" and "Skins, Metal and Wood" (HipBone Beats and Grooves series). In addition to his work at HipBone, he is a very accomplished studio and live performer and has toured nationally and internationally to over 15 countries.

Some favorite experiences include recording and playing with Carole King, Bette Midler, Petula Clark, Twiggy, Steven Stills, Levon Helm, Groove Collective, and Open Door. In New York, Ray has drummed for fifteen Broadway Shows and has recorded nine acclaimed Broadway cast albums both on drums and percussion for labels such as Polydor, Columbia, Sony, RCA, Victor, Nonesuch and Varese Sarabande. In the underground arena, Ray has been a featured Percussionist on a variety of labels including Atlantic, Giant Step, Naked Music, Wave, Sole Music and Priority Records. Along with his duties at HipBone, Ray can be currently found in the orchestra pit of the Flower Drum Song opening soon on Broadway.

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