The Tone Zone is a tribute page created for the purpose of chronicling and preserving the history of the Raybeats, an all-instrumental combo that existed from 1979-1984.
If you are reading this now, it may well be because you are already familiar with the Raybeats. If you are not familiar with them as a collective, there’s a very good chance, in one way or another, that you’ve heard the various members of the Raybeats via one or more of their countless undertakings, be it the Contortions, James White and the Blacks, 8-Eyed Spy, the Golden Palominos, Los Straitjackets, the B-52’s, or several other projects.
Five pretty talented guys were official Raybeats: Don Christensen, Jody Harris, Pat Irwin, George Scott and Danny Amis (Scott’s replacement). Don Christensen has done a lot of work with Philip Glass, Jody Harris has worked with some of the best-known and least-known in the music industry, Pat Irwin has invaded countless living rooms with a variety of theme songs and soundtracks in addition to backing the B-52’s from 1989 to 2007, and Danny Amis hit pay dirt with Los Straitjackets. Only George Scott, due to his untimely death, didn’t make as extensive a mark as his fellow band members; even so, in his three years on the music scene (1977-80), he notched up a fairly impressive résumé. And, perhaps more importantly, at least as far as this project goes, if it hadn’t been for George Scott, there wouldn’t be a Raybeats’ tribute page because the Raybeats never would have been.
So, unlock the door and enter this new dimension. You’re about to take a journey into a wondrous land, a land of both music and mayhem, of tragedy and triumph. You’ve just crossed over into . . .
The Tone Zone 