Ray McGregor has been playing music since 1979 and joined a band in Saskatoon in 1982.
He's recorded six CDs with his band, two solo CDs, and a couple of music videos. He and his band toured Scotland in 2005 and again in 2008.
Music is his first love. So when he moved to Swan River 16 years ago, he was thrilled to see how strong the local music scene was.
"It's a big part of the culture. You look at the local coffee house, the last one they had here at the Friendship Centre had 79 singers and dancers," McGregor said. "For a three-hour coffee house, that's a lot of people. Music is a big part of the culture around here, which is great."
Three years ago, Ray embarked on a new journey. He opened Rays Strings and Things on 123 5th Avenue North. It's the local instrument store, right where McGregor loves to be.
Recently, Ray and a band member of his were sitting in the store and noticed the bare walls. Many of the stores he has visited have posters of bands on tour and visiting their community.
While Swan River may not be a hotbed for touring bands, it is a hotbed with incredible local musicians.
The Memory Lane was created. It's a wall in the shop that now features nearly two-dozen posters of local musicians. It's starting to fill up quicker than he would have ever imagined.
"I'm actually amazed at the response. I figured I would have to dig a lot harder to find photographs of local musicians," said McGregor. "The family themselves are bringing in the posters, which is humbling."
So if you're in the Swan River area and have a photo of a musician that you want recognized, take it down to Rays Strings and Things.
Even if you only have one copy, Ray will get it copied and framed. From there, it'll be featured on the Memory Lane "Hall of Fame' Wall for everyone to see.
What's the end goal? Ray just wants the wall to fill up with amazing local artists whether they're current or passed on.
"If I can fill it right up, that would be great. It would be awesome to cover the whole wall," ended McGregor. "It's a great way to give recognition and a nod to the local artists current and past."
Leonard Constant donated the Memory Lane sign for the wall and the rest is history.
