Ra McGuire

Ramon Wayne "Ra" McGuire (born June 13, 1950) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, author, and founding and longtime member of the rock band Trooper. Ra (pronounced "Ray") has performed with Trooper and Brian Smith from 1975, when their first album was released, to the present day.[1]

Songwriting during 1975 US tour

Ra McGuire
Background information
Birth nameRamon Wayne McGuire
Born (1950-06-13) June 13, 1950
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresRock Music, Pop
Occupation(s)musician, author
Instrumentsvocals, guitar
Years active1967–present
Associated actsTrooper
Websitehttp://www.ramcguire.com

As a songwriter, McGuire has been nominated four times for the 'Composer of the Year' Juno Award.[2] As the singer for Trooper, his recordings have been nominated twice for 'Album of the Year', once for 'Best Selling Album of the Year', and Trooper won the Juno Award for 'Group of the Year' in 1980 after two previous nominations for that award in 1978 and 1979.[3] In 1980 McGuire received a BC CARAS (JUNO) Award for Best Male Vocalist.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, McGuire and his wife, Debbie, spearheaded the formation of a Fine Arts based school in the Surrey, British Columbia school district from 1996 to 1998. The school is now housed at White Rock Elementary with another proposed for the northern end of the city. In 2005 the couple (unsuccessfully) fought high rise development in their hometown of White Rock, British Columbia.

At the 1999 SOCAN Awards, McGuire received a SOCAN Classic Award for the Trooper hit "Two for the Show", presented for songs that have received over 100,000 documented radio plays. He received two additional Classic Awards with songwriting partner Brian Smith for "We're Here for a Good Time" and "Santa Maria".

McGuire received a fourth SOCAN Classic Award in 2005, for "Oh, Pretty Lady."[4]

In 2006, McGuire published an account of life on the road with Trooper, Here for a Good Time, with Insomniac Press.[5]

Toronto ON, 2006 book launch

In 2007, he served as one of three judges for the CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada competition and co-produced his son, Connor McGuire's first solo album, Different After Dawn.

McGuire was featured when Trooper performed in the 2010 Olympics Victory Ceremonies in Vancouver, BC on February 21, 2010. Coverage of the event was broadcast in Canada and around the world on networks such as CTV and Much Music.[6]

On April 25, 2012, Ra and Debbie McGuire were awarded the World Harmony Run's Torchbearer Award [7][8] for their collaborative commitment to inspire cultural harmony and community spirit through music, and champion the importance of fine arts in education.

On November 19, 2012, McGuire was presented with a SOCAN National Achievement Award, which is presented to artists who have had outstanding success, predominantly in the Canadian music industry, over the span of their career. He also received three more SOCAN Classic Awards for "Raise A Little Hell", "General Hand Grenade", and "Janine", co-written with songwriting partner Brian Smith.[9][10]

McGuire and Trooper continue to tour and perform across Canada.

References
  1. "Trooper Official Site". Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  2. "Search Awards: Ra McGuire". JunoAwards.ca. Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  3. "Search Awards: Trooper". JunoAwards.ca. Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  4. "SOCAN Honours Top Canadian Songs". Chartattack.com. Channel Zero Inc. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014.
  5. "My Book". Ra McGuire. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010.
  6. "The Official Trooper site". November 7, 2007. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007.
  7. ""Inspire a Little Peace" - Ra and Debbie McGuire Receive Peace Award". World Harmony Run International. April 25, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  8. "White Rock hell-raiser inspires 'a little bit of peace'". BCLocalNews.com. Black Press, Inc. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  9. Bliss, Karen (November 20, 2012). "Bruce Cockburn, Trooper, Deadmau5 Honored at 2012 SOCAN Awards Gala". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012.
  10. "Bruce Cockburn, Trooper, deadmau5 to be Honoured at 23rd Annual SOCAN Awards Gala". Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012.
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