Ray Boltz Biography

Raymond Howard "Ray" Boltz (born June 14, 1953) is a singer and songwriter who first came to wide notice in contemporary Christian music. Many of his songs tell stories of faith and inspirational Raised by his parents William and Ruth Boltz, Ray Boltz is the middle child of his parents' three children. A fourth child died shortly after birth. Ray was married to Carol Boltz for 33 years (1975-2008), and they have four children. Boltz was virtually unknown when he wrote "Thank You", which won the Song of the Year prize at the 1990 GMA Dove Awards. His song "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb" also won a Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year at the 25th GMA Dove Awards in 1994. After the release of Songs from the Potter's Field in 2002, and his last tour in 2004, Boltz retired from the music industry. He separated from his wife in 2005 before moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with their divorce being finalized in early 2008. On Friday, September 12, 2008, during an interview with the Washington Blade, Boltz disclosed that he was gay. Since then, Boltz has performed at several churches of the Metropolitan Community Church, a gay-affirming Christian denomination. In 2010, he released the album True, which won Album of the Year at the OUTMusic Awards. Boltz currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his partner, who is also his talent agent. Boltz has been the recipient of two song awards from the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards. "Thank You" received the 1990 Song of the Year award, and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb" received the 1994 award for Inspirational Song. He also was one of various artists contributing to God with Us: A Celebration of Christmas Carols & Classics, which won the 1997 award for Special Event Album.