Ra McGuire

Ramon Wayne "Ra" McGuire (born June 13, 1950) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and founding and longtime member of the rock band Trooper. Ra (pronounced "Ray") performed with Trooper and Brian Smith from 1975, when their first album was released, until his retirement November 2021.[1]

Ra McGuire
Background information
Birth nameRamon Wayne McGuire
Born (1950-06-13) June 13, 1950
Vancouver, Canada
GenresRock, pop
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, acoustic guitar
Years active1967–present
Websiteramcguire.com

McGuire is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame for his work with the band Trooper.[2]

As a songwriter, McGuire has been nominated four times for the 'Composer of the Year' Juno Award.[3][4] 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.[5] In 1980 McGuire received a BC CARAS (JUNO) Award for Best Male Vocalist.[6]

Biography
Image of Ra McGuire songwriting during 1975 US tour.
Songwriting during 1975 US tour

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."[7]

In 2006, McGuire published an account of life on the road with Trooper, Here for a Good Time, with Insomniac Press.[8]

McGuire in Toronto Ontario at 2006 book launch.
Toronto, 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 on February 21, 2010. Coverage of the event was broadcast in Canada and around the world on networks such as CTV and Much Music.[9]

On April 25, 2012, Ra and Debbie McGuire were awarded the World Harmony Run's Torchbearer Award [10][11] 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.[12][13]

On May 18, 2023, Trooper was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and McGuire received the Juno statuette as one of the inducted members.[14]

Retirement

Quoted from their official Facebook group, as of November 8, 2021, the final two founding members are retiring:

"We have some news. Ra and Smitty are officially retiring. They've already been *unofficially* retired for a year and a half, so they've just decided to continue not working, since they've realized that they're getting pretty good at it. They are both healthy and happy, they've just decided that this is the best time to step back from the road and enjoy the life that this unplanned time-off has dropped them into. It's been a difficult decision and today marks a bittersweet and emotional turning point in their lives. They send their love to all their fans, friends, and everyone with whom they've shared the joyous, rockin', love-filled cross-Canada party that is Trooper. They will sorely miss you all.

BUT HOLD ON ... If you've been looking forward to the next Trooper show, don't despair. Ra and Smitty have given their blessing to the rest of the band and crew to carry on as Trooper without them! More on this soon."

References
  1. "Trooper Official Site". Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  2. Volmers, Eric (May 19, 2023). "50-odd years of stories: Canadian Music Hall of Fame's newest inductees tell tales of longevity and resilience". Calgary Herald. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  3. "Search Awards: Smith and McGuire". JunoAwards.ca. Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  4. "Search Awards: Ra McGuire". JunoAwards.ca. Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  5. "Search Awards: Trooper". JunoAwards.ca. Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  6. "Ra McGuire". trooper.com. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  7. "SOCAN Honours Top Canadian Songs". Chartattack.com. Channel Zero Inc. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014.
  8. "My Book". Ra McGuire. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010.
  9. "Big Canadian Music Stars Headline the Vancouver Victory Ceremonies". February 2, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  10. ""Inspire a Little Peace" – Ra and Debbie McGuire Receive Peace Award". World Harmony Run International. April 25, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  11. "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.
  12. Bliss, Karen (November 20, 2012). "Bruce Cockburn, Trooper, Deadmau5 Honored at 2012 SOCAN Awards Gala". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012.
  13. "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.
  14. Benchetrit, Jenna. "These are the inductees of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame". CBC. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
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