1892-1971 US
Spoken Word and Pop
A.k.a. Ray Bourbon
Ray (or Rae) Bourbon (c.1892 – July 19, 1971) was the stage name of an American female impersonator and comic entertainer noted for his "outrageous" risqué monologues. He (she) mainly performed in Midwestern nightclubs, gaining a following in the 1930s and 1940s, and issued up to a dozen privately pressed LP's of his own material during the mid-1950's and well into the 1960's. It would appear that Ms. Bourbon profited by using the comical nature and vocal entertaining style of Reta Ray. Both performers sound similar in nature. In 1932, under the name Richard F. Mann (a pen name for Ray Bourbon), he wrote and published a novel called "Hookers." He died while serving lengthy time in prison, after being convicted of being an accomplice to murder in 1968.