Michael Ray Discusses Fourth of July Traditions
"As soon as the police helicopter went past, trying to figure out where that was happening at, once he got out of sight, we'd shoot them off again."
Like most Americans, Michael Ray looks forward to every Fourth of July. The “Get To You” singer recently shared with Sounds Like Nashville and other media his family traditions as well as his plans for Independence Day this year.
Growing up in Florida, Ray laughs as he recalls how his stepmother’s brother would buy illegal fireworks each year for the holiday. “We’d shoot them off and wait until the helicopter came and then we’d hold everything,” he tells Sounds Like Nashville. “As soon as the police helicopter went past, trying to figure out where that was happening at, once he got out of sight, we’d shoot them off again.”
The singer says it was a fun game to play as a child. He and his family are close and spent every holiday together, which makes touring during these special occasions difficult. While Ray says it’s a bummer he doesn’t get home as often, he is able to give back most years on the Fourth with music.
“We get to play some sort of festival that’s giving back to our men and women of our military during that time,” he shares. “That’s the awesome part of what we get to do. We’re playing a show July 4th [and] we’ve been pretty much playing every July 4th for the past four years. With that, we get to throw a party for the men and women of our military and hang out with them.”
This Fourth of July Ray heads to Orange Park, Fla. where he’ll perform as part of WQIK radio station’s American Pride 4th of July celebration with Runaway June. Maybe they’ll even let him shoot off some fireworks.
