As per the our shows in 2027 Sonny Ray will join Phil Bee Experience, replacing Niels van der Steenhoven. We are very happy and grateful to Niels for the beautiful years together and equally happy to welcome Sonny in our team
Biography:
Sonny began taking classical guitar lessons around the age of ten. He soon found himself drawn to the rock music he heard on the radio. Picking up an electric guitar, he began learning the playing style of his first musical hero, Eric Clapton, by ear. Over time, he developed a distinctive sound that listeners describe as fiery and expressive.
Fellow guitarist Rob Winter wrote about him: “Some guitarists excel at speed. Others have incredible timing. Then there are those with great taste and a beautiful choice of notes. Every so often, someone comes along who possesses two of these three talents. I’ve been following Sonny Ray for a while now; this young man truly has it all.”
A persistent wrist injury prevented him from attending a conservatory, leading him to pursue a degree in psychology instead. Music, however, remained a major part of his life. In 2017, he performed a Prince tribute with Miss Bunty at Paradiso. A year later, after winning a guitar competition, he joined DeWolff on stage at TivoliVredenburg.
As lead guitarist of blues-rock band Harlem Lake (2017–2025), Sonny gained international recognition. The band’s debut album was presented by Johan Derksen, who described them as “exceptionally good by Dutch standards.” Harlem Lake won the Dutch Blues Challenge in 2019, reached the semi-finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2020, and won the European Blues Challenge in Malmö in 2022. Walter Trout later wrote: “I loved your guitarist, he kept on blazing with only 5 strings!” Trout subsequently invited Harlem Lake to open for him and shared the stage with Sonny.
On stage and in the studio, Sonny has worked as a guitarist, bassist and songwriter with acclaimed Dutch and international pop and hip-hop artists. His most recent work can be heard on “You’re Mine” by Imani Imani, from her debut album Papercut, released through Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free’s pgLang.
Sonny is currently active in the Amsterdam music collective Color In The Yard (C.I.T.Y.), collaborating with vocalists from the Dutch soul and R&B scene, including Samuel Leijten, Nicolas Kanza and Sherefa York. With the collective, he has performed tributes to Amy Winehouse and D’Angelo.
Alongside his musical career, Sonny works as a social worker—his other great passion.