Ray Sawyer

Ray Sawyer (February 1, 1937 – December 31, 2018) was an American percussionist and vocalist with the 1970s rock band Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show.

Though primarily a backing vocalist and occasional percussionist on congas or maracas, he sang lead on their hit song "The Cover of Rolling Stone" and was a recognizable presence in the band owing to the eyepatch and cowboy hat he wore.

Sawyer said the following about his life before the time of his car accident: "I must have played all the clubs from Houston to Charleston, until I decided I was going insane from too much beans and music, and I gave it up.

I saw a John Wayne movie and then proceeded to Portland, Oregon, to be a logger complete with plaid shirt, caulk boots, and pike pole.

"[1] Sawyer was the lead vocalist on the band's breakthrough hit, "The Cover of Rolling Stone," as well as many of the Medicine Show's earlier songs.