One Man Dog – A James Taylor Tribute Experience with Ray Adkins and Band

One Man Dog – A James Taylor Tribute Show arrives at Godfrey Daniels on Friday, May 1 at 8PM, led by Philadelphia-area musician Ray Adkins. Known locally as the co-founder of The Manatees, Adkins launched this tribute after audiences repeatedly noticed how closely his voice matches the sound of James Taylor. The show features a mix of well-known favorites like “Fire and Rain,” “Sweet Baby James,” and “Carolina in My Mind,” along with deeper cuts from Taylor’s catalog.

Backed by a seasoned group of musicians with extensive touring, studio, and television experience, One Man Dog recreates the familiar sound of these classic songs with care and precision. In the intimate setting of Godfrey Daniels’ Live Music Listening Room, audiences will experience these timeless tunes up close — your backstage pass to the music that defined a generation.

Ray Adkins
onemandog.net

Ray Adkins is well-known to Philadelphia-area audiences as co-founder of the popular band, The Manatees. More recently, after receiving so many fan comments about how similar his voice is to that of James Taylor, Ray decided to create a high-quality James Taylor tribute show. Either as a solo artist or together with his star-studded band, Ray's James Taylor repertoire includes many beloved hits (such as "Fire and Rain", "Sweet Baby James", "Carolina in My Mind"), plus several of James's deeper cuts. Audiences consistently marvel at how accurately Ray channels the JT sound, both on guitar and voice. 

Ray Adkins currently resides as the musical director at the Greater Philadelphia Center For Spiritual Living in Valley Forge Pa. From 2014 to 2023 Ray was the musical director at New Church Live in Bryn Athyn, PA. He still performs there as a special guest from time to time. Ray came full circle years later and started the group One Man Dog - a James Taylor tribute show in 2019, performing primarily in the Philadelphia area.

Jim Hines, the drummer for OMD spent most of his career in Chicago, where he came up through the club scene, eventually becoming a first call studio musician there. In 1999, he was offered the gig with Brian Wilson. Jim toured and recorded with Brian for 10 years, winning a Grammy Award for the album “Smile”.

Frank Strauss has played, toured, arranged and recorded with a number of artists, most notably  Tom Jones and Melissa Manchester. Frank has also performed with Peabo Bryson, Chaka Khan, Joan Osbourne, and the  Boston Pops, among others. Television appearances include 'The Tonight Show', 'The Jimmy Kimmel Show', Late  Night with Conan O' Brian', 'Ellen', 'Good Morning America', 'Live w/ Regis and Kelly',  and others. Frank also has composed, arranged and recorded music for many children's televison shows on Disney, Netflix, and Apple TV.

Chico Huff has had the pleasure of playing music with James Taylor, Carly Simon, Solas, Cathy Ryan, Karan Casey, Jeff Golub, Richard Elliot, John Swana, Liz Carrol, John Doyle, John Belushi, Charlie Musslewhite, Jef Lee Johnson (check him out, folks), Dave Posmontier, Kit Walker and a long list of other national and international stars. 

Valentina Raffaelli is an Italian-born, multi-talented creative. She moved to Philadelphia to pursue a career in music and is now a performer, music director, voice teacher and singer-songwriter. When she is not performing or arranging backup vocals with One Man Dog, Valentina performs her original music with Valentina Sounds, for which recently won her the award of Best Female Solo Artist. 

Brian K. Herder has been making music since childhood, picking up guitar at age six and teaching himself a range of instruments, including pedal steel, fiddle, mandolin, and dobro. Influenced by George

Harrison, Duane Allman, James Burton, and Cornell Dupree, he later trained with Barry Kornfeld of New York’s Guitar Study Center. Brian has performed in bluegrass and country bands throughout his life and freelances with artists across genres. A founding member of One Man Dog, he’s celebrated for his instinctive playing, quick adaptability, and ability to bring songs to life on any stage.