Raymond Toro Ortiz was born July 15, 1977 in Newark, New Jersey. He was born with brown eyes, and grew up to be 6'1''. Growing up, his mother was always very protective, and in junior high to impress a girl he stuck a piece of Runts candy in his nose (like a booger), but it ended up getting stuck in his nose and he had to go to the nurse to get it taken out. He went to the same high school as Gerard & Mikey, and they were 'loose friends'. He also used to have a pet dog called Boy, growing up in a Puerto Rican and Portuguese household. His childhood neighborhood was a strange one, and Ray has said that there were drug addicts overdosing outside his house. As a child, he was not allowed to go outside much because there were bodies always being found in the park and lake near his home.
My Chemical Romance
Ray and Gerard reconnected with each other at an Iron Maiden concert, and the two, along with Matt Pelissier, formed My Chemical Romance. He is the lead guitarist for My Chemical Romance. Toro is in large part responsible for all the My Chemical Romance instrumentals, as well as writing the majority of My Chemical Romance's music, and often helps Frank write his guitar music. He plays a SG Gibson Guitar: SG Series, which has a mahogany body with a rosewood fingerboard. Ray has been credited as a "metalhead" by My Chemical Romance bassist, Mikey Way, for his love of bands such as Mudvayne. He plays an Epiphone Elitist Les Paul guitar which has a mahogany body with maple cap and rosewood fingerboard.
Influences
Toro has many influences on his guitar playing. Some of these would be Stevie Ray Vaugh, Jimmi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi, and Jimmy Page. Ray grew up listening to his brother’s classic rock albums, and always loved great guitar rifts. He has said that all of his guitar playing was mirrored after these rock legends.
Favorite bands, injuries, and girlfriend
His favorite band is Iron Maiden, but still makes time for classic music every now and then. A few injuries he's gotten over the years include "Guitar Burn". It's similar to rug burn, and generally affects the forearm area; some specialists attribute it to sweat, friction, and intense rocking. A large gash in the head, caused by getting cracked in the head with Frank's guitar. Oh, and one brutally nasty hangnail. Toro wears contacts and has a girlfriend named Christa.
Trivia
Ray does not like to read. His trademark is his afro, and he doesn’t mind people touching it. Understandably, Ray does not like people pulling on his hair. Mikey once straightened his hair. Ray did not like it, but the rest of the band did. Ray does most of the guitar solos in the songs. He cannot cook at all, unlike his fellow band mates. Ray is the most physically active member of the band. He runs everyday, and keeps weights in the back of the tour bus when My Chemical Romance is touring. The members of Alkaline Trio once asked him to play on a song of theirs.
Famous Quote
"We were birth control." (On Gerard’s and his days in high school)
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