Jimmy Ray & The Stingers

Jimmy Ray & The Stingers are a Custer-based blues band built around guitarist and bandleader Jimmy Ray Fechner. Their sound is rooted in classic electric blues, drawing heavily from the blues bands of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s while mixing familiar standards with original material.

The band moves comfortably between slower blues ballads, danceable shuffles and more aggressive, guitar-driven songs. Fechner’s guitar sits at the center of the sound, backed by a rhythm section that gives the group the feel of a traditional blues band rather than an acoustic singer-songwriter project.

The current documented lineup includes Jimmy Ray Fechner on guitar, Louis Umbarger on bass, Eric Boyd on drums and Jonathan Jacky on horns. The lineup has shifted over time, with drummer Scooter Prosneski also appearing with the group in previous configurations.

Jonathan Jacky’s addition on horns expands the band beyond its earlier power-trio setup, adding trumpet and flugelhorn to a group already grounded in electric guitar, bass and drums. The result is a straightforward Black Hills blues band with room for both classic material and original songs.