Big Ray and the Kool Kats

easier to work with and managed ALL of my daughter's special request... they even learned a song from Hamilton for the father daughter first dance! It was perfect! He worked with us all year during the planning of the wedding to make sure he delivered the vibe that the wedding couple wanted! We couldn't have asked for more!

still talking about how much fun the band was! They handle all the music from the ceremony to the cocktail hour to the reception. Ray was wonderful to work with from start to finish. And he is an AMAZING MC…he’s entertaining, personable, and got all our guests out on the dancefloor. Hiring Big Ray and the Kools Kats was the greatest and easiest wedding decision we made! I hope I get to see them again…might have to crash their next event 😊

ed at our wedding. I had SOOOO many guests say how great they were and even some of my friends decided they want them to play at their wedding one day. They kept guests of all ages on the floor and brought so much energy! Ray was also amazing as he would update me throughout the night on what was next on their agenda and if I was enjoying everything. Don’t hesitate on booking them because I promise they will be everything you want and more for your event!

t sounded good and wasn't too overpriced. Boy, did BRKK deliver on that (and then some). Ray was responsive and helpful the entire process, taking Zoom calls whenever we had questions and asking thoughtful questions about the timeline. The band learned EVERY song we requested (including Jump Around!) and they all sounded spectacular and like they'd known them for years. Whatever you don't see on their song list, they will learn and play to perfection. The rate for the band is extremely fair, considering it includes ceremony music and cocktail hour music (you usually have to pay more for that!). Ray emceed the event with humor and personalized touches; so many guests came up to us to compliment him specifically. The rest of the guests RAVED about how good the band sounded (the guitarist was shredding away!!!) and how much fun it was to dance. Ray checked in with us before the reception to make sure his notes and song requests were all in order. Thank you to Big Ray and the whole band for making our wedding the best night of our lives. Worth every penny (and then some!)

band really delivered - they were incredible and played all night. They played a great variety of songs from their set list and even learned several special songs just for us. All of our guests commented on what an excellent band we had and Big Ray had everyone on the dance floor. Thanks for a wonderful time!

with him. He made sure everything went as I imagined. I love music and had envisioned certain songs for special moments and it all went perfectly. He had his dj help us put together a custom mashup of songs for a surprise dance, he brought in their country singer Tommy Wood who altered the lyrics of songs to my request, and they even allowed my brother to come up and play a few songs with them. When he says he will do whatever you want he means it. Everyone has been talking about the band and how great they were at reading the vibe of the room and playing the best songs. Without hesitation I would book them again and if you are considering a band for your wedding seriously look no further, this is THE band.

ig Ray was great to work with, and overall a great guy and a real gentleman. When I reviewed their YouTube promotional video before deciding to work with them, they were even better in person… which is usually just the opposite. I could not recommend them more…

line of the evening. We were so happy! Would highly recommend. We got so many compliments from our guests regarding how much they loved our band. Thank you Big Ray and the Kool Kats!!!

so so kind, helping to make sure everything was running smoothly. They brought such a fun atmosphere to the party. If you're even considering using Big Ray and his team, you must do it! You won't regret it for a second!!

ceremony, where the combination of instruments made each song special, to the perfect music to accompany cocktails, to turning the reception into the fabulous party it was, Big Ray and the Kool Kats was perfection. When I mentioned that your band had been booked for the wedding, a friend of mine who used to work events at a local country club exclaimed, "OK, that's it, that's all I need to know. It will be fabulous!" She was right! All ages, 11 to over 70, were on the dance floor all night! One of my college friends commented, "This is my kind of music.'' The younger crowd was certainly loving every minute as well. You knew to add a bit of the new songs at just the right time. Beyond that, Ray, you were a pleasure to work with. You offered your expertise and accepted suggestions and requests like the pro you are. Thank you for your commitment to quality, attention to detail, and enthusiasm.

nd we had a few video calls in the last couple of months leading up to our wedding. They worked closely with our wedding planner and photographer on the timeline and were very professional and easy to work with. They did an amazing job and were able to accommodate all of our requests, including some songs for my German family members and a beautiful rendition of Nothing Else Matters for one of our ceremony songs. They also did really great with the AV- our wedding was moved outside and the sound quality was amazing. They even made sure that our officiant and groom had clip-on mics. Ray is a perfectionist and he did such a great job as an MC and made sure everything was running smoothly. The musicians and singers were all incredible and had such great stage presence. They also did a great job of reading the audience and making sure they were playing the right songs and had the amount of energy to make sure everyone was on the dance floor and having a great time. Our guests were raving about what a great band they were. If you’re able to book Big Ray and the Kool Kats, you have to book them. They truly exceeded our expectations and made our wedding! Thank you Big Ray and the Kool Kats!

we wanted and more. They took care of everything from learning the new music, playing with the specific instruments we requested, providing the power and microphones, plus more! By the time of the reception, the weather got COLD! The band got everyone off their feet and even handled the guests joining them on stage because we were all having so much fun. They are truly amazing and we are already trying to think of another event that we can have them there for. Do not hesitate to reach out. You most certainly will not regret it!

s team arrived early to our venue to set up audio in three different locations and then expertly managed the different combinations of musicians through ceremony and cocktail hour to provide the perfect ambience. Then the full band was swinging during reception and the guests were on their feet dancing all night. Each musician in the band was talented in their own right and obviously has perfected playing together across a wide variety of genres. Ray is the consummate band leader and a joy to have on any wedding day.

ts as they danced the night away was a gift beyond measure. The band's contribution to this celebration of love will forever be etched in our hearts. You elevated the entire experience, creating a lifelong memory that we will cherish for generations to come. So many guests have commented that they have never seen a better wedding band and have never seen so many guests dance and truly have a great time! So many guests have taken your contact information so that they too can have such a fabulous experience at their child’s wedding! Big Ray and the Kool Kats, thank you for an unforgettable night. You complement each other perfectly and really know how to showcase each other’s talents. In addition, your repertoire is diverse, offering a musical journey that caters to so many tastes and generations. It was so fun watching you effortlessly transition from genre to genre, unifying the young and old in perfect harmony! What a night! Your talent, passion, and sheer dedication to your craft are unparalleled. May your journey continue to resonate with others as profoundly as it did with us. We wish you continued success and hope to cross paths again in the future. With deepest gratitude, A Proud Father Mark Loving

me up to us and said it was the best wedding band they had ever seen. The horn section was incredible and all the musicians were very talented. They played everything: old standards, 60's hits, Motown, disco/70's stuff, Hava Nagila, Country, Taylor Swift, The Killers. They even played the Notre Dame fight song (maybe this was their only misstep of the evening; the band didn't realize that a huge contingent of the guests are alumni of a rival Midwest school). We also really appreciated the diverse set of talented vocalists. They were very energetic and enthusiastic. Prior to the wedding my wife, daughter, son-in-law, and I agreed that Ray was personable, interested in our views, and very easy to work with. I don't think you can go wrong by hiring Big Ray and the Kool Kats.

onal musicians - with an awesome song list - who deliver as promised, “a highly professional, musically diverse, and multi-talented live music experience…!” Band members performing at my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding reception included: keyboard, bass, drums, guitar, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, country singer, Motown specialist, 2 female vocalists, and a guest vocalist. The instrumentalists and vocalists exceeded our expectations in every respect! All the band members play with outstanding musicianship, confidence, and a fabulous connection on stage! The vocalists are amazing – each with a fantastic delivery, impressive control of sound, and lovely tone quality overall! We will never forget Big Ray and the Kool Kats’ marvelous production on every song or the way they made our daughter and son-in-law’s wedding celebration extra special! The enthusiastic response from our wedding guests to dance and sing along - for the entire evening - made it clear how much everyone enjoyed this band’s performance! Family and friends who had not danced in years were out of their seats and dancing! Other musicians in the room asked where we found such an accomplished group! The band provided music for the entire reception (4:00 PM to 10:30 PM). A few of the musicians played background music during the cocktail hour, and the entire band played background music during dinner and dancing. The musicians were considerate of volume and on point in every situation (i.e., quiet enough for conversation during appetizers and dinner, and then cranked up to perfection for dancing)! Special thanks to the band for sharing their fabulous stage, lighting, and several percussionists with us to help family members perform one “surprise” song dedication to the bride and groom (My Wish – Rascal Flatts). The bride and groom had absolutely no idea what was happening on stage. Their reaction was priceless when they realized family members were playing the keyboard, alto saxophone, trombone, and serving as vocalist. We cannot thank Big Ray and the Kool Kats enough for working with us to make this unusual request happen. Above all, we extend our deepest appreciation to Big Ray and the Kool Kats for sharing their musical gifts, friendliness, and professionalism with us! We count ourselves among the lucky ones to have found an open date on their calendar! Working with Big Ray and the Kool Kats and hearing their music played at my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding reception is an unforgettable memory our family will treasure for years to come!

emony music which was perfect for the prelude and processions. Ray was wonderful to work with throughout the entire planning process and honestly is just the nicest person you could ever hope to meet! He is kind, personable, and our guests enjoyed interacting with him throughout the evening. Big Ray and the Kool Kats are simply the greatest!

y were top tier professionals from start to finish. We had a hiccup and had to postpone our son’s wedding for a year, but Big Ray was easy to work with and made the change happen. He had a 3-piece ensemble play during the wedding ceremony followed by another group playing at the pre cocktail party then the 11-piece band raised the roof for the reception. If we heard it once, we heard it a dozen times from our guests “That band was awesome!” The only minor problem we had to deal with was that too many guests stayed to the bitter end, and we had to get another bus to transport them back to the hotel. That pretty much says it all. We are already looking for another reason to host a party to bring Big Ray back to town.

wanted played. Going into the big day, Ray was absolutely so helpful getting everything to flow throughout the ceremony and reception. Not only that, but we had an impromptu moment where I ended up on stage and my new husband and I sang a Taylor Swift song together. It was the best experience and one that my guests have not stopped talking about. I cannot highly recommend them enough!

his team were professionals through and through. Ray was always willing to hop on last minute Zoom meetings to talk through any questions/ concerns and made us feel immediate comfort each and every time. It felt like we had known him for years! They showed up to the reception looking like professionals and seriously knew how to throw a party. They played music that had all ages of guests on the dance floor all evening! There was hardly a person seated the entire night. Ray was an AMAZING MC as well. He was funny, entertaining, and amped the guests up. We had people coming up to us saying hands down they were the best band at a wedding they had ever seen. A guest even signed a contract with Big Ray and the Kool Kats for their upcoming kid's wedding haha! The absolute cherry on top was at the very end when the crowd began to chant for "one more song" and pretty much forced them to play a song they had not prepared for or practiced, they figured it out and rocked it. I could not have imagined our wedding day without them performing. Thank you for EVERYTHING!!

r sound needs for the ceremony making sure our officiant was miked as well as our readers. He played his trumpet for the ceremony with a piano accompaniement which added so much to the day. During the reception, Ray and his band serenaded our guests while they ate. After dinner, our guests really rocked out to their incredible music. Everyone was asking us how we found them. They really added to our celebration.

and band ever. People were saying "how did you find this band?". I can't say enough about their performance and how much we enjoyed them. It is not too often that people are chanting "one more song" at the end of a reception. I would highly recommend them for any event. My daughter (bride) and us are thrilled with their performance!!!!

ding. They are phenomenal, and we received lots of positive feedback from our guests about how much they enjoyed the music. Very strong vocal and instrumental talent. They have a great repertoire of older and newer covers; guests of all ages had something that they recognized and enjoyed! They did a great job with their sound design as they were sufficiently loud enough, but guests could still have conversations on the side. Ray was a pleasure to work with and an excellent emcee. The band members were not only incredibly talented but very friendly and pleasant. We would highly recommend. We are thankful for Big Ray and the Kool Kats for helping to make our wedding an even more fun and special event!

fell through, and that’s when we came across Ray. He was incredibly supportive, responsive and beyond kind and accommodating. We trusted him from the minute we met him, and knew his band would be the perfect fit for our big day. The dance floor was packed all night long and they kept the party alive!!! We hope to be able to have a future event to hire Big Ray and his band again. Hire him and you will not be disappointed!!!

the band was and how much fun they had at our daughters wedding. I'm trying to come up with another event to host just so I can book them again!

dern rock, to Latin hits (which greatly impressed my Guatemalan family)! My fiance and I had a very specific request for our first dance and were convinced that we would just have to play a recording, but Big Ray succeeded in performing an absolutely stunning live cover that moved us to tears. This band electrified the energy at our reception - if you want to keep your dance floor full all night long, look no further than Big Ray and the Kool Katz!

of music we liked (and didn't like) and he was so great. We made it clear to him that we wanted our wedding reception to be a party, not a wedding in terms of music, and he delivered. So professional and so much fun. And such a hit. We've received so many compliments from our guests about how great the band was! We had so much fun because our guests had so much fun. We have Big Ray to thank for that.

able, and Ray was an absolute pleasure to work with. He masterfully MC'ed our event, rolling with some considerable punches, and the band even learned my favorite song as a surprise. Of the roughly 12 vendors we worked with for our wedding, BRKK was by far the best and most fun to work with. I could not have asked for a better wedding band and cannot recommend them highly enough.

or was always full, and this is a high compliment given that there were issues with the A/C during a May wedding in Virginia. Ray was communicative and prompt in all of our interactions, and was willing to work with me on all the specific details I wanted (of which there were quite a few!). I would reccommend this group to anyone, and as a matter of fact already have! Thank you Ray!

e job! I would highly recommend Big Ray and the Kool Kats! You will not be disappointed, and your guests will come up to you and say "this band is the best!"

and were 100% on point for everything. The dance floor stayed full and guests of all ages loved the music selection. Many said it was the most fun they ever had at a wedding!

ther daughter. To top it off, they were great MCs too. It was a wonderful night all around and we are so glad we chose Big Ray and the Kool Kats to bring the heat for our wedding! :)

arth, in fact, it felt like he was part of the family!! He made the process so easy and SO MUCH FUN!! Our guests sang and danced all night long. The band made it very easy for the groom to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing the guitar on stage with a top shelf band in front of our loved ones. Hire Big Ray and the Kool Kats if you truly want to host the best party your guests will ever attend!!!!

abulous time and the dance floor was filled the entire time they played. I've had so many people tell me how much the enjoyed the band and the events coordinator at our club will be recommending BRKK for other functions. Our whole experience from beginning to end was everything we had hoped for and more.

Polished, professional, great sound, really nice people...loved having them play.

the band knew all of the music we wanted. All of our wedding guests said the band was amazing (we agree too). I want to do it all again just so we can dance the night away. I can't recommend Big Ray & the Kool Kats enough. We love them!!

d the dance floor packed all night long and our guests have been raving about them since our wedding in January. Ray is fantastic to work with both leading up to your wedding day and then at the actual wedding. He continuously checked in on myself and my husband, as well as our parents. My parents were worried about a band being too loud, and Ray heard that concern before the wedding and honored it. No one's ears were ringing the next day and no one was trying to escape loud music! Their playlist is extensive and their ability to put together sets is fantastic. Our outdoor send-off was impossible due to a giant thunderstorm and I was amazed watching Big Ray and the Kool Kats sing and dance our guests into a big tunnel of love for an indoor send-off. We cannot thank the band enough for making our reception entertainment dreams come true!!

h choice to host a micro-wedding and postpone our larger party. When we were deciding on the essentials for our smaller event we could not imagine doing it without the band- happy to say we made an excellent call there. Not only was the music amazing but Big Ray went above and beyond to be supportive and professional throughout the process. We switched to an outdoor setting in light of the pandemic and discovered day-of that that it wasn't equipped to connect to Bluetooth speakers for our dinner playlist. Big Ray heard about this and offered to have the band play through dinner- we could not have appreciated his kindness and adaptability more. It made a huge difference to have such an incredibly supportive vendor during these exceptional times. Great news is we get to have Big Ray and the Kool Kats again for our larger post-pandemic event and could not be more excited!

made our night. Not a single person sat once the band got going. We received SO many compliments. Five stars across the board!

loor once they got going. An absolutely electric, amazing experience. They made our wedding!!! We couldn’t recommend them more. They are worth their weight in gold.

10/10 experience.

to sit back and trust his guidance. He even spoke with my dad during the planning process who had a musical surprise for me during his toast. Ray made our day so special and was really fun to work with! All of our wedding guests raved about the music, from the ceremony musicians' beautiful music to the great party and dancing songs played by the full band at the reception! They were even gracious enough to entertain a few guests and flower girls on stage with them :) Highly recommend!!!

ABBA medley which everyone loved. They added so many personal touches to our wedding in a way we couldn’t have imagined. We are so grateful to Big Ray and the Kool Katz for making our wedding reception so amazing. Each one of the band members are incredibly talented and you will not regret booking Big Ray and the Kool Katz for your wedding.

e house during the reception. He also worked with my sister who sang our first dance song, it was a beautiful moment. Ray was open to any idea we had musically. Highly recommended.