Speedy Gray grew up in rural North Carolina. Raised in an environment of gospel, folk, and R&B. Speedy first hit the road at 12 years old playing guitar in a traveling gospel act, The New Life Gospel Singers. After touring churches in the South during the 70's, Speedy then went in a wildly different direction to rock and punk bands through the 80s most notably with the critically acclaimed but terribly unrecognized post punk band The Dollmakers.

After the dissolution of The Dollmakers in 1992 Speedy relocated to rural Wyoming and fell in love with cowboy songs and poetry, an influence that shows itself in multiple, diverse, and interesting ways.