LIFESTYLE STORY

On the record

Frank Ray, a country musician, singing on stage.

Whether working as a police officer or touring with a band, country musician Frank Ray sings the praises of OnStar

For the better part of 10 years, Frank Ray lived something of a double life. By day, he patrolled the streets of Las Cruces, New Mexico as a police officer. At night, he’d head out to local spots and play country music.

“I'd even run into some people that I had some encounters with on the on the streets,” Frank says, laughing. And if they did not always love that earlier meeting, he says they would often tell him how much they enjoyed his songs.

“I feel so much better when my wife and kids are in a vehicle that’s connected to OnStar, especially when I’m on the road and can’t be there. It gives me peace of mind knowing they have that added safety.”

– Frank Ray

In-Vehicle Apps

Compatible GM vehicles let you connect directly to some of our favorite apps from the center display. The list of available options includes Spotify,* the app that helped Frank find his way to Nashville. One of his early songs made it onto a popular playlist that the right people heard. “That was my introduction to mainstream country music,” Frank says. Now he's created "The Raylist," his personalized Spotify playlist that features some of his best songs and some from other artists he enjoys when he’s behind the wheel.

Learn More

Close up image of Frank Ray with a baseball hat on and a blue shirt.

Growing up, Frank split time living with his mother in Texas and his father in New Mexico, close to the U.S.-Mexico border. Those locales nourished his Mexican heritage and his love of country music. But it was the opportunity to help in his community that led him to police work.

As a police officer, he regularly found himself in contact with the OnStar Advisors* who were assisting Members in distress. “When someone actually has direct contact with the passengers inside the vehicle, it makes a world of difference,” Frank says. “Not just on your reaction time, but it also helps you prepare for what to expect when you arrive at the scene.” 

As an OnStar Member himself these days, he thinks about the Roadside Assistance* available to him now that he didn’t have in his early days on the road. Most musicians have stories of long nights on lonely roads when you’re pushing on to the next town and things go wrong.

"There have been so many instances when it was rainy and muddy, and the van got stuck. And we didn’t have OnStar," Frank says, laughing again. "You’re hauling a trailer full of equipment, so it’s heavy, and when you get stuck, you just had to hope someone pulls up with a tractor or something.”