About Ray Barbee - Pro Skateboarder Profile, Biography and History

Ray Barbee was born on October 5th, 1971, and hails from San Jose, California. His fascinating career spans skateboarding, music, and photography.

In 1987, at just 15 years old, he graced the New AMs section of the Bones Brigade Intelligence Report, showcasing a handrail boardslide on a “ripper deck and street bones.”

Ray was among the first skateboarders to introduce freestyle/flatland tricks to street skating, combining technical ollie variations and impressive no comply maneuvers.

Ray Barbee had a massive impact on skateboarding when he appeared on the Powell Peralta video "Public Domain". He then went on to have equally impressive skating on the next Powell Skate Video: "Ban This".

Ray left Powell Peralta Skateboards in 1991 to join The Firm Skateboards, a company led by another Powell Peralta skate team and Bones Brigade veteran, Lance Mountain.

Ray Barbee's signature skate shoe with Vans solidifies his impact on skate culture.

Other skateboard sponsors of Ray Barbee include Independent Truck Company and WeSC.

Beyond skateboarding, Ray Barbee is a musician and multi-instrumentalist and in 2003, he released his debut EP, Triumphant Procession, on Galaxia Records. The collection features jazz-influenced instrumental tracks produced and engineered in his home studio.

His 2005 release, In Full View, also on Galaxia, includes guest appearances by drummers Doug Scharin and Carlos de la Garza, as well as saxophonist Glen Darcey.

Ray plays guitar, bass guitar, drums, harp, and xylophone, and he is sponsored by Fender Guitars.

His collaboration with the Mattson 2 resulted in "Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2", blending their guitar/drums sound with Barbee’s additional guitar work.

Live performances showcase his talent using looping delay pedals and drum machines, and his music has been featured on NPR and in various surf videos.

Ray Barbee’s journey exemplifies the seamless fusion of creativity across skateboarding, music, and photography. His impact reverberates through the decades, leaving an indelible mark on the culture he loves.

Ray Barbee Skateboard and Music Videos

Powell Peralta: Public Domain Skateboard Video
"After watching Barbee's opening sequence, I went and bought his board. Still have it after all these years. Everything on it is original. Skating was my life for so many years. Not a sport. A lifestyle. It was all I cared about."

"Ray barbee was soooooo ahead of his time crazy."

"This video has: The world's introduction to Ray Barbee, Frankie Hill, Danny Way, and Mike V. The first time seeing people do handrail slides on video. Rodney doing a triple kickflip and probably the first flat ground tre flip on video? Insane how great this video was."

Powell Peralta: Ban This Skateboard Video
"Ray Barbee part is legit."

"Ray Barbie was an inspiration to me, as were all of the Bones Brigade. Unbelievable times. The best time of my life. I'm 44, and those times of just waking up, getting with my friends and skating were just unreal."

"The Ray Barbee section is so rad, such a slick style. Gotta be my fave street skater ever."

"Ray Barbee's skating makes me happy. His part is still so good."

"I could watch Ray Barbee do no comply & 360 shove it's everyday forever."

The Firm: Dedicated To Skateboarding Skateboard Video
"Ray’s first line b/s 180 up the curb the hard way AND fIREHOSE ! So fuckkking motivating!"

"This video brings me back to memory lane as a kid, use to watch the shit of this before I went out to skate."


Ray Barbee - Live at Change! - Change Tupelo Festival 2022
"Day one of the Change Tupelo Festival 2022 was kicked off by an amazing solo performance by your favorite skateboarder's favorite skateboarder, Ray Barbee!"

"Fender Jaguar is a nice guitar. Mine was made in Japan. Seeing videos like this makes me wanna start playing again. Been a fan of Ray since 89. His no-complies and rollin 360 spins(unsure of the trick name) are so smooth. He’s got a sick style of skating and guitar playing. A man of many talents."