Quitman: Ray Price Birthplace

Ray Price entered the world on January 12, 1926, on a farm near the community of Peach in Wood County. His birthplace sits in the rolling piney woods of East Texas, not far from the county seat of Quitman. Moreover, his grandfather James Price was an early settler who put down roots in this same East Texas soil. Therefore, Wood County carries the earliest chapter of one of country music’s greatest stories.

Ray Price’s parents divorced when he was three years old. His mother moved to Dallas, but his father stayed on the family farm. Furthermore, young Ray split his childhood between city life in Dallas and the rural rhythms of Wood County. Thus, the contrast between East Texas farm life and urban Texas shaped his character from the start.

East Texas Roots of a Country Legend

Wood County’s landscape — pine trees, red clay soil, and quiet country roads — gave Ray Price his first sense of place. He later found his singing voice while helping out on his father’s farm. In addition, the musical tradition of East Texas gospel and country radio surrounded him during these formative years. Consequently, the piney woods instilled in him the emotional honesty that defined his music.

Today, Quitman serves as the gateway to Ray Price’s birthplace story. Moreover, the Wood County Courthouse anchors a downtown square that preserves the feel of old East Texas. Visitors who make the drive to Quitman connect with the land that made the man. Ultimately, the piney woods of Wood County stand as the quiet origin of a legendary Texas voice.