Ray Toro

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ray Toro's path to My Chemical Romance started in the late 1990s when Shawn Dillon, frontman of Toro's earlier band The Rodneys, introduced him to Gerard Way. Toro agreed to work with Gerard and drummer Matt Pelissier in practice sessions held in Pelissier's attic. When Gerard's younger brother Mikey joined as bassist, My Chemical Romance was formed. Toro has been compared to Queen guitarist Brian May since the band's third album, The Black Parade, and has long cited May as a key influence. In 2011, My Chemical Romance performed a portion of their Reading and Leeds Festivals headline concert with May. Toro was the leading force behind the #SINGItForJapan project, supporting those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, rearranging the band's track 'Sing' to emulate traditional Japanese music, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. On May 24, 2013, Toro posted a solo song, 'Isn't That Something,' to his SoundCloud, stating he played everything, sang everything, recorded everything, and mixed everything himself. On January 1, 2015, he released 'For the Lost and Brave,' mentioning transgender teen Leelah Alcorn in the blog post. Toro released his debut solo album, 'Remember the Laughter,' on November 18, 2016, after recording it primarily at his home since 2013.

In Their Own Story

The stage lights cut through the haze of dry ice, illuminating the silhouette of Ray Toro against a backdrop of painted chaos. He adjusts his guitar strap, the weight familiar and grounding in a world that often feels surreal. As the first chord rings out—a single, shimmering note that hangs in the air like a held breath—he closes his eyes, letting the music dictate his movements. In this moment, the roar of the crowd dissolves into a distant hum; there is only the string under his finger, the vibration trembling through his palm, and the story unfolding through sound. His foot taps an invisible rhythm as he leans into the next riff, every bend and hammer-on a punctuation mark in a conversation no one else can hear.

Reader's Guide

Ray Toro, born July 15, 1977, in Kearny, New Jersey, serves as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for My Chemical Romance. He joined the band after being introduced to Gerard Way by Shawn Dillon in the late 1990s, with practice sessions held in Matt Pelissier's attic. The band officially formed when Mikey Way joined as bassist. Toro's tenure covers all four studio albums: 'I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love' (2002), 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge' (2004), 'The Black Parade' (2006), and 'Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys' (2010). The band also released two live albums, six extended plays, 19 singles, four video albums, 15 music videos, one demo, and had 11 original appearances on other albums. On October 31, 2019, My Chemical Romance announced they would reunite with a date in Los Angeles on December 20, later announcing a 2020 North American tour and dates in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band returned to headline the When We Were Young Festival in October 2024, and in November 2024 announced the Long Live The Black Parade Tour, opening July 11, 2025 in Seattle, Washington, and wrapping up September 20, 2025 in Atlanta at the Shaky Knees festival.

Did You Know?

• Ray Toro was born on July 15, 1977, in Kearny, New Jersey, and is of Puerto Rican-Portuguese heritage.
• Before joining My Chemical Romance, Toro played in the band The Rodneys, which released the album 'Soccertown USA' in 1997.
• Toro initially pursued film editing at William Paterson University and made a short film about a man obsessed with eating eggs.
• He was the leading force behind the #SINGItForJapan project, rearranging the band's song 'Sing' to support victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
• Toro's debut solo album 'Remember the Laughter' was released on November 18, 2016, after he recorded it primarily at his home since 2013.

Early Life and Musical Foundations

Born in Kearny, New Jersey, on July 15, 1977, Raymond Toro grew up in a small house on the border between Kearny and Harrison, New Jersey, with his parents and two brothers. He is of Puerto Rican-Portuguese heritage. By the time he entered Kearny High School, he had become interested in music. Toro's brother introduced him to several bands whose guitarists influenced him greatly. He enrolled in guitar lessons, as well as typing lessons to improve his manual dexterity. Toro became involved with several local bands, the most successful of which were The Rodneys, who formed in 1994 and released their first and only album 'Soccertown USA' in 1997. Future My Chemical Romance drummer Matt Pelissier also played for the band. After graduating from high school in 1995, Toro decided to pursue film instead of music. He enrolled in an editing course at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, and his only musical pursuits involved playing drums in the short-lived band Dead Go West. In an interview with Rock Sound, Toro said that 'being in a band wasn't really a dream of mine. I always wanted to write music. I enjoy recording more and the process of writing, I never thought that being in a touring band was a possibility.' He made one short film about a guy obsessed with eating eggs every day who goes insane when he can't crack open the last egg.

Formation of My Chemical Romance

Rodney's frontman Shawn Dillon is credited with introducing Toro to Gerard Way in the late 1990s. Toro agreed to work with him and Matt Pelissier in practice sessions, which were primarily held in Pelissier's attic. After Gerard's younger brother Mikey joined the trio as a bass player, My Chemical Romance was formed. In 2007, Toro appeared as himself in the slasher/horror/comedy movie 'Punk Rock Holocaust 2' with bandmate Frank Iero. Since My Chemical Romance's third album 'The Black Parade,' Toro has been compared to Queen guitarist Brian May. He has long cited May as a key influence on his guitar style. As Toro said in an interview: 'I appreciate [the comparisons]. He's one of my favorite guitarists. I just love his work. That guy is capable of everything. He can lay back when he needs to, then writes some of the best leads. He comes up with great harmonies, he's a great singer. To me it's an honor for anybody to say that I play like him or that parts remind them of Queen.' My Chemical Romance performed a portion of their 2011 Reading and Leeds Festivals headline concert with May.

Artistic Style and Influences

Toro is noted for his shred guitar playing style. Jake Richardson of Loudwire described him as '[not] your average pop-punk player,' saying he 'attacks his leads with gusto, guts and a real sense of the dramatic.' Toro has cited heavy metal guitarist Randy Rhoads and hard rock musician Brian May as his two biggest influences. As a teenager he was a big fan of Randy Rhoads because 'he was one of the first players I can remember who mixed classical music with a metal and hard rock style of playing, and he did it very tastefully. It was really inspiring.' Later he began to listen to classical guitarist Andrés Segovia and Christopher Parkening. He admitted to being obsessed with the way in which they would take classical pieces and arrange them for a single guitar resulting in a moving melody and bass lines that work together. Despite declaring to be a 'music snob' when it comes to new artists, he praised Muse's work. He said that he mainly listens to the same music that he did when younger and enjoys the process of discovering harmonies or nuances that he was unable to notice during his youth. Toro recognizes his older brother as a huge influence, being the person who bought him his first real guitar and showed him how to play it. Toro also credits him for introducing him to bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Mötley Crüe, and Metallica. The first CD he bought was 'Cowboys from Hell' by Pantera.

Solo Ventures and Humanitarian Efforts

Toro was the leading force behind My Chemical Romance's #SINGItForJapan project, which was dedicated to supporting those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. He arranged much of the instrumentation of the band's original track 'Sing' to create a sound that emulated traditional Japanese music. 'SINGItForJapan' was released on April 13, 2011, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. On May 24, 2013, Toro posted a solo song, 'Isn't That Something,' to his SoundCloud account. He stated how the track was entirely a solo effort: 'I played everything. Sang everything. Recorded everything. Mixed everything. Myself' via his Twitter. Later in 2013 Toro joined James Dewees's band, Reggie and the Full Effect for a tour and contributed to his album 'No Country for Old Musicians.' In 2014, Toro provided guitars for Cuban American dark cabaret singer Voltaire's tenth studio album, 'Raised by Bats.' On January 1, 2015, he released a new song, titled 'For the Lost and Brave,' on his website, mentioning Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen who committed suicide, in the blog post. In an interview with Toro, Kerrang! magazine described the song's style as 'aching synth-rock brimming with [My Chemical Romance]'s us-against-the-world spirit' and revealed that Toro intended to release his debut solo album later in 2015; Toro also commented that this was the first time he's ever 'written lyrics or songs on [his] own.' On November 18, 2016, Toro released his debut album, 'Remember the Laughter,' after recording it primarily at his home since 2013.