You think you can skate? Ray Barbee practically invented it.

By Cator Sparks Published December 21, 2019

Ray Barbee is an American skateboarder from San Jose, California.

Ray was one of the first skateboarders to bring freestyle and flatland tricks to street, technical ollie combinations and numerous no-comply variations.

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He had memorable video parts in some of the most influential skateboarding videos to come out of the 80s including Powell Peralta’s “Public Domain” and “Ban This.” Barbee also appears in the video games Skate 2 and Skate 3 as a playable character.

Ray currently pursues a career in music, among other things, and has performed on stage with the jazz duo, The Mattson 2 and Tommy Guerrero.

His current sponsors include Vans, Element Skateboards, Spy Eyewear, Independent Trucks, Fender Guitars and Spitfire Wheels. He lives in Long Beach, California with his wife and two sons.

As for his personal style:

Jeans: Not wearing jeans these days.

Shirts: Flannels and regular tees. Mostly from my sponsors: Element skateboards, Vans shoes, Independent Trucks, Spitfire wheels, SPY sunglasses and Fender guitars.

Pants: Usually some kind of chino pants.

Suits: WESC suits. I don’t think they make them anymore, but they’re my favorite. I sometimes wear a suit when I’m performing music on stage.

Shoes: Vans Shoes—Eras, Old Schools and Half Cabs.

Accessories: Spitfire brand hats and Nixon watches.

Outerwear: Derby style hats, coach jackets or wind breakers.

Favorite Cologne: I don’t wear cologne.

Your favorite App: Maps.

Favorite piece of technology: Moog Sub 37 Analog Synth.

Next tech purchase: Thinking about upgrading from iPhone 5 to a 6.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…

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