Ray Wilson's music career began in 1993 with the band Guaranteed Pure, his first official singing gig. Although the band broke up after releasing one album, his impressive performance caught the attention of the Scottish grunge band Stiltskin, led by Peter Lawlor. Stiltskin received international fame when their single "Inside" from the album The Mind's Eye reached number one on the charts, thanks to its appearance in a Levi's Jeans advertisement.
However, Stiltskin disbanded due to creative differences the following year, and Wilson was soon approached by personnel from the world-renowned progressive rock band Genesis, who had just been informed that their long-time frontman Phil Collins was leaving the group. Wilson was hired and contracted to play on a couple of albums for the band.
Genesis released the Calling All Stations album in 1997, accompanied by three singles: "Congo", "Shipwrecked", and "Not About Us". While "Congo" was a minor hit, reaching number 29 on the UK Billboard chart, and the album sold moderately well throughout Europe, it did not perform well in the United States, leading to the postponement and eventual cancellation of the North American tour. After two years of stalemate, Wilson was informed by his bandmates that there would be no new Genesis albums, and he was released from his contract.
Undeterred, Wilson formed a new group called Cut, releasing the Millionairehead album in 1999, which drew influences from Stiltskin and Genesis. Two songs from the album, "Another Day" and "Gypsy", were later re-released as dance remixes by Armin.
In 2003, Wilson released his first official solo album, Change, followed by The Next Best Thing in 2004, which included a new version of Stiltskin's "Inside". After releasing a pair of live albums, Wilson revived the Stiltskin name and recorded the 2006 album "She", which was followed by a year-long tour throughout Europe and the release of a live album in 2007.
