Ray Dudley was born in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. His first teachers include his mother and the distinguished Chilean pianist Alberto Guerrero at the Royal Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto in addition to llonka Deckers, Christa Landon and Rudolf Firkusny. During his studies at the University of Toronto, Mr. Dudley became life-long friends with Glenn Gould who also studied with Guerrero. After graduating from the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he received the Eaton Award, given to the best student, Dudley went on to win the "Unanimous Medal" in at the International Competitions in Geneva, the Harriet Cohen Commonwealth Medal, and the Columbia Artists Management contract in New York at the age of 21.

Mr. Dudley played as a soloist with orchestras such as New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, and the Cincinnati Orchestra, under famed conductors such as Pierre Monteaux, Zubin Mehta, Max Rudolf, Walter Susskind, Sir Malcolm Sargent, and Sir Ernest MacMillan. He appeared at the London Promenade Concerts and at the opening of Avery Hall at Lincoln Center. During ten European concert tours in such places as Paris, Brussels, Geneva, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Munich, the Hague, Dudley had sold out halls, standing ovations, and enthusiastic reviews. He has also given concerts and masterclasses in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and India.

Mr. Dudley was Artist-in-Residence and a Professor of Piano at the University of Indiana and Florida Southern College and Concert Artist-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory. Dudley was awarded a Senior Arts Grant by the Canada Council for the Arts that led to his study of Haydn's keyboard works in Vienna. Considered a Haydn Specialist, he was the first pianist to perform, from memory, the complete set of 53 known Haydn Sonatas in a series of 8 weekly concerts in London's Purcell Room. He recorded several of these Sonatas which were picked by Saturday Review as "Record of the Year''. While studying in Vienna he began to play the Hammerflugel, or the Viennese Portepiano, which was the successor to the clavichord and harpsichord and predecessor of the modern piano.

Mr. Dudley came to the University of South Carolina as Artist-in-Residence in 1978. He was awarded the Distinguished Artist / Teacher Award from the Music Teachers National Association and has served as Historic Instruments Chairman for MTNA National Convention. He has been a member of the board of the National Guild of Piano Teachers and the American College of Musicians. He was an adjudicator at Carnegie Hall and Juilliard, as well as many other colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Following retirement from the University of South Carolina, Mr. Dudley continued to perform in concerts throughout Canada and the United States.