Johnnie Ray – The Big Beat (1957) @ 320 & Cry (1990 BCD ) @ Flac

John Alvin Ray 

Johnnie Ray american singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music, and his animated stage personality. Tony Bennett called Ray the "father of rock and roll", and historians have noted him as a pioneering figure in the development of the genre.

Born and raised in Dallas, Oregon, Ray, who was partially deaf, began singing professionally at age 15 on Portland radio stations. He gained a local following singing at small, predominantly African-American nightclubs in Detroit, where he was discovered in 1949 and subsequently signed to Okeh Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. He rose quickly from obscurity in the United States with the release of his debut album Johnnie Ray (1952), as well as with a 78 rpm single, both of whose sides reached the Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 chart, "Cry" and "The Little White Cloud That Cried".

In 1954, Ray made his first film, There's No Business Like Show Business as part of an ensemble cast that included Ethel Merman and Marilyn Monroe. His career in the music business in his native United States began to decline in 1957, and his American record label dropped him in 1960. He never regained a strong following there and rarely appeared on American television after 1973. Ray’s last television appearance in the United States was on a 1977 syndicated broadcast of Sha Na Na. His fanbases in the United Kingdom and Australia remained strong until his final global concert tour in 1989, however.

British Hit Singles & Albums noted that Ray was "a sensation in the 1950s; the heart-wrenching vocal delivery of 'Cry' ... influenced many acts including Elvis, and was the prime target for teen hysteria in the pre-Presley days." Ray's dramatic stage performances and melancholic songs have been credited by music historians as precursory to later performers ranging from Leonard Cohen to Morrissey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Ray

The Big Beat (1957)

 01. Johnnie Ray - Pretty-Eyed Baby 

 02. Johnnie Ray - How Long Blues 

 03. Johnnie Ray - Sent For You Today 

 04. Johnnie Ray - I'll Never Be Free 

 05. Johnnie Ray - I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town 

 06. Johnnie Ray - Shake A Hand 

 07. Johnnie Ray - Lotus Blossom 

 08. Johnnie Ray - Every Day 

 09. Johnnie Ray - I Want To Be Loved 

 10. Johnnie Ray - I Miss You So 

 11. Johnnie Ray - Trouble In Mind 

 12. Johnnie Ray - So Long 

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Cry (1990 BCD )

 01. Johnnie Ray - Yes, Tonight Josephine 

 02. Johnnie Ray - Just Walkin' In The Rain 

 03. Johnnie Ray - I've Got A Million Years 

 04. Johnnie Ray - Johnnie's Coming Home 

 05. Johnnie Ray - Look Homeward Angel 

 06. Johnnie Ray & Frankie Laine - Up Above My Head 

 07. Johnnie Ray & Frankie Laine - Good Evening Freinds 

 08. Johnnie Ray - Up Until Now (Fast Version) 

 09. Johnnie Ray - How Long Blues 

 10. Johnnie Ray - You Don't Owe Me A Thing 

 11. Johnnie Ray - No Wedding Today 

 12. Johnnie Ray - Build Your Love 

 13. Johnnie Ray - Streets Of Memories 

 14. Johnnie Ray - Miss Me A Little 

 15. Johnnie Ray - Texas Tambourine 

 16. Johnnie Ray - Pink Sweater Angel 

 17. Johnnie Ray - Solioquy Of A Fool 

 18. Johnnie Ray - Endlessly 

 19. Johnnie Ray - Plant A Little Seed 

 20. Johnnie Ray - Up Until Now 

 21. Johnnie Ray - I'll Make You Mine 

 22. Johnnie Ray - Papa Loves Mambo 

 23. Johnnie Ray - Ooo! Ah! Oh! (This Is Love) 

 24. Johnnie Ray - Flip, Flop And Fly 

 25. Johnnie Ray - Alexander's Ragtime Band 

 26. Johnnie Ray - Little White Cloud That Cried 

 27. Johnnie Ray - Cry 

 28. Johnnie Ray & Doris Day - Ma Says, Pa Says 

 29. Johnnie Ray & Doris Day - A Full Time Job 

 30. Johnnie Ray - Such A Night 

 31. Johnnie Ray - Hernando's Hideaway 

Like most of those popular singers who peaked in the period just before rock & roll emerged as a dominant force in music, Johnnie Ray has been neglected -- his own record label, Columbia, has issued a few hits compilations in varying degrees of completeness, which seems to be mostly what the U.S. market will support. But Germany's Bear Family Records has stepped out in front with a string of releases of Ray's catalog that started with this single CD and culminated with a similarly named box set. This 30-song collection has surprisingly little overlap with Columbia's 16 Most Requested Songs, so those already owning the latter will not have to concern themselves too deeply with that issue. Not all of the hits are here, by any means, but many of Ray's most interesting single sides are present, along with two previously unissued tracks. The sound is amazing, given the limited fidelity of many Columbia releases dating from across the same period, and anyone with doubts about Ray's versatility will get a first-hand look at his R&B and jazz influences, albeit not necessarily in their most commercially successful forms, and also the raw power of his voice -- additionally, numbers such as "Yes, Tonight Josephine" show how Ray did, indeed, keep himself competitive in the rock & roll era; it might not have the beat, but Ray's singing had the kind of edge that characterized some of the better pop-style efforts in that direction of the period. Also included are duets that he cut with Frankie Laine and Doris Day. The collection is well-annotated by Peter Grendysa, who gives a superb account of Ray's overall career. The only complaint one might have over the material is the producers' failure to follow even a minimal chronological order -- the songs jump all over the map across nine years of recording, which makes it a great showcase for Ray's range and depth, if not the evolution of his career and sound.

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