Johnnie Ray
John Alvin Ray
(January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an 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
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.
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 precursors to the work of later performers ranging from Leonard
Cohen to Morrissey.
Early life
John Alvin Ray was
born on January 10,
At age 13, Ray became
deaf in his left ear following a mishap that occurred during a Boy Scout ritual
called a "blanket toss". In later years, Ray performed wearing a
hearing aid. Surgery performed in 1958 left him almost completely deaf in both
ears, although hearing aids helped his condition. Ray credited his deafness as
pivotal to his career and performance style, saying, "My need for
sincerity traces back to when I was a child and lost my hearing. I became
withdrawn. I had an emotional need to develop a relationship to other
people." After graduating from high school, Ray worked as a soda jerk, a
bus boy, and a mill worker in Salem. In the interim, he did jobs playing piano
at clubs in Salem and Portland.
Career
Early career and success
Inspired by rhythm singers like Kay Starr, LaVern Baker, and Ivory Joe Hunter, Ray developed a unique rhythm-based singing style described as alternating between pre-rock rhythm and blues and a more conventional classic pop approach. He began singing professionally on a Portland, Oregon, radio station at age 15, sharing billing with Jane Powell, then a local young singer.
He later performed in comedy shows and theatrical productions in Seattle, Washington[11] before relocating to Detroit, Michigan. In Detroit, Ray regularly performed at the Flame Show Bar Talent Club, an African-American nightclub, where he developed a local following.[2] While performing at the Flame, Ray attracted the attention of song plugger Bernie Lang, who saw him perform with local DJ Robin Seymour of WKMH. Lang went to New York to sell the singer to Danny Kessler of the Okeh Records label. Kessler came over from New York, and he, Lang, and Seymour went to the Flame. According to Seymour, Kessler's reaction was, "Well, I don't know. This kid looks well on the stand, but he will never go on records."
It was Seymour and Lowell Worley of the local office of Columbia Records who persuaded Kessler to have a test record made of Ray. Worley arranged for a record to be cut at United Sound Studios in Detroit. Seymour told reporter Dick Osgood that there was a verbal agreement that he would be cut in on the three-way deal in the management of Ray. However, the deal mysteriously evaporated, and so did Seymour's friendship with Kessler.
Ray's first record for the race label Okeh, the self-penned R&B number "Whiskey and Gin", was a minor hit in 1951. When executives at Okeh's parent Columbia Records realized that the Caucasian Ray had developed a fan base of Caucasian listeners, he was moved over to the Columbia label. In 1952, he dominated the American popular music charts with the double-sided hit single of "Cry" and "The Little White Cloud That Cried". Selling over two million copies of the 78 rpm single, Ray's delivery struck a chord with teenagers and he quickly became a teen idol.
The live television broadcast of Toast of the Town on January 6, 1952, included the first of his several appearances on the widely-seen program that officially changed its title in 1955 to The Ed Sullivan Show.
Ray in There's No
Business Like Show Business (1954)
Ray's performing style included theatrics later associated with rock and roll, including tearing at his hair, falling to the floor, and crying on stage. Ray quickly earned the nicknames "Mr. Emotion", "The Nabob of Sob", "The Prince of Wails", and several others. One source states that Ray "opened the way for Elvis and the overt sexual energy of rock and roll ... [and] is credited by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Elton John as being a formative influence on their artistic styles". As well, Ray's manager said that Elvis Presley often watched Johnnie's concerts.
For more info;
Tracks;
01 - Just Walkin' In The Rain.mp3
02 - Hey There.mp3
03 - Cry.mp3
04 - Such A Night.mp3
05 - The Little White Cloud That Cried.mp3
06 - Faith Can Move Mountains.mp3
07 - Let's Walk That-A-Way (with Doris Day).mp3
08 - Paths Of Paradise.mp3
09 - (Here I Am) Broken Hearted.mp3
10 - Who's Sorry Now.mp3
11 - Somebody Stole My Gal.mp3
12 - Hernando's Hideaway.mp3
13 - All Of Me.mp3
14 - You Don't Owe Me A Thing.mp3
15 - Build Your Love (On A Strong Foundation).mp3
16 - Ain't Misbehavin'.mp3
17 - I'll Never Fall In Love Again.mp3
18 - Please Mr. Sun.mp3
19 - Yes Tonight, Josephine.mp3
20 - If You Believe.mp3
21 - Look Homeward Angel.mp3
22 - Song Of The Dreamer.mp3
23 - As Time Goes By.mp3
24 - Walkin' My Baby Back Home.mp3
With covers
Thank You
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