Johnnie Ray

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John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927–February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist.

He one of the most popular American singers of his day, and is considered by many people to be the forerunner of what would become rock 'n' roll.

Contents 1 Life and career 2 Classic Johnnie Ray songs 3 Film and television 4 Trivia 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Life and career

Ray was born in Hopewell (near Dallas), Oregon, and spent part of his childhood on a farm, eventually moving to Portland, Oregon. He is often correctly said to be of American Indian origin, due to the claims of a publicity agent. His great-grandmother was full blooded Indian & his great-grandfather was George Kirby Gay of Berkley, Gloucestershire, England. He became deaf in his right ear at age 12 due to an accident as a Boy Scout involving a blanket toss, when he fell on the ground hitting his ear, and would often perform wearing a mauve hearing aid. A later operation left him almost completely deaf in both ears.

Ray first attracted attention while performing at the Flame Showbar in Detroit, an R&B nightclub where he was the only white performer. Inspired by rhythm singers like Kay Starr, LaVern Baker and Ivory Joe Hunter, Ray developed a unique rhythm-based style that was far closer to what would become known as "rock and roll" than any other music of the time. Much like Frankie Laine before him, he was often mistaken for a black artist when his records first started hitting the airwaves.

His first record, the self-penned R&B number for OKeh Records, "Whiskey and Gin," was a minor hit in 1951, but by the end of the year he would be dominating the charts with the double-sided monster hit single of "Cry" backed by "The Little White Cloud That Cried" (the latter also a Ray composition). His emotional delivery struck a chord with teenagers, and he quickly became the biggest teen idol since Frank Sinatra almost ten years earlier. Ray has been cited as the historical link between Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in the development of popular music.

Ray's unorthodox performing style included many theatrics later associated with rock 'n' roll, including beating up his piano, writhing on the floor and, most famously, crying. Also like Laine, his shows were often compared to religious revival meetings with the singer and audience both reaching an emotional frenzy. Ray quickly earned a plethora of nicknames including "The Atomic Ray," "Mr. Emotion," "The Nabob of Sob," "The Cry Guy" and "The Prince of Wails." In the documentary film No Direction Home, Bob Dylan cites Ray as an early influence, stating that Ray's singing and performance style seemed "voodooed".

More hits followed, including "Please Mr. Sun," "Such A Night," "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," "A Sinner Am I" and "Yes Tonight Josephine." His last hit was "Just Walkin' in the Rain," in 1956. He was even more popular in the UK than in the U.S., breaking the record at the London Palladium formerly set by Frankie Laine. Although his star rapidly diminished in the US, he retained a loyal fan base overseas, particularly in Australia.

As wild off the stage as on, Ray soon became fodder for tabloids like Confidential and Hush-Hush which conspired to destroy his phenomenal popularity (at one point he had four of the top songs on the charts in one week out of the Top Ten). But, ironically, he was ultimately a victim of the rock 'n' roll genre he did so much to establish. As younger and younger artists came to dominate the charts, the thirty-something Johnnie Ray was soon left by the wayside.

Though Ray married Marilyn Morrison in 1952, his wife was well aware of the singer's homosexuality. She believed she would be able to "straighten it out." But some years later, his manager Bill Franklin became Ray's lover. Rumored to be bisexual, the singer was prosecuted for indecency in a public toilet. When he was arrested in 1959, there was much gossip about his homosexual leanings. This took a toll on Ray's popularity and contributed to the decline of his career.

Ray also had a close relationship with journalist and television game show panelist Dorothy Kilgallen with whom he is widely thought to have had an affair.

His career revived in the 1970s, but it is only since the late 1990s that he has gained a great deal of recognition. A chronic and lifelong alcoholic, he died of liver failure in Los Angeles at the age of 63.

[edit] Classic Johnnie Ray songs

(1951)

• "Cry" (with The Four Lads), Columbia 30th St Studio, NYC, October 16, 1951; Mundell Lowe (g) Ed Safranski (b) Ed Shaughnessy (d) Buddy Reed (p)
• "Give Me Time" (with The Four Lads)
• "(Here Am I) Brokenhearted" (with The Four Lads)
• "The Little White Cloud That Cried", Columbia 30th St Studio, NYC, October 15, 1951; Mundell Lowe (g) Ed Safranski (b) Ed Shaughnessy (d) Stan Freeman (p) Lucky Thompson (sax)
• "She Didn't Say Nothin' At All"
• "Tell The Lady I Said Goodbye"
• "Whiskey And Gin'"

(1952)

• "All Of Me"
• "A Sinner Am I"
• "Candy Lips" (with Doris Day)
• "Coffee And Cigarettes (Think It Over)" (with The Four Lads)
• "Don't Blame Me"
• "Faith Can Move Mountains" (with The Four Lads)
• "Let's Walk That-A-Way (with Doris Day)
• "Mountains In The Moonlight"
• "Out In The Cold Again"
• "Please Mr. Sun (with The Four Lads)
• "The Lady Drinks Champagne"
• "Walkin' My Baby Back Home"

(1953)

• "Somebody Stole My Gal"

(1954)

• "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
• "As Time Goes By"
• "Going-Going-Gone"
• "Hernando's Hideaway"
• "Hey There"
• "If You Believe and Such A Night"
• "Such A Night"

(1955)

• "Flip Flop And Fly"
• "I've Got So Many Million Years"
• "Ooh! Aah! Oh!"
• "Paths Of Paradise / Song Of The Dreamer"

(1956) - backed by Ray Conniff and his orchestra

• "Everyday I Have The Blues"
• "How Long How Long Blues"
• "I Want To Be Loved"
• "I'll Never Be Free"
• "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town"
• "Just Walking In The Rain"
• "Lotus Blossom"
• "Sent For You Yesterday"
• "Shake A Hand"

(1957) - backed by Ray Conniff and his orchestra

• "Look Homeward Angel"
• "Should I?"
• "Soliloquy Of A Fool"
• "Street Of Memories"
• "Up Above My Head" (with Frankie Laine)
• "You Don't Owe Me A Thing"
• "Yes Tonight Josephine"

(1958)

• "I'm Beginning To See The Light"
• "I'm Confessin'"
• "The Lonely Ones"
• "Up Until Now"

(1959)

• "Cool Water"
• "Empty Saddles"
• "I'll Never Fall In Love Again"
• "It's All In The Game"
• "Red River Valley"
• "Twilight On The Trail"
• "Wagon Wheels"
• "When It's Springtime In The Rockies"

(1960)

• "I'll Make You Mine"

(1962)

• "Lookout Chattanooga"

[edit] Film and television

• Starring role in the TV movie The Big Shot in 1952, introduced live on the silver screen by Ronald Reagan
• Featured role in There's No Business Like Show Business with Ethel Merman and Marilyn Monroe in 1954
• Hosted The Jackie Gleason Show when Gleason was absent from show
• Numerous appearances on Talk Of The Town and The Ed Sullivan Show
• Performed for March of Dimes televised charity events in the 1980s
• Featured role in television series CHiPs as himself, two episodes
• Guest starring role in Bob Eubanks' Atlantic City Live and on the syndicated Sha Na Na variety show
• Profiled in hour long documentary feature The Little White Kid That Cried (2002) for London Weekend Television's The South Bank Show

[edit] Trivia

• Referenced in the hit 1983 song "Come On Eileen" by the English pop group Dexy's Midnight Runners ("Poor old Johnnie Ray..."). The video for "Come On Eileen" even starts off with archival footage of Johnnie Ray coming off an airplane and facing a throng of his adoring teenaged fans.
• Mentioned in Billy Joel's history themed song "We Didn't Start the Fire".
• Mentioned in The Who's 2006 single "Mirror Door"
• Features in "The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets" by Eva Rice, in which the main character is a fan of his.
• Was mentioned in Billy Idol's "Don't Need a Gun" and appeared in the song's video.
• The talent show sequence in the 1982 film "Grease 2" features a parody of Johnnie Ray.
• Referenced in Jimmy Ray's 1997 song Who Wants to Know ("(Are you Johnnie Ray) who wants to know"))

[edit] References

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
• The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits - ISBN 0-85112-250-7

[edit] External links

• The Johnnie Ray International Fan Club
• Ray, Johnnie (1927-1990)
• Biography
• Johnnie Ray at the Internet Movie Database