Johnnie Ray

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Johnnie Ray (1969)

John "Johnnie" Alvin Ray (born January 10, 1927 in Hopewell , Oregon , † February 25, 1990 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American singer , pianist and songwriter . Active in the traditional American pop industry, he is considered a forerunner of rock 'n' roll due to his emotional and extraordinary stage shows and the inclusion of blues and gospel elements in his singing style .

Life

Johnnie Ray grew up as a descendant of European immigrants and Native American Indians on a farm in Oregon . At an early age he became deaf in one ear and became an introverted outsider. An operation carried out in 1958 left him almost completely deaf in both ears, even if he was able to improve this situation somewhat with hearing aids. Johnnie aspired to a musical career and went to Detroit , where he tried to get involved in the Flame Club, a center of the black rhythm and blues scene. In 1951, the producer Mitch Miller of Columbia Records became aware of the singer and offered him a contract on the Columbia subsidiary label Okeh Records , where the focus at the time was on the black genres. His first single on Okeh Records was called Tell The Lady I Said Goodbye , advertised in Billboard magazine.

Johnnie Ray - Cry
Johnnie Ray - In The Heart of A Fool

In November 1951 the bluesy single Cry / The Little White Cloud That Cried became a double million seller . The record, produced by Mitch Miller , took first place on the pop hit parade for 11 weeks, so that Johnnie was taken over by the mother label CBS Records . From now on he was able to celebrate a series of chart successes with popular songs as well as his own compositions in commercial arrangements.

When rock 'n' roll established itself in the mid-1950s, the major labels, which had largely overslept this development in reliance on the traditional pop market, tried to emulate the successes that Elvis Presley achieved for RCA Records with their own established artists . Columbia also took on rhythmically faster tracks with Johnnie Ray, which still found their way into the charts for some time. However, the melodrama of his appearances in the age of rock soon seemed old-fashioned, so that successes fell short over time. Duets with Doris Day, for example, did not help stop the downward trend in his singles. He had his last hit with Columbia in September 1959 with I'll Never Fall in Love Again , which only reached rank 75 as the best placement. In October 1960 he switched to Cadence Records, only to sign with other record companies within a year. Nevertheless, there was no success.

Johnnie Ray remained active as an entertainer. He supported Judy Garland in the 1960s and had smaller comebacks in the television shows of Andy Williams and Johnny Carson in the early 1970s . In the 1980s he was hired for short appearances in pop and rock videos.

Ray died of liver failure on February 24, 1990.

Influences and style

Johnnie Ray named singer Billie Holiday as his most significant influence . But he also adopted the religious fervor of the spirituals in his singing style; According to the critic Ralph J. Gleason , Little Miss Cornshucks ' emotional singing style also had a formative influence on Ray. Due to this allusion to the black genres, the artist, who was mainly played on the radio, was considered to be an African American himself. Mainly Johnnie Ray was known for his extremely emotional vocal performances. Especially when performing live, he staged heartache and self-pity by stuttering and sobbing in front of the microphone. As he did so, his body twitched as if it were tormented from emotional distress to physical pain. Ray would regularly break into tears at the end of a performance and collapse on stage. Contemporary critics of the serious music alleged only inauthentic staging, the music journalist Armold Shaw, in return, attests Ray a real representation of conflict, which is fed from the self-pity of the introverted, half-deaf child and teenager, as well as from what was perceived as scandalous in the 1950s Rumors of Ray's drug use and homosexuality.

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Just Walkin 'in the Rain: The Very Best of Johnnie Ray
  UK 67 05/31/2008 (1 week)
Singles
Walking My Baby Back Home
  UK 12 11/20/1952 (1 week)
Faith Can Move Mountains (and the Four Lads)
  UK 7th December 25, 1952 (3 weeks)
Ma Says Pa Says (with Doris Day )
  UK 12 04/09/1953 (1 week)
Somebody Stole My Gal
  UK 6th 04/16/1953 (7 weeks)
Full Time Job (with Doris Day )
  UK 11 04/23/1953 (1 week)
Let's Walk That-A-Way (with Doris Day )
  UK 4th 07/30/1953 (14 weeks)
Find a night
  UK 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 04/15/1954 (18 weeks)
If you believe
  UK 7th 04/14/1955 (11 weeks)
Paths of Paradise
  UK 20th 05/26/1955 (1 week)
Hernando's hideaway
  UK 11 10/13/1955 (5 weeks)
Hey there
  UK 5 October 20, 1955 (9 weeks)
Song of the Dreamer
  UK 10 03/11/1955 (5 weeks)
Who's Sorry Now
  UK 17th 02/23/1956 (2 weeks)
Ain't misbehavin '
  UK 17th 04/26/1956 (7 weeks)
Just walkin 'in the rain
  DE 6th 02/01/1957 (16 weeks)
  UK 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 10/18/1956 (19 weeks)
  US 2 09/01/1956 (28 weeks)
You Don't Owe Me a Thing
  US 10 01/12/1957 (12 weeks)
You Don't Owe Me a Thing / Look Homeward, Angel
  UK 7th 01/24/1957 (19 weeks)
Look homeward, Angel
  US 36 01/26/1957 (9 weeks)
Yes Tonight, Josephine
  DE 9 08/01/1957 (24 weeks)
  UK 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 05/16/1957 (16 weeks)
  US 18th 04/20/1957 (13 weeks)
Build Your Love (On a Strong Foundation)
  UK 17th 09/12/1957 (7 weeks)
  US 58 07/27/1957 (9 weeks)
Good Evening Friends / Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air (with Frankie Laine )
  UK 25th 10/10/1957 (4 weeks)
Up Until Now
  US 81 09/06/1958 (3 weeks)
I'll Never Fall in Love Again
  UK 26th December 10, 1959 (6 weeks)
  US 75 09/19/1959 (6 weeks)

successes

Johnnie Ray was one of America's most successful pop performers between 1952 and 1955. As one of the very first music interpreters, he caused downright riots at his concerts, was stormed and harassed by enthusiastic female fans and had to be regularly rescued by the police. These storms of enthusiasm were only known from the film business at the beginning of the 1950s and only reappeared later in the admiration for Elvis and in Beatlemania .

Discography

Singles (date of recording in brackets)

  • Tango Of Love / Mirage , Standard 183 (1951)
  • Tell The Lady I Said I Said Good Bye / Whiskey & Gin , Okeh 6809 (August 1951)
  • She Didn't Say Nothin 'At All / I'm Just A Shadow Of Myself , Columbia 3485 (UK only; 1951)
  • Give Me Time / All Of Me , Columbia 39703 (1951)
  • Cry / The Little White Cloud That Cried , Okeh 6840 (October 16, 1951)
  • Please Mr. Sun / (Here Am I) Broken Hearted , Columbia 39636 (December 1951)
  • What's The Use / Mountains In The Moonlight , Columbia 39698 (December 1951)
  • Don't Blame Me / Coffee And Cigarettes , Columbia 39700 (February 1952 / May 9, 1952)
  • Walkin'My Baby Back Home / Out In The Cold Again , Columbia 39701 (February 1952 / August 1951)
  • The Lady Drinks Champaigne / Don't Take Your Love From Me , Columbia 39702 (May 9, 1952)
  • Walkin 'My Baby Back Home / Give Me Time , Columbia 39750 (February 1952 / October 1951)
  • All Of Me / A Sinner Am I , Columbia 39788 (February 1952)
  • Gee, But I'm Lonesome / Don't Say Love Has Ended , Columbia 39814 (June 1952)
  • Faith Can Move Mountains / Love Me , Columbia 39837 (June 1952)
  • Ma Says, Pa Says / A Full-Time Job , Columbia 39898 (with Doris Day ) (December 1952)
  • In The Touch Of God's Hand / Walk & Talk With My Lord , Columbia 39908 (November 28, 1952)
  • Oh, What A Sad, Sad Day / Mister Midnight , Columbia 39939 (December 1952 / November 28, 1952)
  • Glad Rag Doll / Somebody Stole My Gal , Columbia 39961 (December 1952 / November 28, 1952)
  • Let's Walk That-a-Way / Candy Lips , Columbia 40001 (with Doris Day) (December 1952)
  • With These Hands / Satisfied , Columbia 40006 (November 28, 1952)
  • Tell the Lady I Said… / All I Do Is Dream Of You , Columbia 40046 (December 1952 / November 28, 1952)
  • Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone / An Orchid For The Lady , Columbia 40090 (November 28, 1952 / December 1952)
  • Why Should I Be Sorry / You'd Be Surprised , Columbia 40154 (December 1953)
  • Hey There / Hernando's Hideaway , Columbia 40224 (March 1954)
  • To Ev'ry Girl To Ev'ry Boy / Going-Going-Gone , Columbia 40252 (March 1954)
  • Papa Loves Mambo / The Only Girl I'll Ever Love , Columbia 40324 (May 1954)
  • If You Believe / Alexander's Ragtime Band , Columbia 40391 (December 1953)
  • As Time Goes By / Nobody's Sweetheart , Columbia 40392 (December 1953 / November 28, 1952)
  • Paths Of Paradise / Parade Of Broken Hearts , Columbia 40435 (January 1955)
  • Flip, Flop & Fly / Thine Eyes Are As The Eyes… Columbia 40471 (September 1954)
  • Taking A Chance On Love / My Love For You , Philips 463 (UK only) (1955)
  • Song Of The Dreamer / I've Got So Many Million Years , Columbia 40528 (March 1955)
  • Johnnie's Comin 'Home / Love, Love, Love , Columbia 40578 (May 1955)
  • Who's Sorry Now / A Heart Comes In Handy , Columbia 40613 (February 1956)
  • Ain't Misbehavin ' / Walk Along With Kings , Columbia 40649 (March 1956)
  • Goodbye, Au Revoir & Adios / Because I Love You , Columbia 40695 (July 1956)
  • Walkin 'In The Rain / In The Candlelight , Columbia 40729 (September 1956)
  • You Don't Owe Me A Thing / Look Homeward Angel , Columbia 40803 (November 1956)
  • Yes Tonight Josephine / No Wedding Today , Columbia 40893 (April 1957)
  • Street Of Memories / Build Your Love , Columbia 40942 (June 1957)
  • Up Above My Head / Good Evening Friends , Columbia 40976 (1957)
  • Pink Sweater Angel / Texas Tambourine , Columbia 41002 (1957)
  • Soliloquy Of A Fool / Miss Me Just A Little , Columbia 41069 (1957)
  • Plant A Little Seed / Strollin 'Girl , Columbia 41124 (1957)
  • Lonely For A Letter / Endlessly , Columbia 41162 (1958)
  • Up Until Now / No Regrets , Columbia 41213 (June 15, 1958)
  • What More Can I Say / You're The One Who Knows , Columbia 41280 (1958)
  • One Man's Love Song Is Another Man's Blues / When's Your Birthday, Baby , Columbia 41327 (1958)
  • Here & Now / Call Me Yours , Columbia 41372 (1959)
  • I'll Never Fall In Love Again / You're All That I Live For , Columbia 41438 (August 1959)
  • When It's Springtime In The Rockies / An Ordinary Couple , Columbia 41528 (1959)
  • I'll Make You Mine / Before You , Columbia 41626 (1960)
  • Tell Me / Don't Leave Me Now , Columbia 41705 (1960)
  • In The Heart Of A Fool / Let's Forget It Now , Cadence 1387 (October 1960)
  • How Many Nights How Many Days / I'll Bring Along My… United Artists 341 (1961)
  • A Lover's Question / Nothing Goes Up , Liberty 54404 (1962)
  • I Believe / A Mother's Love , Liberty 55400 (with Timi Yuro ) (1962)
  • Cry / Scotch And Soda , Liberty 55431 (1962)
  • After The Laughter Came The Tears / Look Out Chattanooga , Decca 31459 (1963)
  • I Can't Stop Crying For You / Lonely Wine , Decca 31507 (1963)
  • Break My Heart Break / Can't I , Decca 31601 (1963)

Web links

Interpretations and quotations

Ray is mentioned at the beginning of the song Come On Eileen by the Dexys Midnight Runners . There it says: Poor old Johnnie Ray / Sounded sad upon the radio / Moved a million hearts in mono / Our mothers cried, sang along / Who would blame them? He can also be seen on archive recordings in the video for the song.

He is also mentioned in Billy Idol's 1986 song Don't Need a Gun . He also appears several times in the role of a car driver in the music video.

Likewise, Ray is in the song We Did not Start the Fire by Billy Joel called - in addition to dozens of other names of personalities from politics and culture.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Charlie Gillett: The Sound of the City. The history of rock music . 1st edition. Two thousand and one, Frankfurt am Main 1978, five styles of rock 'n' roll. II, p. 85 ff . (American English: The Sound of the City . Translated by Teja Schwaner).
  2. ↑ Billboard Magazine, September 15, 1951, p. 34.
  3. ^ Bill Dahl: Johnnie Ray Biography. In: All Music Guide. Retrieved March 9, 2009 .
  4. ↑ Nik Cohn: AWopBopaLooBopALopBamBoom . Piper Schott, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-492-18402-2 , p. 13 f . (American English: Pop from the Beginning . Translated by Teja Schwaner, first edition: 1971).
  5. ↑ Barrett Reynolds: Johnnie Ray: Why I Cry for the Legend Who Should Have Been. (No longer available online.) In: The Halcyon Weekly Press. 2004, archived from the original on January 18, 2009 ; accessed on November 28, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Barry Mazor: A Soul Forgotten . ( Memento from December 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: No Depression , 2003; Retrieved May 31, 2010
  7. ↑ a b Arnold Shaw: Rock 'n' Roll. The stars, the music and the myths of the 50s . 2nd Edition. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1978, ISBN 3-499-17109-0 , p. 60 ff . (American English: The Rockin '50s . Translated by Teja Schwaner).
  8. ↑ a b Chart sources: UK DE & US
personal data
SURNAME Ray, Johnnie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ray, John Alvin (full name at birth)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American pop singer
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Hopewell , Oregon, USA
DATE OF DEATH February 25, 1990
Place of death Los Angeles , California, USA