Ray Harris
Ray Harris , actually Homer Raymond Harris (born September 7, 1927 in Mantachie , Mississippi , † November 13, 2003 in Moreville , Mississippi) was an American rockabilly musician who was best known for his rough songs on Sun Records .
Life
Childhood and youth
Ray Harris grew up near Tupelo . His childhood was mainly characterized by an asthma illness. His parents, both musically talented, performed at local barn dances on weekends, which the young Harris attended. At the age of 17, he volunteered for the United States Air Force . Upon his return, Harris, who was now married and had two daughters, moved to Memphis, Tennessee .
Career
In Memphis, Harris found a job with the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company , where Bill Black also worked. Black told Harris that he was recording with a young singer named Elvis Presley . Harris was allowed to watch a recording session while Presley made Good Rocking Tonight . Harris was impressed by the new, rhythmically completely different style, which would later be called rockabilly, and decided to become a musician too. He formed a band with his friend, guitarist Wayne Cogswell , and performed at local events.
In 1956 Harris and Cogswell introduced themselves to Sam Phillips , the owner of Sun Records, and were signed by him. Harris' first single came out on October 20, 1956 with the rough Come On Little Mama , which sold well locally. Even if the defused, alternative version of the title has already been released, the song was considered unbelievably "rough and raw". A second single followed in the summer of 1957, the Traditional Greenback Dollar, Watch and Chain, interpreted with a completely new rhythm and arrangement . The piece was recorded during one of the famous "Sun parties" at which many other Sun artists were also present. Harris recalled, “To be perfectly honest, we were drinking the night, we cut it. The more we drank, the better the song sounded. ”Here, too, a defused version was released. After that Harris played a few more demos, but then left Sun because his music was too special and not for sale to commercial audiences.
In 1957, Harris founded the Hi Records label in Memphis with musicians Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch and music store owner Joe Cuoghi . Harris subsequently worked as a producer and worked with Jerry Lee Lewis ' cousin , Carl McVoy . As an A&R manager, he had some hits with artists like Bill Black , Ace Cannon , Jerry Jaye and Jumpin 'Gene Simmons in the 1960s .
Later years and death
In 1970 Harris opened a construction company in Tupelo and in the mid-1970s he decided to run a recording studio with Sam Phillips. However, the project went wrong, and Harris lost all of his savings. In addition, Phillips turned away from him completely, even if Harris' daughter was married to his youngest son. Harris then co-owned a small studio in Saltillo, Mississippi .
After a bypass operation in the 1980s, he was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx . Harris struggled with the disease, however, and began to appear sporadically again. In March 2003 he recorded the album Raw'N'Rockin ' , which included his old songs as well as new ones.
He was honored with induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame .
Discography
Singles
| year | title | Label # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Come On Little Mama / Where'd You Stay Last Night | Sun 254 | |||
| 1957 | Greenback Dollar, Watch and Chain / Foolish Heart | Sun 272 | |||
| 2001 | Come On Little Mama / Take Me To That Place (B-side by Jack Earls ) | Norton / Sun Records | |||
| 2001 | Lonely Wolf /? (B-side of Jimmy Pritchett) | Norton / Sun Records | |||
| Unpublished titles | |||||
| 1955-1957 |
|
Sun Records | |||
| 1957-1958 |
|
Sun Records | |||
( Come On Little Mama , Greenback Dollar, Watch and Chain and Lonely Wolf were later released in the CD series That'll Flat Git It on the Bear Family label.)
Albums
- 2003: Raw'N'Rockin '
Web links
- Entry into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
- Ray Harris in the All Music Guide
- Discography with audio samples
Individual evidence
- ↑ For the recordings for Sun Records see: Colin Escott, Martin Hawkins: Good Rockin 'Tonight. Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll . St. Martin's Press, New York 1991, pp. 171-174.
- ^ Billboard Review , 1956
- ^ Adam Komorowski: Classic Rockabilly - Ray Harris , Liner Notes. P. 55 f.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harris, Ray |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Harris, Homer Raymond (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 7, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mantachie , Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 13, 2003 |
| Place of death | Moreville , Mississippi |