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Johnnie RayAmerican singer, composer and pianist
Date of Birth: 10.01.1927
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Johnny Ray
Johnny Ray was an American singer, composer, and pianist who rose to fame in the 1950s. He is often considered one of the greatest musical stars of the United States during that time. Ray's music, influenced by jazz and blues but radically different from anything that came before him, is seen as a precursor to the musical phenomenon known as rock and roll. His emotional performances and the sexual undertones in his songs made him an idol for young people from Chicago to Sydney.
Early Life and Career
John Elvin Ray was born on January 10, 1927, in Dallas, Oregon, as the second child of Elmer and Hazel Ray. He spent part of his childhood on the family farm, growing up with his older sister Elma. After completing elementary school, Johnny moved to Portland, Oregon, where he finished his secondary education.
Despite having English ancestry from his great-grandfather George Kirby Gay, who was one of the pioneers of Oregon, Johnny also had Native American heritage from one of his great-grandmothers. From a young age, Ray impressed his family and friends with his musical talents and acting skills. At the age of 12, he partially lost his hearing in his right ear during a Boy Scout accident. This injury later led him to perform with a hearing aid, and in 1958, he underwent surgery in New York, which left him practically deaf.
Initially, Ray aspired to be an actor, but when he couldn't find work in theater, he focused on singing. His breakthrough came with performances at the Flame Show Bar in Detroit, a nightclub for African Americans, where he developed his distinctive emotional and physically active style of performance. Johnny freely moved around the stage, tearing his hair, waving his arms, pulling down curtains, falling to the floor, allowing his emotions to distort his face, and sometimes even crying while singing. The lyrics of his songs were always filled with passion and a sense of urgency.
Success and Decline
Ray's performances at the Flame Show Bar attracted the attention of record company executives, and in October 1951, he recorded the songs "Cry" and "The Little White Cloud That Cried." These songs seemed to call for revolution and completely revolutionized the music world. They instantly soared to the top of the charts and held the number one spot for 11 weeks. Ultimately, three million copies of the recordings were sold. From 1951 to 1959, Ray released over 20 incredibly popular hits. Some, including "Please, Mr. Sun," "Here Am I-Broken Hearted," and "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," achieved overwhelming success worldwide. Throughout most of the 1950s, he earned over a million dollars a year, recording songs, performing concerts, and appearing in films.
However, his fame was accompanied by alcoholism and an unconventional lifestyle. Johnny openly identified as bisexual, which was against the law at the time, and he was arrested multiple times on charges related to moral offenses. At the same time, he had a very public affair with Dorothy Kilgallen, a journalist from New York high society who was 14 years older than him. In 1952, after his initial concerts in New York, he married Marilyn Morrison, but the couple separated the following year and divorced in 1954.
Starting in the late 1950s, Ray's fame began to fade, partly due to his excessive lifestyle and reports of his bisexuality. Additionally, new talents were emerging, ready to once again revolutionize the music world, and Johnny soon became one of many casualties of the changes in the music industry. In the 1970s, he seemed to find himself again and appeared as a chansonnier in cabaret. Despite the problems he faced in the United States, he remained incredibly popular overseas, especially in Australia and England, where he continued to fill large venues until the late 1980s.
Later Life and Legacy
Johnny Ray's last performance took place on October 6, 1989, at the Grand Theatre in Salem. He died from liver failure on February 24, 1990, in Los Angeles at the age of 63. It was an unfortunate end for an artist who had made dozens of "gold" records and paved the way for Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Elton John with his sexual energy and passion for rock and roll. Ray was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the recording industry.
