Come On Eileen - who was Johnny Ray?

Factual Questions
1

In their song “Come On Eileen”, Dexy’s Midnight Runners refer to Johnny Ray, and how he “moved a million hearts in mono.”

Was he some famous radio icon of a bygone era? I am totally missing the origin here.

Pete
Take off every .sig for great justice!

2

Here ya go…
http://www.findagrave.com/pictures/8831.html

3

He was a singer in the fifties - originally recorded “Cry” (later covered by Roy Orbison).

You don’t hear “Come on Eileen” much these days.

4

Johnny Ray’s “Cry” and Roy Orbison’s “Cryin’” were different songs. Are you sure Roy Orbison did a cover of “Cry”?

Trivia bit: “Come on Eileen” is the most-requested oldie on the local “new music/alternative” station (in Atlanta). Go figure.

5

Johnny Ray was the last of the pop singers to appeal to the bobby-soxer crowd pre-Elvis and rock and roll. His trademark was a sort of a catch in his voice that was supposed to show just how emotionally committed to the song he was.

If-a your sweet-a-heart
Sends a letter…

He also did a song called Lucky Old Sun that any self-respecting Deadhead will recognize.

“Cry,” sung by Johnny Ray, and “Crying,” by Roy Orbison are completely different songs.

6

According to Lester Bangs’s Creem history of Rock (which I read in paperback sometime in the 1970s), before Rock ‘n’ Roll made the scene, “the closest thing to excitement was being generated by a histrionic cabaret singer named Johnny Ray.”

I think the reason why he’s considered to rate a footnote in Rock prehistory is that he drew crowds of teenyboppers/bobbysoxers who went gaga over him, thus prefiguring Beatlemania. I think there was even a riot at the site of one of his appearances. Since Ray had grown up hearing-impaired, he was able to release his frustration and rage at life in general by crying in every performance. Women had never seen a man dare to weep and sob openly before, so that novelty alone must have given them one hell of a frisson.

7

I always thought that Johnny Ray was the father of Eileen’s child. Being that he came in Eileen rather than on Eileen.

:: D & R ::

8

I got to thinking about it after hearing Save Ferris cover it.

Thanks, guys. I knew I could count on my fellow Dopers to help me out.

Pete
Take off every .sig for great justice!!

9

I thought Johnny Ray was an infeilder for the Pirates in the 80’s…

10

Here you go, Adam:
Q. What’s grosser than grease on Olivia Newton-John?
A. Come on Eileen.

(Sorry.)