One of the country greats, Ray Price, died today. I knew of him through my parents’ taste when I was a kid. “Crazy Arms” is an absolute classic. I guess it’s way past time for me to learn it.
Bye, Ray.
We knew this one by heart in the 50’s – Heartaches by the Number. I’m not sure but it might have made the pop charts – great crossover song.
He was an “honest” country singer, unlike the posers of today. A lot of those older songs easily made the crossover to pop charts, and I remember them well.
Ray’s version never did. Johnny Tillotson’s rather lame pop cover was his last Top 40 chart entry in 1965.
I’ve been singing Ray’s songs in bar/VFW/Moose/Eagles bands since 1975. All from his golden honky-tonk era; I’m one of those who got off the bus when he started putting on a tuxedo and slathering his songs with strings.
In my view, while Hank Williams is the greatest country artist of all time, Ray Price is the greatest country singer. There’s so much feeling and soul in his classic songs, and his band featured some of the most amazing country ensemble playing ever.
A former bandmate emailed me last night, wondering which Ray songs we used to do. I counted up ten or more of them, and I still sing most of them to this day.
With Ray gone, the only remaining link to the Golden Age of Country music (roughly 1948-1956) is Little Jimmy Dickens. It’s a great loss.
We’ve still got Willie Nelson. He wasn’t a “star” in those days–he wasn’t handsome & sang too weird for the Nashville Powers That Be. But he was a hit songwriter–and played in Ray’s band. Here, they’re doing Willie’s tune, Night Life.
(Townes van Zandt used to introduce one of his more depressing songs: “This one is about living in Beaumont & commuting to Pasadena.”)
I am not a big fan of the country music of that era. I grew up with it and I learned to dislike it very much. However, Ray Price transcended my dislike. Unlike a lot of his contemporaries, who were products of the record label PR machines, Ray Price could sing. He could really sing.
Don’t look so sad,
I know it’s over.
But life goes on,
and this old world
will keep on turning…
