1) James Ray (born Jam… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) James Ray (born James Ray Raymond in Washington, D.C. in 1941, died c. 1964) was an African American R&B singer of the early 1960s.
A resident of Washington, the diminutive, 5-foot (1.5-meter) singer was discovered in 1961 while destitute and living on a rooftop, and began recording as James Ray for Caprice Records. His best-known hit was "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", which reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962 and was also a top 10 R&B hit. The single was issued in the UK in 1962 as well, and was performed by The Beatles before it was discovered by Freddie and the Dreamers who took it into the UK top 5 the year after.
In the U.S., Ray's single was followed by an eponymous album, which contained the follow up single "Itty Bitty Pieces", which reached #41 on the Hot 100, as well as a song called "Got My Mind Set On You". A severely edited version of this was released later in the year as a single on the Dynamic Sound label and reached #22.
Many of Ray's songs were written by Rudy Clark, later to become famous for "The Shoop Shoop Song" and others.
James Ray is thought to have died in 1964, due to a drug overdose.
The Beatles' George Harrison purchased a copy of Ray's album in 1963 when he went to the United States to visit his sister. Over two decades later he revived "Got My Mind Set On You" and took it to #1 in early 1988.
John Lennon was also a fan and included "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" on his jukebox, the contents of which were issued as a double CD in 2004 after the jukebox itself was purchased at an auction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ray_%28singer%29
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2) James Ray is a rock singer and band-leader, best known as a member of Andrew Eldritch's side-project The Sisterhood.
He was a founding member of "James Ray And The Performance", a rock band with ties to goth rock. James Ray has also formed the bands "James Rays Gangwar", "The MK Ultra", "4080peru" and his current band 25men
James Ray And The Performance
The Performance was a band started by James Ray and Carl Harrison. An early demo of tracks such as "Mexico Sundown Blues", "Dance" and "Edie Sedgwick" (the latter named after the actress) was sent to The Sisters of Mercy's record label, Merciful Release. The band were signed, and after Ray's contribution to The Sisterhood project "Gift", Merciful released the Mexico Sundown Blues single in July 1986. The singles "Texas" and "Dust Boat" were also released on Merciful, followed by the compilation A New Kind Of Assassin.
James Rays Gangwar
After The Performance, Ray formed James Rays Gangwar. The band were still contracted to Merciful for an album, so the band recorded the Dios Esta De Nuestro Lado LP, a more aggressive sounding album, still with the southern American influence, and a cover of Alvin Stardust's "[My] Coo Ca Choo" closing the album. The opening track, Rev Rev Lowrider was released as a single. Other non-album tracks were released as singles, "Fuel", "Another Million Dollars" and "Without Conscience".
After this, Gangwar released the Third Generation LP on Surgery Records, a much more techno-based album, with fewer guitars, and a more trance-like feel. The song "Fuelled Up" draws heavily from the earlier song "Fuel," which in turn borrows heavily from the melody of Knock on Wood.
The final Gangwar album was 'Psychodalek', combining the techno feel of Third Generation and their traditioanal overdriven guitar sounds. The album aslo featured a new recording of Edie Sedgewick, entitled only Edie, featuring These Crimson Dreams singer, Tamsin.
The MK Ultra
After the release of Third Generation, Ray formed the project "The MK Ultra", a solo effort, again releasing on Merciful Release. The first LP This Is This had a more dance-like feel than Third Generation, continuing to incorporate samples and Ray's own deep voice against the female backing vocals and techno rhythms. The first track, "Regeneration" is a remix of the title track from Third Generation. After This Is This, Ray released Beluga Pop, a collection of ambient techno pieces, far removed from much of his earlier work. The MK Ultra did not release any singles. Ray later wrote a novella entitled "Psychodalek" under the James Ray's Gangwar moniker, and released an album of the same name as a soundtrack to accompany the book. Both the novella and the album are currently available to download from his website.
Present day
In recent years, Gangwar have reformed, to play a handful of concerts, such as Wave-Gotik-Treffen. A further ambient project, 4080Peru was formed, writing long soundscapes. 4080Peru have also performed these tracks live. Ray is also currently working with the band 25men, and still keeping up with Speedy Dave.
25men
25men consists of various transient musicians and artists from around the world who contribute to 25men. Designed and directed by James Ray, 25men present an amalgamation of musical and artistic ideas resulting in a sound that takes the sound of Gangwar and 4080peru to another dimension.
St. James Infirmary
James Ray Lyrics
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They were serving drinks as usual, and the usual crowd was there
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot red
And he turned his face to the people, these were the very words he said
I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
She was stretched out on a long white table,
So sweet, cool and so fair
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
The gang'll know I died standing pat
Let her go, let her go God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
I want six crapshooters to be my pallbearers
Three pretty women to sing a song
Stick a jazz band on my hearse wagon
Raise hell as I stroll along
Let her go Let her go
God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide
World over
She'll never find a sweeter
Man as me
The song "St. James Infirmary" is a traditional blues song that has been covered by many musicians over the years, but perhaps the most famous version is the one recorded by James Ray in 1963. The song tells the story of someone who has just come from visiting their lover in the hospital and finding out that she has died. The singer reflects on her beauty and sweetness, and expresses his sorrow at her passing.
The lyrics are poignant and touching, but they also have a sense of dark humor and irony. The idea of being buried in a high top Stetson hat and having a jazz band play at your funeral is both somber and absurd. The line about being the sweetest man his lover will ever find is both romantic and boastful. The song captures the complex emotions of grief and loss in a way that is both honest and entertaining.
Line by Line Meaning
It was down by old Joe's barroom, on the corner of the square
The scene is set in front of Joe's barroom, located on the corner of the square.
They were serving drinks as usual, and the usual crowd was there
Drinks were being served and the crowd was typical for the setting.
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot red
Big Joe McKennedy was standing to the left with bloodshot eyes.
And he turned his face to the people, these were the very words he said
Big Joe addressed the crowd with his statement.
I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
The artist visited St. James infirmary and saw his lover's dead body.
She was stretched out on a long white table, So sweet, cool and so fair
The woman was laid out on a table, looking peaceful and beautiful.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her Wherever she may be
The singer wishes the woman a peaceful afterlife, wherever she ends up.
She may search this whole wide world over Never find a sweeter man as me
The artist considers himself irreplaceable and the sweetest man his lover could find.
When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat
The artist requests to be buried in his signature Stetson hat after he dies.
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain The gang'll know I died standing pat
The artist wants a gold piece on his watch chain so that his peers know he died with integrity.
I want six crapshooters to be my pallbearers Three pretty women to sing a song Stick a jazz band on my hearse wagon Raise hell as I stroll along
The singer wants six gamblers to carry his coffin, three women to sing, and a jazz band to create a lively funeral procession.
Let her go Let her go God bless her Wherever she may be She may search this whole wide World over She'll never find a sweeter Man as me
The song concludes with the artist reiterating his love for the woman and his own worth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind