Ray was born in Hopewell, Oregon, spending part of his childhood on a farm, eventually moving to Portland, Oregon. Ray was of Native American origin; his great-grandmother was a full-blooded Native American and his great-grandfather was Oregon pioneer George Kirby Gay of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. He became deaf in his right ear at age 13 after an accident during a Boy Scout event. It was his participation in the "blanket toss," a sort of variation of the trampoline, that traumatized the youngster's inner ear. Ray later performed wearing a hearing aid. Surgery performed in New York in 1958 left him almost completely deaf in both ears, although hearing aids helped his condition.
Career
Ray first attracted attention while performing at the Flame Showbar in Detroit, Michigan, an R&B nightclub. Inspired by rhythm singers like Kay Starr, LaVern Baker and Ivory Joe Hunter, Ray developed a unique rhythm based style, described as alternating between pre-rock R&B and a more conventional classic pop approach.
His first record, the self-penned R&B number for OKeh Records, "Whiskey and Gin", was a minor hit in 1951. The following year he dominated the charts with the double-sided hit single of "Cry" and "The Little White Cloud That Cried". Selling over two million copies of the 45 single, Ray's delivery struck a chord with teenagers and he quickly became a teen idol.
Ray's performing style included theatrics later associated with rock 'n roll, including beating up his piano, writhing on the floor and crying. Ray quickly earned the nicknames, "Mr. Emotion", "The Nabob of Sob", and "The Prince of Wails", and several others.
More hits followed, including "Please Mr. Sun", "Such a Night", "Walkin' My Baby Back Home", "A Sinner Am I", and "Yes Tonight Josephine". His last hit was "Just Walkin' in the Rain", in 1956. He did, however, hit again in 1957 with "You Don't Owe Me a Thing", which reached #10 in the Billboard charts. He was popular in the United Kingdom, breaking the record at the London Palladium formerly set by Frankie Laine.[citation needed] In later years, he retained a loyal fan base overseas, particularly in Australia.
Later career influences
Ray had a close relationship with journalist and television game show panelist Dorothy Kilgallen who gave a boost to his sagging career during his engagement at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965.
In early 1969, Ray befriended Judy Garland, performing as her opening act during her last concerts in Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden. Ray was also the best man during Garland's wedding to nightclub manager Mickey Deans in London.[4]
Ray's American career revived in the early 1970s, with appearances on The Andy Williams Show in 1970 and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson three times during 1972 and 1973. His personal manager Bill Franklin resigned in 1976 and cut off contact with the singer a few years later. His American revival turned out to be shortlived. He performed in small American venues such as El Camino College in 1987. Australian, English and Scottish promoters booked him for their large venues as late as 1989, his last year of performing.
Some writers suggested that the reason American entertainment bookers and songwriters ignored him in the 1980s was because they simply did not know who he was, or what his sound was like. His exposure during the new era of cable television was limited to a few seconds in Dexys Midnight Runners' 1982 music video for "Come On Eileen", using archival footage of Ray from 1954. He was name checked in the lyrics to "Come On Eileen" (viz "Poor old Johnnie Ray sounded sad upon the radio / he moved a million hearts in mono").
His other video appearance was in Billy Idol's 1986 "Don't Need a Gun", in which Ray appeared on-camera.
Cool Water
Johnnie Ray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without the taste of water, cool water
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
And souls that cry for water, cool, clear water
Keep a-movin', Dan, don't you listen to him, Dan
He's a devil not a man
And he spreads the burning sand with water
Where the water's runnin' free
And it's waiting there for you and me
The nights are cool and I'm a fool
Each star's a pool of water, cool water
But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn
And carry on to water, cool, clear, water
The shadows sway and seem to say
Tonight we pray for water, cool, water
And way up there He'll hear our prayer
And show us where there's water, cool, clear, water
Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for
Just one thing more than water, cool, water
Like me I guess he'd like to rest
Where there's no quest for water, cool, clear, water
The song 'Cool Water' by Johnnie Ray is a classic Western ballad that delves deep into the struggles of trekking through the barren American Southwest. The lyrics trace the journey of the singer and his companion Old Dan as they make their way through the desolate wasteland, their desperate search for water ever-present. The first verse sets the scene, describing the emptiness of the landscape and the anguish of not having any water to drink.
In the second verse, the song takes on a more tense tone as the singer and Old Dan are warned of a devilish man who "spreads the burning sand with water". This person represents a danger to the two outward-bound travelers, but the singer encourages Old Dan to keep moving towards a big green tree where the water is running free.
In the final verse, the singer describes the desperation of his situation, and how he is constantly on the lookout for a source of water. The shadows at night seem to mirror his plight, and he prays to a higher power to provide him with the life-giving fluid. The song concludes with the hope that both he and Old Dan will one day find respite from their journey, a place where there is "no quest for water, cool, clear water".
Line by Line Meaning
All day I've faced the barren waste
I've been wandering in the empty desert all day
Without the taste of water, cool water
I haven't had cool, refreshing water to drink
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
My old friend Dan and I are parched and dehydrated
And souls that cry for water, cool, clear water
We desperately need cool and clear water to drink
Keep a-movin', Dan, don't you listen to him, Dan
Let's keep moving, Dan, don't pay attention to your doubts, Dan
He's a devil not a man
The person who's trying to discourage us is like a devil, not a man
And he spreads the burning sand with water
He's making us imagine water where there isn't any, which is cruel
Dan can you see that big green tree
Do you see that large, green tree, Dan?
Where the water's runnin' free
Water is flowing freely at that location
And it's waiting there for you and me
We can find water at that location, set aside just for us
The nights are cool and I'm a fool
The nights are refreshing, but I'm foolish for not resting
Each star's a pool of water, cool water
I'm so thirsty that I imagine every star as a pool of refreshing water
But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn
When the sun rises, I'll wake up and yawn
And carry on to water, cool, clear, water
I'll continue my journey to find cool and clear water
The shadows sway and seem to say
The shadowy shapes around me appear to be urging me along
Tonight we pray for water, cool, water
Tonight, we are praying together for cool water
And way up there He'll hear our prayer
Up in the heavens, God will hear our plea
And show us where there's water, cool, clear, water
And guide us to where we can find cool and clear water
Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for
Dan's feet are tired, and he's yearning for
Just one thing more than water, cool, water
Something more than water, he wants to rest
Like me I guess he'd like to rest
Like me, I think Dan wants to rest too
Where there's no quest for water, cool, clear, water
Somewhere where we don't have to keep searching for cool and clear water
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Nolan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
almailman
Always loved this song (I'm 65). First heard it as a child and thought that it was "nice." It's like a great novel: The same book, read at different stages in your life have a different message. So it is with "Cool Water." Now, it makes me sad (still love it).
John Mellish
I didnt know he had recorded it,but made a very good job of it.
Noel Paech
A nice song sung well.
MrBanjo102
I have never heard this before....I like it
Toos van Es
Great song .
Mark Harris
Wow, 1:28 !! That's some mighty cool water !!
Alan Fox
Frankie line the definitive version for me.
Mark Gallagher
As I pointed out in another of my "Cool Water" songs I have on YT. Back in the thirties when Bob Nolan wrote this song, The Sons Of The Pioneers were making a western movie and one of the mules on the lot was named Dan and it just seemed to go with the song.
Mark Gallagher
@MrBanjo102 Johnnie was born and rasied in the west so he should have had a feeling for the western style of music. He did this album for his parents and for "The Cry Guy" he didn't do to bad on it.
Teddyb1939
@1950sTeddyboy I also loved the Frankie Laine version of this track but think that Johnnie's recording is almost as good and it was new to me, You are right ,best of the era. I have loads of the old 78s, these 2 greats plus lots of the other million sellers,