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.
Here I Am Broken Hearted
Johnnie Ray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There he is, my old pal,
And here am I, broken hearted!
She was mine in May, his in June,
She forgot mighty soon,
And here am I, broken hearted!
The last time that we said goodbye,
It's bad enough that I lost her,
I only had to lose him too!
Therer they go in their joy,
Happy girl and lucky boy!
And here am I, broken hearted!
Oh, my heart will never ever know a pain
If I hadn't ever loved in vain,
But here am I, broken hearted!
The song "Here Am I, Broken Hearted" by Johnnie Ray is an emotional and heart-wrenching ballad that speaks about a lover who has lost the love of his life to another person. The lyrics are poignant and speak to the pain of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate the feeling. The first two lines of the song introduce the three main characters, the singer, his old gal, and his old pal, the latter two being lovers. The singer is left heartbroken as he watches his old gal move on with his old pal.
The song uses imagery to tell the story of how the singer's heart has been broken. The second verse alludes to the fact that the singer and his old gal had parted ways some time ago, and he ends up losing his old pal to her as well. The chorus elucidates the singer's bad luck and how he is left behind as his old gal and pal move on with their lives, leaving him to suffer the pain of a broken heart. The last line in the song is particularly striking as the singer reflects on how he would not have to bear the pain of a broken heart if he had never loved in vain.
In summary, "Here Am I, Broken Hearted" is a poignant lament of lost love and the pain that follows. The song's use of imagery and metaphor captures the raw emotions felt by the singer and makes it relatable for anyone who has experienced the loss of love.
Line by Line Meaning
There she is, my old gal,
The woman who was once my partner is present before me.
There he is, my old pal,
The man who was once my friend is also present before me.
And here am I, broken hearted!
I am currently feeling distraught and miserable.
She was mine in May, his in June,
She was in a relationship with me in May but moved on to the other guy in June.
She forgot mighty soon,
She did not take long to forget about me and find interest in someone else.
And here am I, broken hearted!
I am still feeling miserable despite her moving on.
The last time that we said goodbye,
Our previous goodbye was final.
I knew that we were through!
I was aware that our relationship was over.
It's bad enough that I lost her,
Losing her is already terrible.
I only had to lose him too!
Losing him only added to the hurt.
Therer they go in their joy,
They are currently happy together.
Happy girl and lucky boy!
She seems pleased with him and he seems fortunate to have her.
And here am I, broken hearted!
Despite them being happy, I am still feeling heartbroken.
Oh, my heart will never ever know a pain
If I had never loved and experienced heartbreak,
If I hadn't ever loved in vain,
If I had never loved with no reciprocation
But here am I, broken hearted!
Yet, here I am still feeling miserable after my failed love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KIM RICHEY, MICHAEL JAMES HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@geetarnut
I wish he was here today, I would love to ask him about life, love, and thank him for not being afraid to sing out strong about life and love! Thank you for this! Thank you too Johnnie, our lives are certainly richer because of you!
@kiwihans100
Sonny! Did you know Johnie receieved a specual commendation from the deaf society of thr USA for still wearing his very cumbersome hearing aid on stage and TV e.t.c showing that people with a dissability can achieve as much as others! I loved him and his music!
@openyoureyes4799
When I was a small kid I used to listen to this record because my mom had it and played it lot.. great memories! Thanks!
@ColinHarperSummerson
Brilliant, thanks for sharing, never be another like Johnny Ray''
@TheLongtimelistener
Ah, Johnnie Ray. For songs like this one, "Cry," and "The Little White Cloud That Cried," he was know as The Nabob of Sob! Well-deserved.
@davidwalsh3439
A great performance by a unique performer. Always in a class of his own. He can break your heart with a song.
@johngalvin3124
From the heart to the silver tongue to you...Superb
@philomenaburke7770
This was Dad's party piece. Would have been 89 today, sadly taken too young at 56
@geetarnut
Johnnie Ray could make you cry, make you laugh,, and anything in between!!! He felt what he sang, and sang what of felt!!! Miss him very much!!!
@troyastro103
He was Mr.Cry.