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.
I Want to Be Loved
Johnnie Ray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because I never had a love as true Your kiss is so sweet, honey your
love is light Your kiss is so sweet, honey your love is light Come on
and love me, honey love me tonight I wanna be loved, but by only
you I wanna be loved, but by only you Because I know, I know your
love is true I wanna be loved, but by only you I wanna be loved, but
by only you Because I never had a love as true
The lyrics of Johnnie Ray's song "I Want to Be Loved" express a deep longing for love and companionship, but with a focus on the singular, individual relationship that the singer desires. He sings of wanting to be loved, but by only one person - the person he has already found and cherishes. His conviction in this desire comes from the fact that he has never experienced a love as true as the one he currently shares with this person. The sweetness of her kiss and the lightness of her love only serve to reinforce his desire for her, as he implores her to love him tonight.
Furthermore, the repetition of the line "I wanna be loved, but by only you" emphasizes the singer's conviction and desire to be loved exclusively by this one person. The repeated use of "honey" also adds a touch of endearment, perhaps indicating his personal closeness to the person he is serenading. Overall, the lyrics of "I Want to Be Loved" speak to the universal human desire for love and companionship, with a particular emphasis on the importance of finding true love with a specific person.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna be loved, but by only you
The singer desires to be loved, but only by the particular person whom they address in the song.
Because I never had a love as true
The singer has not previously experienced a love that was genuine.
Your kiss is so sweet, honey your love is light
The singer praises the sweetness of the addressee's kiss and the lightness of their love.
Come on and love me, honey love me tonight
The singer requests that the addressee express their love for the singer on this particular night.
Because I know, I know your love is true
The singer has confidence that the addressee's love for the singer is sincere and genuine.
I wanna be loved, but by only you
The singer reiterates their desire to be loved, but only by this particular person.
I wanna be loved, but by only you
The singer repeats their desire for the addressee's love, exclusively.
Because I never had a love as true
The singer again reaffirms that they have never experienced a love that was as authentic as the love that they desire from the addressee.
Writer(s): Jon Bon Jovi, Richard Sambora, John M. Shanks
Contributed by Ryan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lannyfoster4875
this is a great song when you think about the one and only one of your dreams being with you
@kumatosky
nice song of the great johnny thanks for posting such good photos too