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.
The Little White Cloud That Cried
Johnnie Ray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling very sad inside
When all at once I saw in the sky
The little white cloud that cried
He told me he was very lonesome
And no one cared if he lived or died
And said sometimes the thunder and lightning
He said "Have faith in all kinds of weather"
"For the sun will always shine"
"Do your best and always remember"
"The dark clouds pass with time"
He asked if I'd tell all my world
Just how hard those little clouds try
That's how I know I'll always remember
The little white cloud that sat right down and cried
(The little white cloud that cried)
The Little White Cloud That Cried by Johnnie Ray tells the story of a person who is walking down by the river feeling sad inside. Suddenly, he sees a little white cloud in the sky that begins to pour rain as if it were crying. The person approaches the cloud and starts talking with it. The cloud expresses its loneliness and the feeling of being unimportant, as if nobody cared if it lived or died. The cloud also mentions how sometimes thunder and lightning make all little clouds hide.
The cloud advises the person to have faith in all kinds of weather, pointing out that the sun will always shine. The cloud also encourages the person to do their best and always remember that the dark clouds pass with time. The little white cloud then asks the person to tell the world about the hard times that clouds experience and how they try their best to move on. This experience changes the person's perspective and they will always remember the little white cloud that sat right down and cried.
Overall, the lyrics to The Little White Cloud That Cried convey a message of hope and encouragement. No matter how lonely or unimportant one may feel, there is always a brighter day ahead. The little white cloud serves as a symbol of resilience, perseverance, and the importance of expressing one's emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I went walking down by the river
I took a stroll next to the river
Feeling very sad inside
Experiencing deep feelings of sadness
When all at once I saw in the sky
Suddenly, I noticed something in the sky
The little white cloud that cried
A tiny white cloud shedding tears
He told me he was very lonesome
The cloud confided in me about feeling lonely
And no one cared if he lived or died
Expressing that no one worried nor would pay attention to his existence
And said sometimes the thunder and lightning
The cloud mentioned the events of thunder and lightning
Make all little clouds hide
Stressing that these events can make other clouds go into hiding
He said "Have faith in all kinds of weather"
The cloud advised to trust any situation
"For the sun will always shine"
The cloud assured that the sun would always shine
"Do your best and always remember"
Urging to always try their best and hold on to memories
"The dark clouds pass with time"
Noting that dark times will eventually come to an end
He asked if I'd tell all my world
The cloud requested for me to spread the message to everyone
Just how hard those little clouds try
To share the amount of effort little clouds put forth
That's how I know I'll always remember
That is how I will always recollect this moment
The little white cloud that sat right down and cried
The small white cloud that sat down and shed some tears
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHNNIE RAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JoanCeder
I went to see Johnny Ray when I was 16 years old. I've been playing his music since, im 89yrs old.
@ronaldstrange8981
Together with Guy Mitchell and Frankie Laine, Johnny ruled the British charts in the early fifties. Then along came Elvis. England, Februaary 2024.
@michaeltuz608
No one could ever accuse Johnnie Ray of not putting enough emotion into his singing...
@darthandeddeu
Very Proto rock and roll performance , im sure Mick Jagger & many other rock performers took notes as a kid.
@GD-rd6ig
@@darthandeddeuDylan has shared with us his notes.
@eh5369
My late mother saw him in Sydney Australia in the early 50s with two of best girl friends. She always mentioned she saw him..
I was just watching 1 year series episode 4 and this song came up at the end. I just had to play it in memory of my beautiful mum..
@honeyjbc1
Johnnie Ray was my Beatles. I went crazy over him and had all of his records When I was a teenager.
Later he made an album of ballads and it was quite lovely.
@kriseckhardt5148
I turned 59 today. I have been fortunate enough to be in a wonderful 30 year plus early rock and roll band. This man has always been my hero as a singer AND entertainer. Thank you Johnny Ray
@blank0x743
Hi Kris! I'm curious, What band were you a part of?
@GD-rd6ig
Thanks to Bob Dylan’s Philosophy of Modern Song for keeping this song and singer alive.