1 - American jazz double … Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist named Ray Brown.
1 - American jazz double bassist
2 - Australian singer/guitarist
1. Raymond Matthews Brown (October 13, 1926–July 2, 2002) was an American jazz double bassist.
Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one. With a vacancy in the high school jazz orchestra, he took up the double bass.
A major early influence on Brown's bass playing was the bassist in the Duke Ellington band, Jimmy Blanton. As a young man Ray Brown became steadily more well known in the Pittsburgh jazz scene, with his first experiences playing in bands with the Jimmy Hinsley Sextet and the Snookum Russel band. After graduating from high school, hearing stories about the burgeoning jazz scene on 52nd Street, in New York City, he bought a one way ticket to New York.
Arriving in New York at the age of twenty, he met up with Hank Jones, with whom he had previously worked, and was introduced to Dizzy Gillespie, who was looking for a bass player. Gillespie hired Brown on the spot and he soon played with such established musicians as Art Tatum and Charlie Parker.
From 1946 to 1951 he played in Gillespie's band. Brown, along with the vibraphonist Milt Jackson, drummer Kenny Clarke, and the pianist John Lewis formed the rhythm section of the Gillespie band, and their work together eventually led to the creation of the Modern Jazz Quartet.
Around this time Brown was also appearing in Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, organised by Norman Granz. It was at these concerts that he met the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, whom he married in 1947. Together they adopted a child born to Fitzgerald's half-sister Francis, whom they christened Ray Brown, Jr. Fitzgerald and Brown divorced in 1952.
It was at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in 1949 that Brown first worked with the jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, in whose trio Brown would play from 1951 to 1966. After leaving the Trio he became a manager and promoter as well as a performer.
In 1966, he settled in Los Angeles where he was in high demand working for various television show orchestras. He also accompanied some of the leading artists of the day, including Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson. He also managed his former musical partners, the Modern Jazz Quartet, as well as a young Quincy Jones, produced some shows for the Hollywood Bowl, wrote jazz double bass instruction books, and developed a jazz cello.
It was whilst in Los Angeles that he composed music for films and television shows. He was awarded his first Grammy for his composition, "Gravy Waltz", a tune which would later be used as the theme song for The Steve Allen Show.
In the 1980s and 1990s he led his own trios and continued to refine his bass playing style. In his later years he recorded and toured extensively with pianist Gene Harris. In the early 1980s, he discovered Diana Krall in a restaurant in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
He continued to perform until his death; he died while taking a nap before a show in Indianapolis.
2. Ray Brown & The Whispers were a highly successful Australian rock band from 1964-67. Led by singer Ray Brown, they ranked alongside The Easybeats, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and Normie Rowe as one of the most popular acts of the period. After a few name and personnel changes which led to short lived incarnations, Ray sought to further/widen his career and in late '67 Ray headed overseas and spent two years working in the U.S.A. which included the recording of a solo album Just Ray Brown for Capitol, produced by American composer arranger producer David Axelrod. Despite the name producer and large budget, it flopped, largely due to poor choices of material by the company. According to a contemporary interview from Go-Set, Ray declared that "Capitol spent $30,000 on it, put in a 30 piece orchestra and then wouldn't let me pick my own material."
3. Ray Brown is from Tallahassee, FL and has been writing songs and performing since 2010. His debut album, CANYON, was released in August, 2012. The East Village arts quarterly, BOOG CITY describes his songs as "funny and tragic at the same time" and The New Yorker dubbed him "a solid songwriter".
https://raybrown.bandcamp.com
Like Someone in Love
Ray Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hearing guitars like someone in love.
Sometimes the things I do astound me,
Mostly whenever you're around me.
Lately I seem to walk as though I had wings,
Bump into things like someone in love.
Each time I look at you,
I'm limp as a glove,
In Ray Brown's song "Like Someone in Love," the lyrics seem to convey a sense of vulnerability and helplessness that comes with being in love. The singer describes how he finds himself "out gazing at stars" and hearing "guitars" – the kind of romantic clichés that are often associated with being in love. He admits that sometimes the things he does "astound" him, indicating that he is not entirely in control of his actions. This sense of loss of control is further emphasized when he says that he "seems to walk as though he had wings" and "bumps into things" – again, suggesting a lack of control over his own body.
However, the most telling lyrics come towards the end of the song when he says, "Each time I look at you, I'm limp as a glove, and feeling like someone in love." Here, the singer accepts the fact that the object of his affections has such power over him that he cannot help but feel helpless and vulnerable. This line is accompanied by a poignant melody which seems to emphasize the emotional weight of the lyrics. Overall, the song seems to capture the intense emotions that come with being in love: the exhilaration, the vulnerability, and the sense of helplessness that can be both overwhelming and exhilarating.
Line by Line Meaning
Lately, I find myself out gazing at stars,
Recently, I’ve been spending time looking up at the stars
Hearing guitars like someone in love.
I listen to the sound of guitars and it reminds me of how it feels to be in love
Sometimes the things I do astound me,
I do things that surprise me lately
Mostly whenever you're around me.
This happens most when you are with me
Lately I seem to walk as though I had wings,
Lately, it feels like I am able to walk on air
Bump into things like someone in love.
I’ve been bumping into things since it feels like I am not grounded in reality
Each time I look at you,
Every time I see you
I'm limp as a glove,
I feel weak and vulnerable
And feeling like someone in love.
I feel like I am falling in love with you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J. Burke, J. Van Heusen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind