After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II (where he worked under Walter Schumann), he was hired by Mitch Miller, then head of A & R at Columbia Records as their home arranger, and he worked with several artists, including Rosemary Clooney, Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell and Johnnie Ray. He wrote a top 10 arrangement for Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies.
Amongst the hit singles he backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were "Yes Tonight Josephine" and "Just Walkin' in the Rain" by Johnnie Ray; "Chances Are" and "It's Not for Me to Say" by Johnny Mathis; "A White Sport Coat" and "The Hanging Tree" by Marty Robbins; "Up Above My Head," a duet by Frankie Laine and Johnnie Ray, and "Pet Me, Poppa" by Rosemary Clooney. He also backed up the albums "Tony" by Tony Bennett, "Blue Swing" by Eileen Rodgers, "Swingin' for Two" by Don Cherry. and half the tracks of "The Big Beat" by Johnnie Ray.
In these early years he also produced some similar sounding records for Columbia's Epic label under the name of Jay Raye (which stands for "Joseph Raymond") amongst them a backing album and singles with Somethin' Smith & The Redheads, an American male vocal group.
Because of the success of his backings Mitch Miller allowed him to make his own record, and this became the successful "'S Wonderful", a collection of standards that were recorded with an orchestra and a wordless singing chorus (four men, four women). He released many more albums in the same vein, including "Dance The Bop" (1957), "'S Marvelous" (1957, gold album), "'S Awful Nice" (1958), "Concert in Rhythm" (1958, gold album), "Hollywood in Rhythm" (1958), "Broadway in Rhythm" (1959), and "Concert in Rhythm, Volume II" (1959, gold album).
In 1959 he started the Ray Conniff Singers (12 women and 13 men) and released the album "It's the Talk of the Town. This group of wordβ not just syllable β singing singers brought him the biggest hit he ever had in his career: "Somewhere My Love" (1966). The title track of the album was written to the music of Lara's Theme from the film Doctor Zhivago (1965), and was a top 10 single in the US. The album also reached the US top 20 and went platinum, and Conniff won a Grammy. The single and album reached high positions in the international charts (a.o. Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan) as well. Also extraordinarily successful was the first of four Christmas albums by the Singers, "Christmas with Conniff" (1959). Nearly fifty years after its release, in 2004, Conniff posthumously was awarded with a platinum album/CD.
Musically different highlights in Conniff's career are two albums he produced in cooperation with Billy Butterfield, an old buddy from earlier swing days. "Conniff Meets Butterfield" (1960) featured Butterfield's solo trumpet and a small rhythm group; "Just Kiddin' Around" (after a Conniff original composition from the 1940's), released 1963, featured additional trombone solos by Ray himself. Both albums are pure light jazz and did not feature any vocals.
Later in the 1960's he produced an average of two instrumental and one vocal album a year. Among these are (Original albums only):
* "'s Wonderful" (1956)
* "Dance the Bop!" (1957)
* "'s Marvelous" (1957)
* "'s Awful Nice" (1958)
* "Concert in Rhythm, Vol.1" (1958)
* "Broadway in Rhythm" (1958)
* "Hollywood in Rhythm" (1958)
* "It's The Talk of the Town" (1959)
* "Conniff Meets Butterfield" (1959)
* "Christmas with Conniff" (1959)
* "Concert in Rhythm, Vol.2" (1959)
* "Young at Heart" (1960)
* "Say It with Music (A Touch of Latin)" (1960)
* "Memories Are Made of This" (1960, gold album)
* "Somebody Loves Me" (1961)
* "'S Continental" (1961)
* "So Much in Love" (1962, gold album)
* "Rhapsody in Rhythm" (1962)
* "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (1962, gold album)
* "The Happy Beat" (1962)
* "You Make Me Feel So Young" (1963)
* "Speak to Me of Love" (1963)
* "Friendly Persuasion" (1964)
* "Invisible Tears" (1964)
* "Love Affair" (1965)
* "Music From 'Mary Poppins', 'The Sound of Music', 'My Fair Lady' & Other Great Movie Themes" (1965)
* "Here We Come A-Caroling" (1965)
* "Happiness Is" (1965)
* "Ray Conniff's World of Hits" (1966)
* "En EspaΓ±ol (The Ray Conniff Singers Sing It in Spanish)" (1966)
* "This Is My Song" (1967)
* "Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album" (1967)
* "It Must Be Him" (1967, gold album)
* "Honey" (1968, gold album)
* "Turn Around Look at Me" (1968)
* "I Love How You Love Me" (1968)
* "Live Europa Tournee 1969/Concert in Stereo" (1969)
* "Jean" (1969)
* "Concert In Stereo: Live At 'The Sahara Tahoe'" (1969)
* "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (1970)
* "We've Only Just Begun" (1970)
* "Love Story" (1970)
* "Great Contemporary Instrumental Hits" (1971)
* "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" (1971)
* "Love Theme from "The Godfather" (1972)
* "Alone Again (Naturally)" (1972)
* "I Can See Clearly Now" (1972)
* "Ray Conniff in Britain" (1973)
* "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (1973)
* "Harmony" (1973)
* "The Way We Were" (1973)
* "The Happy Sound of Ray Conniff" (1974)
* "Ray Conniff In Moscow" (1974)
* "Laughter in the Rain" (1975)
* "Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (1975)
* "Love Will Keep Us Together" (1975)
* "I Write the Songs" (1975)
* "Live in Japan" (1975)
* "Send in the Clowns" (1976)
* "Theme from 'SWAT' and Other TV Themes" (1976)
* "After the Lovin'" (1976)
* "Exitos Latinos" (1977)
* "Ray Conniff Plays the Bee Gees and Other Great Hits" (1978)
* "I Will Survive" (1979)
* "The Perfect '10' Classics" (1980)
* "Exclusivamente Latino" (1980)
* "Siempre Latino" (1981)
* "The Nashville Connection" (1982)
* "Musik fΓΌr Millionen" (partly produced for a German TV show in 1982)
* "Amor Amor" (1982)
* "Fantastico" (1983)
* "Supersonico" (1984)
* "Campeones" (1985)
* "Say You Say Me" (1986)
* "30th Anniversary Edition" (1986)
* "Always in My Heart" (1987)
* "Interpreta 16 Exitos De Manuel Alejandro" (1988)
* "Ray Conniff Plays Broadway" (1990)
* "'S Always Conniff" (1991)
* "Latinisimo" (1993)
* "40th Anniversary" (1995)
* "Live in Rio (aka Mi Historia)" (1997)
* "I Love Movies" (1997)
* "My Way" (1998)
* "'S Country" (1999)
* "'S Christmas" (1999)
* "Do Ray Para O Rei" (2000).
Between 1957 and 1968, he had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being "Somewhere My Love" (1966). He topped the album list in Britain in 1969 with "His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound". He also was the first American popular artist to record in Russiaβin 1974 he recorded "Ray Conniff in Moscow" with the help of a local choir. His later albums like "Exclusivamente Latino", "Amor Amor" and "Latinisimo" made him very popular in Latin-American countries, even more so after performing in the ViΓ±a del Mar International Song Festival. In Brazil and Chile he was treated like a young pop superstar in the 1980s and 1990s when he was in his 70s and 80s. He even played live with his orchestra and eight-person chorus in large football stadiums as well as in ViΓ±a del Mar.
Ray Conniff was a quiet, modest sympathetic artist. He always worked in the background so that in the fifties there were rumours that this man didn't even exist and his name was just a name fake as then his orchestral sound was so sensational. Nevertheless he sold about 70 million albums world-wide and continued recording and performing until his death in 2002.
He died in Escondido, California, and is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
In 2004, a memorial two-CD compilation set, "The Essential Ray Conniff", was released, featuring many rare and previously unreleased tracks. "The Singles Collection, Vol.1" was released on the Collectables label in 2005. This also features many rare tracks.
The Hukilau Song
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Da-ba, da-ba, da-ba, da-ba
Da-ba, da-ba, da-da, da-ba, da
Oh, we're going to the hukilau
Huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
Ev'rybody loves the hukilau
We throw our nets out into the sea
And all the ama ama come a-swimming to me
Oh, we're going to the hukilau
Huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
What a beautiful day for fishin'
The old Hawaiian way
And the hukilau net was swishin'
Down in old Laie Bay
Oh, we're going to the hukilau
Huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
Ev'rybody loves the hukilau
Where the lovely hula hula maidens roll their eyes
The silvery moon is shinning above
The kanes and wahines
Sing a song about love
Oh, we're going to the hukilau
Huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
The silvery moon is shinning above
The kanes and wahines
Sing a song about love
Oh, we're going to the hukilau
Huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
Huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
Huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
The Hukilau Song by Ray Conniff is an ode to the traditional Hawaiian fishing technique of hukilau, where a large net is used to catch fish. The first verse sets the scene for the festivities of the hukilau, with the catchy refrain of "Huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau" creating a festive energy. The second verse describes the actual fishing process, where the fishermen throw their nets into the sea and wait for the fish to arrive. The third verse paints a romantic picture of the Hawaiian night sky and the locals singing about love.
Overall, the song celebrates the beauty and joy of Hawaiian culture and its people. The traditional practice of hukilau is highlighted as a way of life that is still cherished and celebrated by the locals.
Line by Line Meaning
Da-ba, da-ba, da-ba, da-ba
The song begins with a repetitive sound
Da-ba, da-ba, da-ba, da-ba
The song continues with a repetitive sound
Da-ba, da-ba, da-da, da-ba, da
The song still continues with a repetitive sound by alternating the third sound
Oh, we're going to the hukilau
The song features a group of people heading to the Hukilau event
Huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
The song repeats a catchy phrase associated with this event
Ev'rybody loves the hukilau
The song suggests that the Hukilau event is popular and loved by many people
Where the lau lau is the kau kau at the hukilau
The song highlights that at the Hukilau, Hawaiian foods such as lau lau and kau kau are served
We throw our nets out into the sea
The song describes a fishing activity of the group at the event
And all the ama ama come a-swimming to me
The song portrays a successful fishing outing for the group as they catch the fish ama ama
What a beautiful day for fishin'
The song expresses appreciation for the beautiful day that is good for fishing
The old Hawaiian way
The song highlights that the group is fishing in the traditional Hawaiian way
And the hukilau net was swishin'
The song mentions the use of a net which is a common fishing tool at the Hukilau event
Down in old Laie Bay
The song identifies the location of the event in the Old Laie Bay
Where the lovely hula hula maidens roll their eyes
The song describes the presence of beautiful hula hula maidens at the event
The silvery moon is shinin' above
The song describes the beauty of the moonlight during the event
The kanes and wahines sing a song about love
The song portrays the presence of couples who are singing love songs at the event
Huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau
The song ends by repeating the catchy phrase associated with the Hukilau event
Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jack Owens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind