As a junior in Attleboro High School, Ray and some of his buddies decided to start a dance orchestra. Taking some musical tips from his father, Ray started practicing trombone and wound up playing first trombone for the band. It was for this group that Ray did his first arrangement, his fellow musicians loved his interpretation of "Sweet Georgia Brown."
Out of high school, Ray got his first professional job with Dan Murphy's "Musical Skippers" in Boston. He played trombone, arranged music and drove a panel truck for the band. When a friend of his told him that Boston was too small for a talented musician to make it, Ray headed for the Big Apple.
Ray arrived in New York at the birth of "swing." Before finding a steady gig, he sat in with bands in local clubs and practiced his instrument devoutly. Opportunity found him and he landed his first paying job as trombonist/arranger for Bunny Berigan's band. After a 15 month stint with Berigan, Bob Crosby hired him away in 1939. Ray played with Crosby’s band for a year before he joined Artie Shaw's. Ray's reputation as an arranger was growing and his trombone solos were well known.
After Shaw came Glen Gray and then with the onslaught of World War ll, Ray spent two years with the United States Army arranging for the Armed Forces Radio Services in Hollywood. He was discharged in 1946 and began arranging for Harry James. When "be-bop" hit the musical scene in the late 40's, Ray, whose musical tastes did not connect with "bop", stopped arranging for a while.
This break brought on some hard times for Ray, both emotionally and financially. During this period, he taught himself how to conduct, involved himself in an exhaustive study of hit recordings and developed what he believed to be a "magic formula" of arranging.
In the early 50's, the big break in Ray's career happened when he met Mitch Miller of Columbia Records, who hired him as an arranger. In 1955, Ray got his first chance to try out his sure-fire theory of arranging. The lucky record was Don Cherry's "Band Of Gold." It became a runaway hit. This spurned a series of Conniff-arranged Columbia recording sessions, which resulted in many hit records. Among them were Johnnie Ray's "Just Walking In The Rain," Frankie Laine's "Moonlight Gambler," Guy Mitchell's "Singing The Blues" and Marty Robbins' "A White Sport Coat." Ray was also responsible for the brilliant arrangements of Johnny Mathis' "Chances Are," "Wonderful, Wonderful," and "It's Not For Me To Say."
Ray's success arranging and conducting for other recording artists prompted Columbia to let him record an album under his own name, he was the first artist to use voices and vocal arranging as part of the instrumentation, for instance, female voices double with trumpets, high saxes or clarinets; male voices with trombones or saxes in low register. Ray's debut album "'S Wonderful", was in the Top 20 for nine months. Cash Box voted Ray "the most promising up-and-coming band leader of 1957." He won the same award again in 1958. In 1959, Disk Jockeys voted The Ray Conniff Orchestra and Singers "the most programmed studio orchestra."
By the early 60's Ray's record sales were booming. The Ray Conniff Orchestra and Singers were in great demand. Ray, who prides himself on being able to produce live in concert the same sound created on recordings, brought to the public the first live stereo concert ever to take place in the world. The audiences experienced the sensation of three channel stereo being transmitted throughout the concert hall with the aid of an elaborate stereo sound system. Critics hailed the concert as the "musical event of the 60's." Ray presented his "Concert In Stereo" on US American TV, with ensuing tours through the USA, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He also played to great acclaim at the Sahara-Tahoe Hotel in Lake Tahoe and the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. During this time, Ray had the chorus step out of the orchestra and they gained fame in their own right, singing the lyrics and they became known as the "Ray Conniff Singers."
During the 70's Ray performed his new show "Happiness Is Music" throughout South America, Japan and England (including the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London). He also performed at the White House during the Vietnam War. In 1974, Ray was the first pop artist from the West asked to go to Russia to record an album in Moscow.
Ray, who is now 85 years old, is still recording approximately one new album a year. He tours annually through Brazil with his complete orchestra and chorus and full houses of people of all ages sing and dance along as he runs up and down the stage like a 20 year old kid, conducting, singing, talking to the crowd, playing his trombone - doing what he does best.
Ray's repertoire includes big band standards, adaptations of classical themes, songs from the movies and the Broadway stage and ranges from top chart hits to Country, and Latin music.
Ray has survived in the music business for over 65 years, he has recorded over 100 albums to date and has sold over 70 million albums, cassettes and CD's. He is the proud recipient of a Grammy Award for his recording of "Somewhere My Love”, two Grammy nominations, over 10 gold albums, 2 platinum albums (“Somewhere My Love” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”), CBS Records-Best Selling Artist for 1962 Award and countless international awards. He was also one of the few artists to receive the prestigious CBS Records International Crystal Globe Award for outstanding sales outside of the United States. His catalog sales have surpassed those of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
In March of 1997, after 40 years with Columbia Records / CBS Records / Sony Music, Ray signed new contracts with PolyGram / Universal Records and Abril Music of Brazil. He recorded three albums for PolyGram: "Ray Conniff Live In Rio," "I Love Movies," and a tribute to the late Frank Sinatra, entitled "My Way.”
His recordings for Abril Music include “’S Country,” featuring Brazilian Country Music and his fourth Christmas album, “’S Christmas.” In 2000, Ray recorded yet another album for Abril Music featuring the music of Roberto Carlos, entitled “Do Ray Para o Rei.”
In September 2001, Ray gave a series of concerts in Brazil again, before he celebrated his 85th birthday on November 6. In March 2002, Ray followed an invitation of Liza Minnelli and David Gest and performed his greatest hit, "Somewhere My Love" at their wedding in New York.
After having suffered a stroke he made very good progress during a stay at the Palm Springs Stroke Center. He had already made plans for another tour and new recordings. However, on 12th October 2002 Ray Conniff passed away in San Diego.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Ray Conniff and The Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Five goldenen rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a traditional English Christmas carol that enumerates in the manner of a cumulative song a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. The song opens with the singer receiving a partridge in the pear tree on the first day of Christmas and is followed by the list of gifts given by the true love on each subsequent day, from two turtle doves to twelve drummers drumming. Each verse consists of a previous day's gift, followed by the new gift for the current day.
The lyrics of The Twelve Days of Christmas are full of symbolism and hidden meaning. The partridge in the pear tree represents Jesus Christ, and the two turtle doves symbolize the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The three french hens represent the three virtues mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13: faith, hope, and charity. The four calling birds represent the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The five golden rings represent the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch. The six geese a-laying represent the six days of creation. The seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The eight maids a-milking represent the eight beatitudes: poverty in spirit, meekness, mourning, hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, and persecution for righteousness' sake. The nine ladies dancing represent the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The ten lords a-leaping represent the Ten Commandments. The eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful apostles. Finally, the twelve drummers drumming represent the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
Line by Line Meaning
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
On the very first day of Christmas, my significant other gave me a gift
A partridge in a pear tree
The gift was a partridge bird sitting on a pear tree branch
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The following day, my partner gave me another present
Two turtle doves, and
The second gift was a pair of turtle doves
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
On the third holiday of the season, my true love surprised me again
Three french hens
This time, it was three French hens given as gifts
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The fourth day of Christmas arrived and there was yet another gift
Four calling birds
The gift was four birds that make sounds or calls
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The fifth day was here and so was a new surprise
Five goldenen rings
The gift was five golden rings
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Halfway through the Christmas season and my true love had something else to give
Six geese a-laying
Six geese were the next present, laying eggs perhaps
Five golden rings
Another five golden rings were given, just like before
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
On the seventh day of this celebratory occasion, another gift arrived
Seven swans a-swimming
The seventh gift was seven swans, capable of swimming through water with grace
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eight days into Christmastime and there was still more to come
Eight maids a-milking
The eighth and latest present arrived in the form of eight maidens milking cows or similar animals
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The ninth day of Christmas came and yet another gift was presented
Nine ladies dancing
Nine ladies arrived, most likely dancing in a festive manner
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Ten days into the holiday season and there was definitely something special for me
Ten lords a-leaping
Ten more people arrived as gifts, in the form of lords leaping for joy
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Another day arrived and I was given another present from my loved one
Eleven pipers piping
Eleven pipers arrived, performing beautiful music for Christmas
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Finally, the twelfth day was upon us, the end of this gift-giving tradition
Twelve drummers drumming
The last gift was twelve skilled drummers, capable of delivering a great performance
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patrickstocks3576
Merry Christmas 🎄
@pbscraze
Ray Conniff’s version will ALWAYS be simply the best
@user-sz3ix3gf8x
Yes and btw we're in the 12 days of Christmas 😃
@marlondavidmaduro2332
Masterpiece song, glorious voices and impecable orchestra
@francisnguyen6349
The 12 Days of Christmas 🎄 are outstanding Holidays songs 🎵.
@Glen-ft8ch
Gig Harbor WA is for me !!!
@jdrs4214
This song is never going to be defeated by any other versions, past and future. This one is just simply the Best!!!!
@jmhufana6843
No one can touch this version..
@Glen-ft8ch
Gig Harbor WA is for me. Patterson will pay !!!
@Glen-ft8ch
Gig Harbor WA is for me Coco !!!