Price, born in Perryville, Texas, served with the U.S. Marines from 1944–1946, and began singing for KRBC in Abilene, Texas during 1948. He joined the Big D Jamboree in Dallas in 1949. He relocated to Nashville in the early 1950s, rooming for a brief time with Hank Williams. When Williams died, Price managed his band, the Drifting Cowboys, and had minor success. He was the first artist to have a success with the song "Release Me" (1954), a top five popular music hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.
In 1953, Price formed his band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Among its members during the late 1950s and early 1960s were; Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Darrell McCall, Van Howard, Johnny Paycheck and Johnny Bush, Buddy Emmons, Pete Wade, Jan Kurtis, Shorty Lavender and Buddy Spicher. Miller wrote one of Ray Price's classics in 1958, "Invitation to the Blues", and sang harmony on the recording. Additionally, Nelson composed the Ray Price song "Night Life".
Price became one of the stalwarts of 1950s honky tonk music, with hit songs such as "Talk To Your Heart" (1952) and "Release Me". He later developed the famous "Ray Price Shuffle," a 4/4 arrangement of honky tonk music with a walking bassline, which can be heard on "Crazy Arms" (1956) and many of his other recordings from the late 1950s.
During the 1960s, Ray experimented increasingly with the so-called Nashville sound, singing slow ballads and utilizing lush arrangements of strings and backing singers. Examples include his 1967 rendition of "Danny Boy", and "For the Good Times" in 1970 which was Price's first country music chart No. 1 hit since "The Same Old Me" in 1959. Written by Kris Kristofferson, the song also scored No. 11 on the popular music chart and featured a mellower Price backed by sophisticated musical sounds, quite in contrast to the honky tonk sounds Price had pioneered two decades before. Price had three more No. 1 country music successes during the 1970s: "I Won't Mention It Again", "She's Got To Be A Saint", and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me." His final top ten hit was "Diamonds In The Stars" in early 1982. Price continued to have songs on the country music chart through 1989. Later, he sang gospel music and recorded such songs as "Amazing Grace", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", "Farther Along" and "Rock of Ages."
In 2006, Price was living near Mount Pleasant, Texas and still performing in concerts throughout the country. In 2009, Price made two performances for the Fox News show Huckabee. The first was with the Cherokee Cowboys and host Mike Huckabee, and he performed "Crazy Arms" and "Heartaches By The Number". Weeks later he performed with the Cherokee Cowboys and Willie Nelson (again with Huckabee playing bass guitar). This time they performed duets of "Faded Love" and "Crazy."
Price worked on his latest album, Last of the Breed, with fellow country music singers Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. This album was released on March 20, 2007 by the company Lost Highway Records. The two-disc set features 20 country classics as well as a pair of new compositions. The trio toured the U.S. from March 9 until March 25 starting in Arizona and finishing in Illinois. This was Price's third album with Nelson and first album with Haggard. After the tour, Haggard remarked, "I told Willie when it was over, 'That old man gave us a goddamn singing lesson.' He really did. He just sang so good. He sat there with the mic against his chest. And me and Willie are all over the microphone trying to find it, and he found it."
On November 6, 2012, Ray Price confirmed that he was fighting pancreatic cancer. Price told the San Antonio Express-News that he had been receiving chemotherapy for the past six months. An alternative to the chemo would have been surgery that involved removing the pancreas along with portions of the stomach and liver, which would have meant a long recovery and stay in a nursing home. Said Price, "That's not very much an option for me. God knows I want to live as long as I can but I don't want to live like that." The 87-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer also told the newspaper, "The doctor said that every man will get cancer if he lives to be old enough. I don't know why I got it – I ain't old!" Price retained a positive outlook and hoped to play as many as a hundred concert dates in 2013.
As of early February 2013, the cancer appeared to be in remission. Sometime in May 2013, Price was hospitalized with severe dehydration. On December 2, 2013, Price entered a Tyler, Texas, hospital in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, according to his son, then left on December 12 for home hospice care. Price died at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on December 16, 2013.
Better Class Of Losers
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I dressed my best and headed for the brightest spot in town
I've watched the rich folks come and go and one thing's very clear
There's just as many lonely people here
I'm just hanging 'round a better class of losers
It don't matter if you drink beer or champagne
I've only found a better class of losers
It's all been downhill for me since baby walked away
I'm down here at the bottom and I guess that's where I'll stay
I'm a looking for an answer but all that I've seen here
Is the same old lonely phoney atmosphere
I'm just hanging 'round a better class of losers
It don't matter if you drink beer or champagne
I've only found a better class of losers
Uptown, downtown misery's all the same
Uptown, downtown misery's all the same
In Ray Price's song Better Class of Losers, the singer begins by expressing his disillusionment with honky tonks as they only bring him down. He decides to dress his best and go to the brightest spot in town, which he assumes to be filled with only rich and happy people. However, he realizes that there are just as many lonely people in this uptown spot as there are in the honky tonks. Despite his misfortunes and the fact that he feels stuck at the bottom, the singer finds comfort in the fact that he is now hanging around a better class of losers. He believes that whether you drink beer or champagne, the misery is all the same, whether you're uptown or downtown.
The song speaks to the idea that appearances can be deceiving, and that people may not necessarily be happier because they have more money or live in a nicer neighborhood. Despite the disappointment the singer feels at the beginning of the song, he finds solace in the fact that he is not alone in his struggles. The phrase "better class of losers" could be interpreted as the idea that no matter who you are or where you come from, everyone has their share of struggles and hardships.
Overall, the song focuses on the idea that although people may come from different backgrounds and may have different struggles, there is a common thread that ties them together. The singer finds comfort in knowing that he is not alone in his struggles, and that even in the "brightest spot in town", there are still lonely people.
Line by Line Meaning
I said, I'm through with honky tonks, they only bring me down
I've decided to stay away from bars with loud music and people who drink excessively, because I always feel worse after visiting them
So I dressed my best and headed for the brightest spot in town
I put on my best clothes and went to the fanciest place I know to lift my spirits
I've watched the rich folks come and go and one thing's very clear
I've observed wealthy individuals visit this establishment, and it's apparent that money doesn't guarantee happiness
There's just as many lonely people here
Despite the upscale environment, there are still numerous people here who feel alone and disconnected
It's all been downhill for me since baby walked away
Ever since my significant other left me, everything in my life has been getting worse
I'm down here at the bottom and I guess that's where I'll stay
I feel like I've hit rock bottom and that there's no way for me to improve my situation
I'm a looking for an answer but all that I've seen here
I'm searching for a solution to my problems, but everything I've witnessed at this establishment hasn't provided me with any clarity
Is the same old lonely phoney atmosphere
The environment at this place is fake and insincere, and it's not helping me feel any better about myself or my situation
I'm just hanging 'round a better class of losers
I'm surrounding myself with people who are also struggling, but at a nicer place than before
It don't matter if you drink beer or champagne
No matter what your drink of choice is, we all share the same struggles
I've only found a better class of losers
I've discovered that even in a fancier environment, there are still plenty of individuals who are just as broken as I am
Uptown, downtown misery's all the same
Whether you're in an upscale or run-down area, the feeling of sadness and despair is universal
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Randy Travis, Alan Eugene Jackson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dmullen84
Thank you for sharing this music!!
Michael Harris
Thank you for this. Ray Price’s voice is like fine Whisky. Being a Texan this is the music I listen to on the farm and it makes living just a little easier, even in the sad times. I miss Ray Price.