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.
I´ll Be There
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
I'll never have seen a river that's too wide
There ain't no jail tight enough to lock me
Ain't no man big enough to stop me
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
So love me if you ever gonna love me
I never have seen a road to ruff to ride
There ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
Now there ain't no rope tight enough to bind me
Look for me honey you will find me
Any old time your ready with your charm
I'll be there ready and a waitin'
There won't be any hesitation
I'll be right here if you ever want me in your arms
So love me if you ever gonna love me
I never have seen a road to ruff to ride
There ain't no chains strong enough to hold me
There ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
The lyrics of Ray Price's "I'll Be There" are about the singer's commitment and devotion to the person he loves. He asserts that there is nothing in the world that can keep him away from them, not even chains or strong winds. He talks about how he is always ready to be by their side no matter what happens. Price emphasizes his determination by saying that no prison or man is big enough to stop him from being with his love. He goes on to say that he will always be there, ready and waiting for them with open arms.
Price's lyrics convey a sense of unyielding loyalty and faithfulness, and they also express a desire to be loved in return. He asks his love to reciprocate his feelings by loving him if they ever plan to love him. He lets them know that he can handle any obstacle that may come their way and that he will always be there to support and care for them.
Overall, "I'll Be There" is a classic country love song that expresses a sense of devotion and commitment to the person you love no matter what challenges come your way. The lyrics convey an unwavering sense of loyalty that is a common theme in country music.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no chains strong enough to hold me
No matter how strong the chains are, they cannot hold me captive
Ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
No matter how strong the wind blows, it cannot slow me down
I'll never have seen a river that's too wide
I have never seen a river too wide to cross
There ain't no jail tight enough to lock me
No matter how secure the jail is, it cannot keep me imprisoned
Ain't no man big enough to stop me
No man is powerful enough to stop me from doing what I want to do
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
I will be there to support and stand by you whenever you need me
So love me if you ever gonna love me
If you are ever going to love me, then love me now
I never have seen a road too rough to ride
I have never come across a road too difficult to travel on
Now there ain't no rope tight enough to bind me
No matter how tight the rope may be, it cannot restrict my movements
Look for me honey, you will find me
If you search for me, you will find me
Any old time you're ready with your charm
Whenever you're ready to use your charm, I'll be there
I'll be there ready and a waiting
I will be there waiting for you
There won't be any hesitation
I won't hesitate to come to you
I'll be right here if you ever want me in your arms
I will be here, ready to hold you in my arms whenever you need me
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
I will be there to support and stand by you whenever you need me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMIN ARASOVICH AGALAROV, JAMIE SCOTT, PAUL MEEHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@deliaramirez9361
Miss you Ray Price🙏
Your legacy lives on. Love your music! True country music, not like the garbage of today!
@sobeits22
Amen and Amen again 😁 My mama raised me right 😁 Monday morning laundry music ❤
@JonesKohrman
We heard of Ray Price on Pearl’s CD and he’s great. We wrote some songs from
Him a long time, He’s a wonderful singer, RIP Ray.
@zechariahbassenheim2517
I love Uncle Ray, I wish I would have spent more time with him on his farm over by Mt Pleasant before he passed. This is one of my faves of his.
@tomhuse6482
I love that this is the drifting cowboys on this!!
@HARYMILY
Ain't no man bigger to stop me, so much love American cowboy countryside musics....🤠🤠🤠🤠
@tomeenmcdonagh530
Great music and singer! Love it 👍💛☺
@ericlewis2416
I love the Cherokee Cowboy!
@user-fe4he7kj3j
Now this is country..
@tommckenzie4493
Love Ray Price,Love this