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 Don
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every kiss was fresh as morning rain
But today you told me it's over
And my heart is burdened down with pain
Though it hurts me when you are so cold dear
And you know our love's beyon repair
Our love cheapen what was pure as gold dear
You don't love me but I'll always care
[ fiddle - steel ]
Darling I am glad that I have known you
Every sorrow that we have to share
And in dreams I know I'll always own you
You don't love me but I'll always care
Though it hurts me when you are so cold dear...
The opening verse of Ray Price’s song “You Don’t Love Me” sets the scene of a love that started off beautifully but is now coming to an end. The first line compares the love to the pleasant scent of clover, while the second line describes each kiss as being as refreshing as a morning rain. However, in the present day, the singer is told that the love affair is ending, and the pain is weighing heavily on their heart. The next verse is a direct address to the object of the singer’s affection. The singer confesses that it hurts when the other person is cold, but the love that they once shared was pure and valuable like gold. Even though it is clear that the other person does not love the singer anymore, they will continue to care for them.
The poignant lyrics to this song bring to light the complicated emotions that arise when a relationship ends. Even though one person may no longer have romantic feelings for the other, an element of care remains. The singer recognizes that while the love may have ended, the memories and emotions remain, so they will always be connected to the other person in some way. The song is also notable for its understated instrumentation, which primarily features a fiddle and steel guitar. This simplicity emphasizes the raw emotion in Price’s voice as he sings about heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday brought love as sweet as clover
Yesterday, we had a sweet love just like the sweet taste of clover in our mouth.
Every kiss was fresh as morning rain
Every time we kiss, it felt fresh like the morning rain washing away our worries.
But today you told me it's over
Unfortunately, today you told me that our relationship has ended.
And my heart is burdened down with pain
This news has left me heartbroken and in deep pain.
Though it hurts me when you are so cold dear
I still feel hurt when you treat me coldly, my love.
And you know our love's beyon repair
You know that our love is beyond repair and cannot be fixed.
Our love cheapen what was pure as gold dear
Our love has made something that was once pure like gold become worthless and cheap.
You don't love me but I'll always care
You may not love me anymore, but I'll always care for you, my dear.
[ fiddle - steel ]
Instrumental break - no lyrics to explain.
Darling I am glad that I have known you
My dear, I'm glad that I had the chance to know you and share our lives together.
Every sorrow that we have to share
Even though we had our shares of sorrows, it was still worth it being together.
And in dreams I know I'll always own you
In my dreams, I know that I'll always have you with me and you'll always be a part of me.
You don't love me but I'll always care
Even though you may not love me, I'll always care for you deeply.
Though it hurts me when you are so cold dear...
Recurring line - see previous explanation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LOU WAYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wayne Pickle
You make my eyes run over all the time
You're happy when I'm out of my mind
You don't love me, but you won't let me be
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
You must think I look bad with a smile
For you haven't let me wear one in such a long, long while
Still I keep running back
Why must this be?
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
Someone must have hurt you long ago
But why take revenge on one who loves you so
You don't need me, but you won't let me be
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
You must think I look bad with a smile
For you haven't let me wear one in such a long, long while
Still I keep running back
Why must this be?
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
John Galvin
Style never goes out of fashion. If you're a young entertainer, watch how effortless Ray makes it look. RIP one of the greats.
Donna Tyner
Absolute class and most beautiful voice. My very favorite country singer. Really miss him.
Lynn Cameron
Never ❤
Djamal Versteeg
It's a crying shame that country radio has forgotten what genuine country music ought to sound like. These were the days when you were able to distinguish who was singing on radio. Thanks for sharing!!
doctorhugo
Ray has and always will be the master of the understated country soulful sound. Younger folks would do well to closely listen to his delivery of songs just like this gem. He lightly caresses the lyrics and always respects the writer's intent. A class act all the way. It's his sound we heard as when younger we contemplated the lonely half-full glass and when older reflected back to instant-recall memories. May God Bless the old Cherokee Cowboy and ride with him down the last trail home.
pat mosten
Today's country music is not country music. You cannot replace these great artists. The passion in the songs are what make the singer live on forever.
Lynn Cameron
Amen
twinPaula12
Voices like Ray's and other pure country talents like Gene Watson, Merle and George are what sold records for many years. They didn't need the high tech glitzy videos that seem to push many of today's singers into the limelight. If I had a choice of listening to Ray's still terrific voice on a record, at age 85, or that of one of today's new finds I think Ray's would win hands down. Thanks again for posting this treasure. - Paula
Trish Schmidt
Ray is my all time favorite singer. Country music needs more singers like him, true country.
j k
I saw Ray in concert when he was 90 years old, his voice was as clean and crisp as ever. What a beautiful voice.