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.
Just For The Record
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But just for the record did you ever love me
I hope that you'll be happy I'm gonna try to be
But just for the record did you ever love me
Or was I just fillin' in while you waited for love to come by
Or did you once love me if you did why oh why did it die
This is the last time I'll call you from this moment on you're free
But just for the record did you ever love me
The lyrics of "Just for the Record" by Ray Price & the Cherokee Cowboys speak of a love that has already ended, and the singer is trying to come to terms with it. The song speaks of the uncertainty and the pain that comes after a breakup, as the singer asks their former partner if they ever really loved them. They wonder if they were just a temporary placeholder while their partner waited for something better to come along. The singer seems resigned to the fact that their love is over, but they still need closure, and they need to know the truth about their partner's feelings.
The lyrics are not only about the end of a relationship, but they also explore themes of self-worth, doubt, and regret. The singer is questioning their own value and wondering if they were good enough for their partner. They express a desire to move on and be happy, but they are unable to do so until they know the truth about their partner's affection. The song portrays the complexity of emotions that come with the end of a relationship and how difficult it can be to find closure.
Line by Line Meaning
I know our love is over you've made it plain to see
I am aware that our love is finished, and you have made it evident to me.
But just for the record did you ever love me
I need to know if you had ever loved me, regardless of our current condition.
I hope that you'll be happy I'm gonna try to be
I wish you happiness, and I will make an effort to achieve the same.
But just for the record did you ever love me
Once again, I need to know the truth about whether or not you have ever loved me.
Or was I just fillin' in while you waited for love to come by
Perhaps, I was just a placeholder until you found someone else to love.
Or did you once love me if you did why oh why did it die
If you had previously loved me, I want to understand why your feelings have since vanished.
This is the last time I'll call you from this moment on you're free
I am giving you freedom, starting now, and this will be my final communication with you.
But just for the record did you ever love me
As a final request, I need to know if you had ever truly loved me or not.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lp2565
Another one from the MASTER. Simply OUTSTANDING!
Jewel Dotson
The Price is right on this one, as usual, Ray Noble Price the greatest voice ever
Cindy Keeling Bates
👍Wow Great! Thank you for sharing great music with us! Sure appreciate you
latokatn506
The Great Ray Price Thanks T Page
andrae bowie
live on rayprice well all miss you from this moment on you,ll be a loving memmory from zach bowie