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.
Little Green Apples
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I stumble to the breakfast table while the kids are going off to school goodbye
And she reaches out and takes my hand squeezes it and says how you feelin' hon
And I look across at smiling lips that warm my heart and see my morning sun
And if that's not loving me then all I've got to say
God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
There's no such thing as Doctor Suess
God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
And when myself is feeling low I think about her face aglow and ease my mind
Sometimes I call her up at home knowing she's busy
And ask if she could get away and meet me and grab a bite to eat
And she drops what she's doing and she hurries down to meet me and I'm always late
But she sits waiting patiently
And smiles when she first sees me cause she's made that way
And if that ain't loving me then all I've got to say
God didn't make little green apples
And it don't snow in Minneapolis when the winter comes
There's no such think as make believe puppy dogs and autumn leaves and BB guns
God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
The lyrics of Ray Price's "Little Green Apples" describe the beauty of a loving relationship between two people who appreciate each other's company despite the pressures of daily life. In the opening lines, the singer wakes up with his hair down in his eyes and his partner greets him cheerfully. The warmth in her eyes is enough to drive away any morning gloom from the singer's mind. The singer's wife takes his hand and asks him how he's feeling, indicating that they care for each other's well-being.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's gratefulness for his partner's love. The lines, "God didn't make little green apples, and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime" are symbolic of impossibilities. The singer means that his partner's love is as impossible to find as little green apples or summer rain in Indianapolis. The song suggests that the singer finds his partner's love indispensable and that it gives him the mental fortitude he needs to navigate through his day.
The lyrics continue with the singer describing how he calls his partner when feeling low and in need of company. No matter what his wife is doing, she always manages to make time for him. Even when he's late for their meetings, his wife is patient and welcoming. The song's lyrics impart the message that a happy relationship is one where there is love, understanding, and thoughtfulness.
Line by Line Meaning
And I wake up in the morning with my hair down in my eyes and she says hi
I wake up every day to my partner greeting me with a hello, even though my hair may be disheveled and blocking my view
And I stumble to the breakfast table while the kids are going off to school goodbye
While my children are headed off to school, I make my way to the breakfast table, possibly still groggy or disoriented
And she reaches out and takes my hand squeezes it and says how you feelin' hon
My partner shows affectionate concern by squeezing my hand and asking me how I'm feeling
And I look across at smiling lips that warm my heart and see my morning sun
When I look at my partner's smiling face, it feels like the sun is shining specifically for me
And if that's not loving me then all I've got to say
If my partner's actions and words are not love, then I don't know what love is
God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
Some things are just impossible or don't exist, like little green apples made by God or rain in Indianapolis during summertime
There's no such thing as Doctor Suess
The made-up worlds and fanciful stories of Dr. Seuss are not real
Disneyland and Mother Goose is no nursery rhyme
Even the enchanting tales of Disneyland and Mother Goose are not merely children's rhymes, but are still not reality
And when myself is feeling low I think about her face aglow and ease my mind
When I'm feeling down, I remember the image of my partner's glowing face to calm myself
Sometimes I call her up at home knowing she's busy
Occasionally, I'll call my partner at home even though I'm aware she's preoccupied
And ask if she could get away and meet me and grab a bite to eat
I request if she can make time for us to see each other and eat together
And she drops what she's doing and she hurries down to meet me and I'm always late
Despite already having tasks to complete, my partner prioritizes meeting me and rushing to see me, even though I tend to arrive tardy
But she sits waiting patiently
Although I'm often late, my partner waits for me kindly and calmly
And smiles when she first sees me cause she's made that way
My partner tends to smile when she first sees me, as it's just in her nature to be happy and positive
And if that ain't loving me then all I've got to say
If my partner's actions and words are not love, then I don't know what love is
And it don't snow in Minneapolis when the winter comes
Similar to the line about it not raining in Indianapolis during summertime, it's not supposed to snow in Minneapolis during winter
There's no such think as make believe puppy dogs and autumn leaves and BB guns
Even the idealized imagery of playful puppies, colorful autumn foliage, and toy guns are not real
God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
The final repetition of the chorus reminds the listener of the unlikelihood of certain things
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENNIS EMANUEL BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind