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.
Release Me
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't love you anymore
To live together is a sin
Release me and let me love again
I have found a new love dear
And I'll always want her near
Her lips are warm, while yours are cold
Oh please release me, let me go
I don't love you anymore
To live together is a sin
Release me and let me love again
The lyrics to Ray Price's iconic song "Release Me" are about a man who wants to break free from an unhappy relationship. He tells his partner that he no longer loves her and that being together is a sin. He has found someone new who he loves and wants to be with, but he can't do that until he is released from his current relationship. The lyrics are simple, yet poignant and heartfelt, and speak to anyone who has ever felt trapped in a relationship they no longer want to be in.
The song captures the universal desire for freedom from unhappy situations, whether it be a romantic relationship or something else entirely. The theme of the song is easy to relate to and speaks to the human desire for autonomy and self-determination. The lyrics are accompanied by a powerful melody, sung with emotion by Ray Price, which adds to the emotional impact of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Please release me, let me go
I am asking you to let me go and move on from our relationship.
I don't love you anymore
My feelings for you have changed, and I no longer have romantic love for you.
To live together is a sin
Continuing to be in a relationship with someone I no longer love is wrong and goes against my beliefs.
Release me and let me love again
I want to be free from this relationship so that I can explore new romantic connections and move forward with my life.
I have found a new love dear
I have fallen in love with someone else and cannot deny my feelings any longer.
And I'll always want her near
This new love is important to me, and I know that I will always desire to have her in my life.
Her lips are warm, while yours are cold
The connection I have with this new love feels genuine and passionate, while the connection I have with you has grown cold.
Release me darling, let me go
I am pleading with you to grant me the freedom to pursue my own happiness without guilt or obligation to our past together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dub Williams, Eddie Miller, Robert Yount
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jarhead4God
This man was 83 years old when he did this performance. His voice just seems to get stronger every year.
Subidubidubi Du
a real God given talent will always sound beautiful, even if he was 103 years old
Melissa Kingery
His voice sounded so strong and beautiful
Mitchell Chapman
This man still had great control of his voice at his advanced age. I'm not saying that because he has just departed this world, but because it is very true.
Lorretta Williams
My Daddy's fav singer, I grew up listening to him, and watching my Daddy and Mama dancing to his music......great memories.........
Golf Putz
I found out my Mom passed away on my birthday Dec 9. When we were cleaning out her things in her apartment on Dec 16, she had a record player and I took three Ray Price records off and put them back in their covers. Then I find out Mr. Price passed away. So many great songs that now have even more meaning to me. I loved them growing up and love them even more now. Thank you Ray for giving my Mom so much happiness through your music. Aric
Daniel Gunter
Oh, man. He still sells it. Such a great song, and it's inspiring to see him sing it so beautifully. This performance can teach young vocalists a great deal about phrasing.
Hank Hurlston
RIP Mr. Ray Price, you were definitely one of the best voices in Country Music, you will be missed greatly!
KLUNKET
DAMN he's good isn't he? Even in his mid 80's, still smooth as ever. What a talent!
Liz Linville
the pain was so evident in his beautiful face. I loved this man, my friend with all my heart. Still do.