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.
Silent Night Holy Night
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Round young virgin mother and child holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace sleep in heavenly peace
(Silent night holy night shepherds quake at the sight)
Glories stream from heaven afar heavely hosts singing alleluia
Christ the Saviour is born Christ the Saviour is born
Ray Price's rendition of Silent Night Holy Night is a hymn dedicated to the birth of Christ. The song opens with the utter stillness of the night, peaceful and illuminated with bright stars, in stark contrast to the typical commotion of a Nativity scene. As the song builds, it describes the young virgin mother Mary and the infant Christ, both described in a vulnerable and tender light. The song then shifts to describe the awe-struck shepherds who witness the heavenly host's singing of "Alleluia," an acknowledgement of Christ's birth, telling them the Savior has come.
The overall message of the song is one of reverence for Christ's birth and an acknowledgment that his coming is a significant event that will bring lasting peace to the world. The song's opening line about "Silent Night Holy Night" is a reference to the quiet and peaceful atmosphere surrounding Jesus' birth, making it a poignant reminder of the miraculous nature of his arrival on Earth. Its message of Christ's birth continues to resonates with Christians around the world and is a vital part of Christmas hymns.
Line by Line Meaning
Silent night holy night all is calm all is bright
Tonight is especially peaceful and bright, with tranquility and happiness filling the air.
Round young virgin mother and child holy infant so tender and mild
The mother and child, depicted as pure and gentle, are surrounded by peaceful stillness.
Sleep in heavenly peace sleep in heavenly peace
Rest in boundless serenity, an ethereal and otherworldly peace.
(Silent night holy night shepherds quake at the sight)
(Even the shepherds were startled at the sight of this auspicious event, although the night remained silent and peaceful.)
Glories stream from heaven afar heavely hosts singing alleluia
The sky is filled with glorious light and voices of the heavens, lifting up songs of praise.
Christ the Saviour is born Christ the Saviour is born
The reason for this joyous occasion is the birth of Christ, the Savior of humanity.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Traditional (pd), David Foster, Rod Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind