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.
Swinging Doors
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I gave up my home to see you satisfied
And I just called to let you know where I'm livin'
It's not much but I feel welcome here inside
I've got swinging doors a jukebox and a bar stool
And my new home has a flashing neon sign
Stop by and see me anytime you want to
Cause I'm always here at home till closing time
I've got everything I need to drive me crazy
And I've got everything it takes to lose my mind
And in here the atmosphere's just right for heartaches
And thanks to you I'm always here till closing time
I've got swinging doors
, a jukebox, and a bar stool, all of which are symbols of the honky-tonk lifestyle. The opening line "This old smoke filled bar is something I'm not used to" suggests that the singer is new to this environment and is out of place, but he has given up his home and established a new one to make his lover happy. He is making the best of his situation and has come to accept his new living conditions, even though they may not be ideal.
The singer seems to be living a lonely and heartbroken life, and the environment he has found himself in only exacerbates these emotions. He mentions that he has "got everything it takes to lose my mind" and that the bar is the right atmosphere for heartaches. Despite his somber existence, he offers an open invitation for his lover to visit him anytime because he is always at home until closing time. The song has a bittersweet tone that speaks to the enduring power of love in difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
This old smoke filled bar is something I'm not used to
I'm not accustomed to the environment of this bar as it's filled with smoke
But I gave up my home to see you satisfied
I left my house for you, to make sure you were content and happy
And I just called to let you know where I'm livin'
I called you to inform you about my new address
It's not much but I feel welcome here inside
Even though my new home isn't grand, I feel at home here
I've got swinging doors, a jukebox, and a bar stool
My place has the essentials, like swing doors, a jukebox, and a seat at the bar
And my new home has a flashing neon sign
The place I now reside at has a flashy neon sign
Stop by and see me anytime you want to
You can visit me whenever you please
Cause I'm always here at home till closing time
I'm at home until the bar closes for the night
I've got everything I need to drive me crazy
The things around me can easily make me go insane
And I've got everything it takes to lose my mind
I have all the means that can make me lose my sanity
And in here the atmosphere's just right for heartaches
This place has the ideal surroundings to feel overwhelmed with emotions
And thanks to you I'm always here till closing time
Thanks to you, I spend most of my time here till the closing time
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MERLE HAGGARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind