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.
That's All That Matters
Ray Price Lyrics
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For I'm the one that's got you now that's all that matters to me
I know other arms have held you but I'm not jealous of these
For mine are the arms that hold you now and that's all that matters to me
I came alive when you came along you brought life back to me
And I don't care what's in your past you're as far as I can see
I know other lips have kissed you I know you've been thrilled and pleased
And that's all that matters to me
The lyrics of the song "That's All That Matters" by Ray Price convey a mature and evolved love between two people, one of whom has had previous relationships. The singer acknowledges that his beloved might have had other partners before, but they do not worry him because ultimately she is with him, and that is all that counts. He is grateful for her presence in his life, as she has brought him back to life, and he does not care about her past or who she has kissed before. All that matters is that he is the one holding her now, and her previous relationships are nothing more than memories to him.
The song is a testament to the power of love, specifically the importance of being present and appreciating the love we receive in the here and now. It is a reminder that past experiences shouldn't dictate our present, and the value of a relationship lies in the present moment. The singer's acceptance of his lover's past and his focus on the present moment shows a level of maturity and grace that is refreshing.
Line by Line Meaning
I know I'm not your first love but there'll just be past memory
I am aware that I am not your first love, but I am confident that those are just distant memories now.
For I'm the one that's got you now that's all that matters to me
I am the lucky one who has you now, and that's all that truly counts for me.
I know other arms have held you but I'm not jealous of these
I acknowledge that other arms have embraced you, but I am not envious of them.
For mine are the arms that hold you now and that's all that matters to me
I am the one who is holding you now, and that is what is most important to me.
I came alive when you came along you brought life back to me
You brought me to life when you entered my world, and your presence has given me a new lease on life.
And I don't care what's in your past you're as far as I can see
Your past does not concern me, because you are the only one I can see now.
I know other lips have kissed you I know you've been thrilled and pleased
I understand that other lips have touched yours, and they have given you joy and pleasure.
But mine are the lips that kiss you now and that's all that matters to me
However, it is my lips that are currently kissing you, and that is all that matters to me.
And that's all that matters to me
In summary, what matters the most to me is the fact that I have you with me right now.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HANK COCHRAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind