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.
The Answer to the Last Letter'
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm paying dearly for promises broken so free
I never dreamed that there'd be such a longing for you
But I'm been no angel so I've got what's coming to me
I am so weary and tired of another's caress
Though I would love to be with you I know it's too late
But I still love you and that is one thing I'll confess
I know I deserve to be punished whatever my fate
I'd give all these diamonds if I could be happy again
And have you hold me and tell me that we'd never part
Diamonds can never replace a true sweetheart or friend
All of this glamor can't banish the ache in my heart
All I have left is a dream of the days that are gone
All I have left is a mem'ry that never will fade
If you must leave me to suffer life's heartaches alone
I ask your forgiveness for all the mistakes I have made
Ray Price's song "The Answer to the Last Letter" is a melancholic country ballad about regret, nostalgia, and unfulfilled love. The lyrics depict a man who has received a final letter from his former lover, and he feels the weight of his mistakes and broken promises that led to their separation. He acknowledges that he has "got what's coming to me" for his infidelities, but he still can't help being consumed by the longing for his lost love. The song juxtaposes the material wealth that he has acquired with his emotional poverty and loneliness. He realizes that no amount of diamonds can replace the warmth and comfort of a genuine connection with someone he loves.
The fiddle accompaniment and Ray Price's distinctively plaintive voice reinforce the emotional impact of the lyrics. The song emphasizes the bittersweet beauty of lost love, and how it can haunt one's thoughts and memories. The singer of the song acknowledges his flaws and failures, but he also recognizes the preciousness and fragility of love - something that he can never regain or replace.
Line by Line Meaning
I just received your last letter and I feel so blue
I just got your letter and it's made me sad
I'm paying dearly for promises broken so free
I'm suffering for not keeping my promises
I never dreamed that there'd be such a longing for you
I never thought I'd miss you this much
But I've been no angel so I've got what's coming to me
But I deserve to feel this way because of what I've done
I am so weary and tired of another's caress
I'm tired of being with someone else
Though I would love to be with you I know it's too late
Even though I want to be with you, I know it's impossible now
But I still love you and that is one thing I'll confess
But I want you to know that I still love you
I know I deserve to be punished whatever my fate
I know I deserve to suffer for what I've done
[fiddle]
(instrumental)
I'd give all these diamonds if I could be happy again
I would give everything I have just to be happy again
And have you hold me and tell me that we'd never part
And to have you hug me and promise that we'll always be together
Diamonds can never replace a true sweetheart or friend
Material things can never take the place of a real love or friendship
All of this glamor can't banish the ache in my heart
All the fancy things in the world can't make the pain go away
All I have left is a dream of the days that are gone
All I have now is memories of the past
All I have left is a mem'ry that never will fade
All I have left is a memory that will always stay with me
If you must leave me to suffer life's heartaches alone
If you have to leave me and I have to deal with life on my own
I ask your forgiveness for all the mistakes I have made
Please forgive me for all the things I've done wrong
Contributed by Wyatt V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.