To his fans and the critics, Johnnie Ray - is regarded as one of the finest Rock n' Roll singers of the 50s.
Johnnie Ray was a sensation of the 50s. His career began to take off in 1952 when he released Cry' which dominated the charts during that year. His critical and commercial standing was equal to that of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Over sixty singles were released, ten of which were top ten hits in the UK and three went all the way to the top.
This brilliant CD contains 24 of his best-loved tracks, which span his amazing career. The collection opens with Yes, Tonight Josephine' (number 1 in 1957, 16 weeks in the charts), Just Walkin' In The Rain' (number 1 in 1956, 19 weeks in the charts), Such A Night' (number 1 in 1954, 18 weeks in the charts), Lets Walk That Way' created with Doris Day in 1952 and Up Above My Head', created with Frankie Laine. Not forgetting the aforementioned Cry'.
Johnnie Ray may have died in 1990, but he hasn't been forgotten. His influences can still be seen to this day, Billy Joel mentioned him in the lyrics of We Didn't Start The Fire'. Portishead used samples of his voice in Biscuit' and he's the topic of the first three verses of Come On Eileen', by Dexys Midnight Runners. With the recent resurgence of popular 50s artists performing well in the charts such as Joe Brown, Marty Wilde and Billy Fury, Johnnie Ray looks set to follow suit.
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Kat Dibbits
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