Johnnie Ray was one of the most popular American singers of his day. He is considered by many people to be the forerunner of what would become rock 'n' roll. He was born in Hopewell (near Dallas), Oregon, and spent part of his childhood on a farm, eventually moving to Portland, Oregon. He became deaf in his right ear at age 12 due to an accident as a Boy Scout involving a blanket toss, when he fell on the ground hitting his ear, and would often perform wearing a hearing aid. Ray first attracted attention while performing at the Flame Showbar in Detroit. Inspired by rhythm singers like Kay Starr, LaVern Baker and Ivory Joe Hunter, he developed a unique style that was far closer to what would become known as "rock 'n' roll" than any other music of the time. His first record, the self-penned R&B numbers, "Whiskey and Gin," was a minor hit in 1951, but by the end of the year he would be dominating the charts with the double- sided monster hit single of "Cry",, backed by "The Little White Cloud That Cried".

His emotional delivery struck a chord with teenagers, and he quickly became the biggest teen idol since Frank Sinatra, almost ten years earlier. He quickly earned a plethora of nicknames including "Mr. Emotion," "The Cry Guy" and "The Prince of Wails."

More hits followed, including "Please Mr. Sun,"
"Such A Night",, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," "A Sinner Am I" and "Yes Tonight Josephine".
His last hit was "Walking In The Rain",, in 1956.
He was even more popular in the UK than in the US, breaking the record at the London Palladium formerly set by Frankie Laine. At one point he had four of the top songs on the charts in one week out of the Top Ten. His career revived in the 1970s, but it is only since the late 1990s that he has gained a great deal of recognition. He died of liver failure in Los Angeles at the age of 63.

Johnny Ray Recordings