Ray Conniff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ray Conniff
Conniff in 1958
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Raymond Conniff
Also known as	Jay Raye
Born	(1916-11-06)November 6, 1916 Attleboro, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	October 12, 2002(2002-10-12) (aged 85) Escondido, California, U.S.
Genres	Big band
Occupation(s)	Composer, conductor
Instruments	Trombone, vocals

Joseph Raymond Conniff (born November 6, 1916 – died October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and music arranger. He was most famous for his group, the Ray Conniff Singers, especially during the 1960s.

Biography

Ray Conniff was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA. His father taught him how to play the trombone. He also learned how to arrange music by studying a course book.

Early Career in Music

After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Ray Conniff joined the Artie Shaw big band. He wrote many music arrangements for them. An "arranger" takes a song and decides which instruments play which parts, and how the music sounds overall.

In 1954, he started working for Columbia Records. He arranged music for many popular singers like Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, and Frankie Laine. He helped create hit songs, including "Band of Gold" for Don Cherry in 1955, which sold over a million copies!

Ray Conniff also made records under the name Jay Raye. He created a new sound by having a choir sing along with the big band, but without actual words. The singers would make sounds that blended with the instruments. This unique style became very popular. His first successful album with this sound was ’s Wonderful! in 1956. Many more albums followed, like ’s Marvelous (1957) and Memories Are Made of This (1960), which became gold albums, meaning they sold a lot of copies.

Between 1957 and 1968, Ray Conniff had 28 albums that made it into the Top 40 charts in America. His album Somewhere My Love (1966) was especially famous. In 1969, his album His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound topped the charts in Britain. He was also the first American pop artist to record music in Russia in 1974. His music became very popular in Latin American countries, where he was treated like a pop star even when he was in his seventies and eighties!

The Ray Conniff Singers

Conniff in 1967

In 1959, Ray Conniff formed The Ray Conniff Singers. This group had 12 women and 13 men. Their album Somewhere My Love (1966) became his biggest hit. The main song on the album used the music from "Lara's Theme" from the movie Doctor Zhivago, and it became a top 10 song in the US.

The album itself reached the top 20 and sold enough copies to become a platinum album. Ray Conniff even won a Grammy Award for it! His Christmas albums, like Christmas with Conniff (1959), were also very successful.

Other popular albums by the Singers included Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album (1967) and Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970). Ray Conniff also worked with his old friend Billy Butterfield, a trumpet player, on two albums, Conniff Meets Butterfield (1959) and Just Kiddin' Around (1963). These albums were a type of music called "light jazz" and did not feature any singing.

Later Years

Ray Conniff continued to record and perform music until he passed away in 2002. He sold about 70 million albums around the world during his career.

Death

Ray Conniff died on October 12, 2002, in Escondido, California. He is buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. His grave has a musical score with the first four notes of his famous song "Somewhere My Love."

Legacy

After his death, a special two-CD collection called The Essential Ray Conniff was released in 2004. It included many rare songs that had not been released before. His music has also been featured in movies like There's Something About Mary and in commercials.

Original Albums

Ray Conniff was one of the most successful "easy listening" artists. He had 30 albums on the Billboard Hot 200 charts by 1973. Overall, his groups recorded over 90 albums!

Hit Records

Holiday Chart Entries

Some of Ray Conniff's holiday songs have appeared on the Billboard Holiday 100 chart. This chart tracks popular holiday songs each December.

See also

In Spanish: Ray Conniff para niños

• List of jazz arrangers