Ray Price (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ray Price
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Price, ca. 1968
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Noble Ray Price |
| Also known as | The Cherokee Cowboy |
| Born | January 12, 1926 Wood County, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 16, 2013 (aged 87) Mount Pleasant, Texas, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1948–2013 |
| Labels | Columbia, Myrrh, ABC, Monument, Dimension, Viva, Step One |
Noble Ray Price (January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2013) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His deep, wide-ranging voice was considered one of the best in country music. He also created the "Ray Price beat," which changed the country music rhythm from 2/4 to 4/4. This helped make country music even more popular.
Some of his most famous songs include "Release Me", "Crazy Arms", "Heartaches by the Number", and "For the Good Times". Ray Price was honored by being chosen for the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He kept making music and performing well into his 80s.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Ray Price was born on a farm in Peach, a small community in Wood County, Texas. His parents were Walter Clifton Price and Clara Mae Bradley Cimini. When he was three, his parents separated, and his mother moved to Dallas, Texas. Ray spent his childhood living between Dallas and his father's farm. His mother and stepfather were successful fashion designers. They hoped Ray would follow in their footsteps, but he was not interested in fashion.
As a teenager, Ray Price began singing and playing the guitar. However, he first planned to become a veterinarian. He was studying at North Texas Agricultural College when World War II began. Ray joined the United States Marine Corps in 1944 and served in the Pacific region. After the war, he returned to college. In 1972, he was recognized as a distinguished former student.
Ray Price's Music Career
Early Success in the 1940s and 1950s
After college and the war, Ray Price decided not to become a veterinarian. He felt he was too small to work with large farm animals like cattle and horses. While helping on his father's ranch, he started singing at local events near Abilene, Texas. This led to him singing on a radio show called Hillbilly Circus in 1948.
In 1949, he joined the Big D Jamboree on Dallas radio station KRLD (AM). When this show was broadcast nationally on the CBS radio network, Ray Price gained his first national attention. Around this time, he became friends with fellow country singer Lefty Frizzell. Ray even wrote a song for Frizzell called "Give Me More, More, More Of Your Kisses." Ray's demo recordings caught the eye of Bullet Records in Nashville, Tennessee. He signed his first record deal, but his first song, "Jealous Lies," did not become a hit.
In the early 1950s, Ray moved to Nashville. For a short time, he even shared a room with country legend Hank Williams. After Williams passed away, Price took over his band, the Drifting Cowboys. Ray Price was the first artist to have a hit with the song "Release Me" in 1954. This song later became a big hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.
In 1953, Price started his own band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Many famous musicians were part of this band over the years. These included Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, and Johnny Bush. Roger Miller wrote one of Ray Price's classic songs, "Invitation to the Blues," in 1958. Willie Nelson also wrote "Night Life" for Ray Price. Price became a key figure in 1950s Honky Tonk music. He had hit songs like "Talk To Your Heart" (1952) and "Release Me."
From Nashville Sound to Gospel Music
In the 1960s, Ray Price began to try out the "Nashville sound." This style featured slower songs with rich musical arrangements, including strings and backup singers. A great example is his 1970 hit "For the Good Times." This song was written by Kris Kristofferson and became Ray Price's first country music No. 1 hit since "The Same Old Me." It also reached No. 11 on the pop music charts. This softer, more sophisticated sound was quite different from his earlier honky tonk style.
Price had three more No. 1 country hits in 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." The last song also became a pop hit in Canada. Later, Gladys Knight & the Pips made it even more famous.
His last top ten hit was "Diamonds In The Stars" in 1982. Ray Price continued to have songs on the country music charts until 1989. Later in his career, he also sang gospel music. He recorded well-known hymns like "Amazing Grace" and "Rock of Ages."
In 2009, Ray Price performed twice on the Fox News show Huckabee. He sang "Crazy Arms" and "Heartaches By The Number" with his band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Later, he performed duets of "Faded Love" and "Crazy" with Willie Nelson.
Ray Price worked on his last album, Last of the Breed, with fellow country stars Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. This album came out in 2007. It included 20 classic country songs and two new ones. The three artists toured the U.S. together to promote the album. This was Price's third album with Nelson and his first with Haggard.
Later Years and Passing
On November 6, 2012, Ray Price shared that he was battling pancreatic cancer. He had been receiving treatment for several months. He chose not to have a major surgery that would have meant a very long recovery. Ray Price said he wanted to live as long as he could but not in a way that would limit his life too much. He joked, "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!"
In February 2013, it seemed the cancer was getting better. However, in May 2013, Price was hospitalized for severe dehydration. On December 2, 2013, he entered a hospital in Tyler, Texas, in the final stages of his illness. He returned home on December 12 for hospice care. Ray Price passed away at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on December 16, 2013, at 87 years old. He was buried at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas.
Personal Life
After leaving Nashville, Ray Price spent his time off the road at his ranch in east Texas, near Mount Pleasant. He enjoyed working with cattle and horses. Ray Price was married twice. His first marriage ended in the late 1960s. He married his second wife, Janie, on June 11, 1970. They remained together until his death. He also had a son from his first marriage, Cliff Price.
Awards and Recognition
Academy of Country Music
- 1970 Album of the Year – For The Good Times
- 1970 Single of the Year – "For The Good Times"
Country Music Association
- 1971 Album of the Year – I Won't Mention It Again
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Inducted in 1996
Grammy Awards
- 1971 Best Male Country Vocal Performance – "For The Good Times"
- 2008 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals with Willie Nelson – "Lost Highway"
See also
- Country Music Association
- Academy of Country Music
- Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame (1996 Inductee)
