Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown; July 26, 1940 –
December 6, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter, whose musical career
spanned soul, country, pop, and musical theater. His hit songs included
"The 'In' Crowd" in 1965 and "Drift Away", which was one of
the biggest hits of 1973, sold over one million copies, and remains a staple of
radio airplay.
Gray's origins have always been the subject of debate,
but it seems most likely that he was born Lawrence Darrow Brown in Simonton, a
small town near Houston, Texas, to a family of sharecroppers and Baptist
ministers. It was through his grandfather's influence that he developed a love
of gospel music and singing in general, and in his early 20s he moved to Los
Angeles in pursuit of a show-business career, either in acting or singing.
He met Sonny Bono, then a well-connected hustler in the
Hollywood music business, and it was with Bono's help that he made his first
record, To Be Loved, which appeared on the small Stripe label in 1960, under
the name Leonard Ainsworth. Other recordings appeared on several small labels
and there was a minor hit in 1963 with Look at Me on the Cor-Dak label. By that
time he was recording as Dobie Gray, a name suggested by a popular TV situation
comedy, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, whose cast included Tuesday Weld and
Warren Beatty.
His true breakout was a 1965 recording of "The 'In'
Crowd," whose Motown-style bounce distinguished it from jazzman Ramsey
Lewis' celebrated version. Gray hit the Top 20 with "The 'In' Crowd"
and also had some success with the follow-up, "See You at
the Go-Go"; this period -- spent mostly on the small, poorly distributed Cordak, Charger, and White Whale labels -- was the most soul-oriented of his career.
the Go-Go"; this period -- spent mostly on the small, poorly distributed Cordak, Charger, and White Whale labels -- was the most soul-oriented of his career.
It would be some time before Gray returned to the charts;
in the meantime, he pursued a concurrent acting career, eventually spending two
and a half years with the Los Angeles production of Hair. During his Hair
years, Gray also sang with the band Pollution, which recorded two albums on
Prophecy beginning in 1971.
In 1972, Gray resurfaced as a solo artist on MCA, with
producer/songwriter Mentor Williams in his camp. Gray promptly scored the
biggest hit of his career with the Williams-penned "Drift Away,"
which hit the Top Five in early 1973 and remains an oldies-radio staple today.
The subsequent "Loving Arms," written by Tom
Jans, grew into a much-covered repertory item, recorded by singers from the
realms
of rock, country, and R&B. Gray's own sound was shifting more
toward country as well, and when he moved to Capricorn in 1975, he recorded in Nashville with new songwriting collaborator Troy Seals (he eventually relocated there permanently). Gray's popularity in Europe and Africa was growing steadily, and he managed to talk South African authorities into allowing him to play to integrated audiences during the apartheid era.
of rock, country, and R&B. Gray's own sound was shifting more
toward country as well, and when he moved to Capricorn in 1975, he recorded in Nashville with new songwriting collaborator Troy Seals (he eventually relocated there permanently). Gray's popularity in Europe and Africa was growing steadily, and he managed to talk South African authorities into allowing him to play to integrated audiences during the apartheid era.
Gray's tenure in Nashville was marked by a commercial
downturn, but his increased activity as a songwriter -- mostly in a country
vein -- resulted in covers by the likes of Don Williams, Charley Pride, George
Jones, and John Denver, among others. The disco-
flavoured "You Can Do It" became his final Top 40 hit in 1978, the same year he recorded the first of two LPs for Infinity.
flavoured "You Can Do It" became his final Top 40 hit in 1978, the same year he recorded the first of two LPs for Infinity.
When Infinity went bankrupt, Gray concentrated
exclusively on songwriting for a few years, then re-emerged on Capitol in the
mid-'80s as a full-fledged country artist. He made the lower reaches of the
country charts with singles like "That's One to Grow On" and
"From Where I Stand," but found it impossible to break through to a
wider country audience, and again faded from view after two albums. In 1997,
Gray released Diamond Cuts, a mix of new songs and re-recorded past hits.
In 2001 the bass-guitarist and producer Norbert Putnam,
whom he had met at Quadrafonic, supervised an album titled Soul Days, in which
Gray's readings of soul standards such as When a Man Loves a Woman and People
Get Ready demonstrated how comfortably his voice could locate the middle ground
between country and R&B, with a warm tone and a delivery that was un-dramatic
but heartfelt. That same year he released a set of Christmas songs, entitled
Songs of the Season, on his own label. He returned to the US charts for the
last time in 2003, when he appeared on a remake of Drift Away, singing with the
rap-rock star Uncle Kracker.
Gray died on December 6, 2011 of complications from
cancer surgery in Nashville, Tennessee, aged 71. His remains were buried at
Woodlawn Memorial Park And Mausoleum in Nashville.
(Compiked and edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic &
theguardian.com)
2 comments:
For “Dobie Gray – The Ultimate Collection” go here:
https://www112.zippyshare.com/v/Lab0dffz/file.html
1. The 'In' Crowd
2. See You At The Go-Go
3. Look At Me
4. Out On The Floor
5. Honey, You Can't Take It Back
6. Rose Garden
7. Drift Away
8. The Time I Loved You The Most
9. Good Old Song
10. Love Is On The Line
11. Loving Arms
12. So High (Rock Me Baby And Roll Me Away)
13. Watch Out For Lucy (Single Version)
14. A New Ray Of Sunshine
15. You Can Do It
16. Got My Heart Set On You
17. If I Ever Needed You
18. That's One To Grow On
19. Casey's Shadow: Let Me Go Till I'm Gone
20. Uptown Saturday Night (New Version)
21. No room To Cry (Bonus)
A big thank you to Alejandro @ elbarberolocorock.blog for active link.
Thank you for this uplifting music
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