Contrary to past bio's and press releases (even on album cover liner notes), Johnnie Ray was not part Blackfoot Indian, press agents circulated a story that Johnnie's childhood Indian name was "Little White Cloud" and was asked in an interview at the height of his popularity what Indian blood he had. Johnnie looked at his shoes and came up with "Blackfoot", it stuck forever.

Johnnie Ray's parents were from Oregon as well, the Northern Willamette Valley to be precise. Hazel Simkins was reared in Dallas, Oregon, and Elmer Ray in Zena, they married in 1908, Elma was born January 13, 1922 at Spring Valley where Elmer worked for a local farmer.

<Age 13

Elma Ray once said that their parents realized that Johnnie had some kind of talent early on, so they sent him to an organ player in their church named "Uncle" Will Caldwell. Elma said "Uncle" Will would like to have taught Johnnie, but Johnnie was a source of consternation to "Uncle" Will because if Johnnie heard something once, he could play it.

<Age 15

Johnnie was a great kid, we went to school together. When Easter rolled around my parents used to take Johnnie and my girlfriend to Portland to buy our Easter clothes. Johnnie practically lived with us, he beat my piano to death! Johnnie took me to a Bonneville Park Adm. Formal dance that I will never forget. Neither one of us were old enough to drink, he picked me up in a cab and stopped at the corner vacant lot and got out of the cab and began digging in the dirt and pulled out a bottle of Southern Comfort. We were both dressed in formal wear of course and Johnnie came out as clean as he went in, except for the hands. I will never forget it. When we arrived at the hotel in Portland, we proceeded to get out of the cab and he dropped the bottle on the sidewalk, he got down on his hands and knees and pretended he was licking it off the sidewalk! He was such a character and very loveable. (Rosie is mentioned in the Jonny Whiteside book "Cry: The Johnnie Ray Story" in a quote by Johnnie Ray, chapter 1, page 20)

During the summer of 1940 in Dallas, Oregon, Johnnie Ray was at a Boy Scout Jamboree with troops from all over the Pacific Northwest. Johnnie was a 13 year-old scout envied by a lot of the boys for his musical talents. During a blanket toss Johnnie was hurled up into the air, about ten or twelve feet (according to childhood scout friend Jim Low), the boys holding the blanket lost their grip or let go and Johnnie slammed hard onto the ground, ramming a dry, stiff straw into his left ear. Johnnie immediately lost 50% of his hearing, no first aid was given, and 13 year-old Johnnie didn't mention it to his parents, thinking it would pass. But it didn't.

In 1941, at age 14, Johnnie got his first hearing aid, then the War came. Elmer Ray moved his family to Portland, Oregon,   where Johnnie lied about his age and got a job as a welder in the shipyards there. Portland turned out to be THE place for our Johnnie; Portland had radio stations, theatres, nightclubs, beer joints and dance halls, he became involved with youth dances sponsored by the Starlight Club at the Y.M.C.A. while attending Franklin High School.

Johnnie Ray's sister' Elma's record collection inspired him with Billie Holiday, Kay Starr (who spoke eloquently of Johnnie's early days at Johnnie's funeral in 1990) and others. One weekend in 1947 Johnnie drove (he borrowed his sister's car, Johnnie quit driving altogether shortly thereafter) to see Kay Starr live and managed to meet her, she told him that with his talents it would be a sin not to pursue show business.

The following contributed by Tad Mann, Johnnie's road manager:

After moving to Hollywood and kicking around at no avail, Johnnie headed for Detroit, Michigan, amid the racial tensions, bigotry, violence and hatred and found himself welcomed at the all black "Flame Show Bar" around 1950. As the only white performer at The Flame, Johnnie Ray exhibited his ability  to be a blues singer performing "Whiskey & Gin", "Pretty Eyed Baby", "Tell The Lady I said Goodbye" among others. Johnnie Ray sang along with some of the greats of the time, including LaVerne Baker, and those who who later found great success. Johnnie Ray was well accepted as an artist and as a person.

   After chasing record companies with a demo (no one knows what the demo song was, much less where it is now), Danny Kessler was persistent. As Johnnie Ray was such a unique soul and Jazz singer, he was signed to Okeh Records in 1951, an R&B company of Columbia Records aimed at the black music market. Johnnie's first Okeh release was a quick Detroit recording of  "Whiskey & Gin", a stomping R&B number, and "Tell The Lady I said Goodbye", a torchy ballad, both recorded May 29th, 1951, possibly in a radio station, with Maurice King and the Wolverines. Johnnie was thought at first by the radio listening audience to be a black blues singer, but soon it was revealed that he was a tall, thin, very fair complected, handsome boyish looking man of 24.

  Unlike band singers of the forties such as Sinatra, Dick Haymes or Bob Every, of which if you see any film of them they simply stood behind the microphone and rolled their words into the mike, Johnnie Ray was one of the first, if, in fact, not the first, to take the microphone off of the stand and roam, run and scream over an entire stage. Johnnie was the first to really move himself and play the audience. Johnnie would touch, tease, kiss and hold onto, white-knuckled, that microphone for security.

    A Johnnie Ray fan doesn't "jump on the band wagon for a while and jump to the next new one to come along", they are there from the beginning to eternity, a key word is dedication. There are many Johnnie Ray fans around the world who have been "dedicated" to The Nabob Of Sob for more than 47 years!

   Unfortunately, hearing aids of the time were not music friendly, they were made for speech. Johnnie had to constantly adjust his hearing aid on stage which was a distraction to him as well as the audience. His performances were greatly affected and his speech was affected, so he had to learn how to phrase words differently while the band was playing to old scores. It was a test I am not sure he completely over-came, I am sure it caused him a great deal of frustration.         -Tad Mann

   Johnnie Ray's fantastic gift of communicating emotion in song completely over-shadowed the hearing aid delima. Within only a few months in 1951, Johnnie's style had swept the country, with Columbia Records and the nation's juke boxes taking the claim to be the chief public instruments that built Johnnie's quick celebrity status. A third influence was the early faith of a few professional associates and radio disc-jockeys who had the insight to recognize a new and completely original entertainment talent of major importance. Fourth and far from the least of influences in the Johnnie Ray World are his fans. From the very beginning they responded to the dedication apparent in Johnnie's performances with an equal dedication of their own that lasts to this day.

In The Beginning

Bernie Lang (who became Johnnie's personal manager, photo above, left, and was called "Mr. Commotion") was working Midwest radio stations as a "song-plugger" in 1950.

By chance, he saw Johnnie Ray perform, with an interest in the way Johnnie delivered his music. Bernie took on the unknown singer as a full-time job. Through his contacts at General Artists' Corporation (a huge booking agency known as "G.A.C."), Bernie put Johnnie Ray on tour through America's minor clubs. At Detroit's Flame Club Show Bar, where Johnnie became friends with Flame performer LaVerne Baker, in April, 1951 local radio DJ's Robin Seymour and Bill Randle happened to catch Johnnie's act, they brought 25 year-old Danny Kessler (head of Columbia Records' regional distribution office and a BIG Rhythm & Blues fan) to the club to hear "a guy with the most original and impressive style in years".

Three weeks later, Johnnie Ray was on a New York-bound plane, headed for his first Columbia Records (Okeh) recording date.

LaVerne Baker, Johnnie & Jazz/Swing artist Salena Jones who still performs today.

Johnnie was labeled at various times throughout his varying career as "the Nabob of Sob", "the Prince of Wails", "The Atomic Ray", "the Guy with the Rubber Face and Squirt Gun Eyes" and in the 1970's "The Silver Fox who created the feel, the smell and the atmosphere of what would be Rock-n-Roll".

      Mid-western radio DJ's, who were spark-plugged by Cleveland DJ Bill Randle, set off the national juke box revolution. After the initial sale of over two million copies of "Cry", Billboard Magazine tipped off it's readers to watch for "a kid named Johnnie Ray... he's electrifying!" A night club owner who neglected for three days to sign a contract with Johnnie, because he was a newcomer, found the asking price had jumped from $500.00 a week to $1,500.00.

For the week of March 6, 1952, Johnnie Ray owned half of the Top 6 positions on the national music charts in America. Number 1 that week was “Cry”, Number 3 was “Please Mr. Sun,” and Number 6 was “The Little White Cloud That Cried”.

The Copa performances were also the very first time that Johnnie's sister, Elma, had seen him perform in "the style developed", as she said, since Johnnie left home in 1950.