Ray Conniff

Ray Conniff

Conniff in 1979
Background information
Birth name Joseph Raymond Conniff
Also known as Jay Raye
Born November 6, 1916
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Died October 12, 2002 (aged 85)
Escondido, California
Occupation(s) Composer
Instruments Trombone, vocals
Website http://www.rayconniff.info/

Joseph Raymond "Ray" Conniff, also known as "Jay Raye" (November 6, 1916 – October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.

Biography

Conniff was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and learned to play the trombone from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.[1]

Early career

After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II (where he worked under Walter Schumann), he joined the Artie Shaw big band and wrote many arrangements for him. After his stint with Shaw, he was then hired by Mitch Miller, then head of A&R at Columbia Records, as their home arranger, working with several artists including Rosemary Clooney, Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell and Johnnie Ray. He wrote a top 10 arrangement for Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies. Among the hit singles he backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were "Yes Tonight Josephine" and "Just Walkin' in the Rain" by Johnnie Ray; "Chances Are" and "It's Not for Me to Say" by Johnny Mathis; "A White Sport Coat" and "The Hanging Tree" by Marty Robbins; "Moonlight Gambler" by Frankie Laine; "Up Above My Head," a duet by Frankie Laine and Johnnie Ray; and "Pet Me, Poppa" by Rosemary Clooney. He also backed up the albums Tony by Tony Bennett, Blue Swing by Eileen Rodgers, Swingin' for Two by Don Cherry, and half the tracks of The Big Beat by Johnnie Ray.

In these early years he also produced similar-sounding records for Columbia's Epic label under the name of Jay Raye (which stood for "Joseph Raymond") amongst them a backing album and singles with Somethin' Smith and the Redheads, an American male vocal group.

Between 1957 and 1968, Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being Somewhere My Love (1966). He topped the album list in Britain in 1969 with His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound, an album which was originally published to promote his European tour (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) in 1969. He also was the first American popular artist to record in Russia—in 1974 he recorded Ray Conniff in Moscow with the help of a local choir. His later albums like Exclusivamente Latino, Amor Amor, and Latinisimo made him very popular in Latin-American countries, even more so after performing in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival. In Brazil and Chile he was treated like a young pop superstar in the 1980s and 1990s when he was in his 70s and 80s. He even played live with his orchestra and eight-person chorus in large football stadiums as well as in Viña del Mar.

Conniff commented, "One time I was recording an album with Mitch Miller - we had a big band and a small choir. I decided to have the choir sing along with the big band using wordless lyrics. The women were doubled with the trumpets and the men were doubled with the trombones. In the booth Mitch was totally surprised and excited at how well it worked." Because of the success of his backing arrangements, Mitch Miller and the new sound Conniff created Miller allowed him to make his own record, and this became the successful "'s Wonderful!", a collection of standards that were recorded with an orchestra and a wordless singing chorus (four men, four women). He released many more albums in the same vein, including "'s Marvelous" (1959, gold album), "'s Awful Nice" (1958), "Concert in Rhythm" (1958, gold album), "Broadway in Rhythm" (1958), "Hollywood in Rhythm" (1959), "Concert in Rhythm, Vol. II" (1960), "Say It With Music" (1960), "Memories Are Made of This" (1960, gold album), and "'s Continental" (1962). His second album was "Dance the Bop!" (1957). It was an experiment by one of the brass at Columbia to cash in on a conceived dance step creation, but from the outset, Conniff diskiled it. When it sold poorly, he had it withdrawn from the market.

The Ray Conniff Singers

Ray Conniff in 1967

In 1959 he started The Ray Conniff Singers (12 women and 13 men) and released the album It's the Talk of the Town. This group brought him the biggest hit he ever had in his career: Somewhere My Love (1966). The lyrics of the album's title selection were written to the music of "Lara's Theme" from the film Doctor Zhivago, and the result was a top 10 single in the US. The album also reached the US top 20 and went platinum, and Conniff won a Grammy. The single and album also reached high positions in the international charts (a.o. Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan). Also extraordinarily successful was the first of four Christmas albums by the Singers, Christmas with Conniff (1959). Nearly 50 years after its release, in 2004, Conniff was posthumously awarded with a platinum album/CD. Other well-known releases by the Singers included Ray Conniff's Hawaiian album (1967), featuring the hit song "Pearly Shells;" and Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), which included Coniff's original composition "Someone," and remakes of such hits as "All I Have to do is Dream," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," and "Something."

Musically different highlights in Conniff's career are two albums he produced in cooperation with Billy Butterfield, an old friend from earlier swing days. Conniff Meets Butterfield (1959) featured Butterfield's solo trumpet and a small rhythm group; Just Kiddin' Around (after a Conniff original composition from the 1940s), released 1963, featured additional trombone solos by Ray himself. Both albums are pure light jazz and did not feature any vocals.

Later years

Conniff recorded in New York from 1955 through 1961 and mainly in Los Angeles from 1962 through 2000. Later in the 1960s he produced an average of two instrumental and one vocal album a year.

In 1979, Conniff was hired to re-arrange and record a new version of "Those Were The Days" and "Remembering You", the opening and closing themes to All In The Family for Carroll O'Connor's new spin-off, Archie Bunker's Place on CBS with a small ensemble, trombone solo, and honky-tonk piano.

Conniff sold about 70 million albums worldwide, and continued recording and performing until his death in 2002.

His death

He died in Escondido, California, from a fall he suffered in a bathtub, and is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. His grave marker bears a musical score with the first four notes of "Somewhere My Love". Conniff was survived by his wife, Vera; a daughter, Tamara Conniff; son, Jimmy Conniff; and three grandchildren.

The Conniff legacy

In 2004, a memorial two-CD compilation set, The Essential Ray Conniff, was released, featuring many rare and previously unreleased tracks. The Singles Collection, Vol. 1 was released on the Collectables label in 2005, The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 in 2007, and Vol. 3 was released in 2009. These collections also feature rare singles and previously unissued tracks.

His music is also featured prominently in the movie There's Something About Mary.

Ray Conniff Singers membership

From 1962 through 1971, membership in the Ray Conniff Singers included:[2]

Tenor

Bass and Baritone

Soprano

Alto

Original albums

  • 'S Wonderful (1956)
  • Dance the Bop! (1957)[3]
  • 'S Marvelous (1957, gold album)
  • 'S Awful Nice (1958)
  • Concert in Rhythm, Vol.1 (1958, gold album)
  • Broadway in Rhythm (1958)
  • Hollywood in Rhythm (1958)
  • It's The Talk of the Town (1959)
  • Conniff Meets Butterfield (1959)
  • Christmas with Conniff (1959, platinum album)
  • Concert in Rhythm, Vol.2 (1959)
  • Young at Heart (1960)
  • Say It with Music (A Touch of Latin) (1960)
  • Memories Are Made of This (1960, platinum album)
  • Somebody Loves Me (1961)
  • 'S Continental (rec.1961 / rel.1962)
  • So Much in Love (1962, gold album)
  • Rhapsody in Rhythm (1962)
  • We Wish You a Merry Christmas (1962, platinum album)
  • The Happy Beat (1962)
  • Just Foolin'Around (1962), also with Butterfield
  • You Make Me Feel So Young (1963)
  • Speak to Me of Love (1963)
  • Friendly Persuasion (1964)
  • Invisible Tears (1964)
  • Love Affair (1965)
  • Music From 'Mary Poppins', 'The Sound of Music', 'My Fair Lady' & Other Great Movie Themes (1965)
  • Christmas Album: Here We Come A-Caroling (1965, platinum album)
  • Happiness Is (1965)
  • Somewhere My Love (1966, platinum album)
  • Ray Conniff's World of Hits (1966)
  • En Español (The Ray Conniff Singers Sing It in Spanish) (1966)
  • This Is My Song (1967)
  • Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album (1967)
  • It Must Be Him (1967, gold album)
  • Honey (1968, gold album)
  • Turn Around Look at Me (1968)
  • I Love How You Love Me (1969)
  • Live Europa Tournee 1969/Concert in Stereo (1969)
  • Jean (1969)
  • Concert In Stereo: Live at 'The Sahara Tahoe' (1969)
  • Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
  • We've Only Just Begun (1970)
  • Love Story (1970)
  • Great Contemporary Instrumental Hits (1971)
  • I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1971)
  • Love Theme from "The Godfather" (1972)
  • Alone Again (Naturally) (1972)
  • I Can See Clearly Now (1972)
  • Ray Conniff in Britain (1973)
  • You Are the Sunshine of My Life (1973)
  • Harmony (1973)
  • The Way We Were (1973)
  • The Happy Sound of Ray Conniff (1974)
  • Ray Conniff in Moscow (1974)
  • Laughter in the Rain (1975)
  • Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (1975)
  • Love Will Keep Us Together (1975)
  • I Write the Songs (1975)
  • Live in Japan (1975)
  • Send in the Clowns (1976)
  • Theme from 'SWAT' and Other TV Themes (1976)
  • After the Lovin' (1976)
  • Exitos Latinos (1977)
  • Ray Conniff Plays the Bee Gees and Other Great Hits (1978)
  • I Will Survive (1979)
  • The Perfect '10' Classics (1980)
  • Exclusivamente Latino (1980)
  • Siempre Latino (1981)
  • The Nashville Connection (1982)
  • Musik für Millionen (partly produced for a German TV show in 1982)
  • Amor Amor (1982)
  • Fantastico (1983)
  • Supersonico (1984)
  • Campeones (1985)
  • Say You Say Me (1986)
  • 30th Anniversary Edition (1986)
  • Always in My Heart (1987)
  • Interpreta 16 Exitos De Manuel Alejandro (1988)
  • Ray Conniff Plays Broadway (1990)
  • 'S Always Conniff (1991)
  • Latinisimo (1993)
  • 40th Anniversary (1995)
  • Live in Rio (aka Mi Historia) (1997)
  • I Love Movies (1997)
  • My Way (1998)
  • 'S Country (1999)
  • 'S Christmas (1999)
  • Do Ray Para O Rei (2000)
  • Three volumes of "The Singles Collection".

Hit records

Year Single Chart positions
US US AC
1957 "'s Wonderful" 73
1960 "Midnight Lace-Part 1" 92
1964 "Blue Moon" 119
"Invisible Tears" 57 10
"If I Knew Then" 126
1965 "Happiness Is" 26
1966 "Somewhere My Love" 9 1
"Lookin' For Love" 94 2
1967 "Wednesday's Child" 29
"Cabaret" 118 13
"'17'" 15
"Wonderful Season of Summer" 14
"Moonlight Brings Memories" 24
"One Paddle, Two Paddle" 25
1968 "Winds of Change" 7
"We're a Home" 23
"Sounds of Silence" 34
"Look Homeward Angel" 12
1969 "I've Got My Eyes On You" 23
1971 "Loss of Love" 35
1973 "Harmony" 23
1977 "Rain On" 48

Spinoffs

A special version of the song "Happiness Is" was recorded for use in a TV commercial for Kent cigarettes, prior to the ban on TV advertising of tobacco products.

Songs composed by Ray Conniff

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bush, John. "Ray Conniff Biography". ARTISTdirect. ARTISTdirect, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  2. ↑ From group photo identification on Speak to Me of Love (Columbia, 1963).
  3. ↑ http://comcast.rayconniff.info/original/albums/bop.html

External links