Eddie Ray - "Against All Odds"

Eddie Ray is probably one of the least known, and most humble, of all the people involved in bringing R and B, and Rock and Roll records into the mainstream media. His career has taken him from the stockroom; filling orders at Aladdin Records for Leo and Eddie Mesner; and on into the boardrooms of major record companies during the last days of Jim Crow. And, if you listen to music of any genre, Eddie Ray has had a hand in bringing many of those artists and composers who created that music, into millions of homes.

Mr. Ray was appointed by President Reagan as a U.S. Copyright Commissioner to serve on the U.S. Copyright Royalty Tribunal during the early 1980’s. As the technology surrounding music changed, so did the way in which the artists needed to be compensated. Mr. Ray helped create copyright regulations which provided a substantial increase in royalty fees for the Artists and composers who created the music. The aim was to be fair to the listening public, the artist and the copyright users. This has not always been easy.

I am privileged to have had the chance to ask Mr. Ray a few questions about his remarkable career, spanning almost 7 decades! You can usually find him at the NC Music Hall of Fame, located in the old jailhouse in Kannapolis, North Carolina. In addition to overseeing the activities of the Hall of Fame, and attending to various Award Ceremonies, he has found the time to pen a memoir about his extraordinary life, both on, and off, the road. The book, titled “Against All Odds” is due out shortly, and will also explore the evolution of the process by which the artists receive their fair share of the profits, as well as the challenges of staying abreast of the newer technologies. Here are the questions, posed by my alter ego “RT” for Rooftop Reviews, followed by Mr. Ray's responses;

RT. What is your first memory of music? Was it in your home, or church? And did you have a radio, Victrola or an instrument in your home?

Eddie Ray: My first memory of music was in my home and to a lesser degree in churches. We always had a radio and victrola in our home and I constantly listened to all genres of music. However, the primary genres of music that were broadcasts on radio stations that we were able to receive at that time in the mountains of NC were Big Band, Country, and what I refer to as White Gospel/Sacred music. My mother and I would also listen every Sunday morning to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from Salt Lake City and The Wings over Jordan Choir from a Black church in Cleveland, Ohio.

RT. What were your parents like? How did their relationship with you relate to your life in reference to perseverance and self-esteem, traveling in the Jim Crow South, and later navigating the white dominated corporate world?

Eddie Ray: Neither of my parents had a formal education beyond high school but both were highly intelligent and hard workers who under a severe racial discrimination and segregation system achieved a very successful life for themselves and their family. Perhaps even more importantly, they both possessed a high esteem of themselves and maintained a strong self confidence that they could succeed in spite of the racial restrictions and negative thoughts that others may have of them. All these extremely positive attitudes that they possessed were instilled in me and my siblings and we were constantly reminded that our ultimate fate was in our hands only.

RT. Does it astound you when you think of all the lives that your career has touched, from the artists to the listener? And are you cognizant of the impact which the music you helped to present had on society, and how that has affected the world today, from music to politics?

Eddie Ray: I am often asked if I am aware of the positive impact that I may have had on the lives of others. That is something that never crossed my mind during my career. I was only concerned with doing the best job that I could with every project that I undertook. That is what my parents had instilled in me. Also, in spite of whatever success I may have achieved in any of my projects, I was still searching for the REAL purpose of my life. Although, I always enjoyed whatever project that I accepted, I thought that there must be something more important that I should be doing with my life. However, as I grew older and finally began to listen to many people that thank me for the impact that my efforts have had upon their lives, I began to realize that perhaps I had being doing what I was destined to do. Yes, I do believe that the legendary musical artists and great music and songs with which I have been associated did and will continue to have a positive impacted upon politics, racial justice and society in general. I am honored that I had a small part in bringing these artists and their music to the public, but the credit should go to these wonderful artists and songwriters, and not to me.

RT. What do you think it is about you that draws people to you? What is the magic behind Eddie Ray?

Eddie Ray: If I do possess anything special that attracts people to me, I am not aware of what it is. I am basically an introvert and rather shy, especially when I meet new people. However, I cannot explain how I was so successful as a national sales and promotion person with major radio/television disc jockeys. Also, how I was also successful as an executive in negotiating agreements with major recording artists/songwriters and their agents/attorneys and later with US Congress members and national copyright Owners/Users as a US Commissioner of Copyrights and Chairman of the US Copyright Royalty Tribunal.

RT. Finally, how do you maintain your level of interest in all that you do? How would you like to be remembered; in terms of your accomplishments; or is there something more that you hope to leave behind as a statement of who you are?

Eddie Ray: I have never been concerned about if or how I may be remembered after my death. I have always been more concerned about establishing a productive and enjoyable relationship with people while we are alive. I have even asked my family not to have a funeral for me. I want my ashes to be spread in a particular place in the peaceful, blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

For a short biography about Eddie Ray's remarkable career, please visit his Wikipedia page at; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wiley_Ray 

And for a short video which outlines some of the subjects and artists which will be covered in the book, hit this You Tube link;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghgDezvvlQ4

For more information about the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, and upcoming events, go to; http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/

The following short synopsis of the book was provided by Mr. Ray. And you can be sure that you will be reading my review here very shortly.

COMING SOON—THE REMARKABLE LIFE STORY OF EDDIE RAY, A PIONEER MUSIC MAN.
 
“An incredible journey from the racially segregated mountains of Western North Carolina as a youth; to the smoldering heat of tobacco fields as a farm laborer in Glastonbury, Connecticut; to the shipping department of Decca Records Distributing Company as a stock boy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; to a skid-row hotel room in Los Angeles, California, working as a dish washer in a sea food restaurant; to a major music company executive in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, California as well as Memphis, Tennessee; to a founder and president of the Tennessee College of Recording Arts and Sciences in Memphis, Tennessee; to a Presidential Nomination and US Senate Ratification as a United States Commissioner for Copyrights in Washington, DC; to an Induction into the Music Hall of Fame in his home State of North Carolina.”

Eddie Ray - A National Treasure

One of the best things about doing this blog has been the people I've gotten to know, and correspond with, from the things I post. But the oddest, and most unlikely, of friendships I have made from doing this, is with Eddie Ray. That's his story in the video above. With a 3 decades head start, you wouldn't think we'd have much in common. But then again, there's the music.

I met Eddie Ray about 2 years ago, when I was first doing this blog. I wasn't writing every day, mostly confining myself to a post, or two, a week. I had intended to just do movie and book reviews. It was my wife, Sue, who broadened my horizons.

Sue works out of our home, while I don't work at all. She works upstairs in her office, while I piddle about downstairs in another, smaller room which we call the "computer room." I don't bother her too much during the day, but this one particular day I must have been annoying her enough that she "found" something for me to do.

Handing me an article from a local paper, I think it was the Huntersville Times, she pointed out the http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/ which is about 20 minutes from our home. I love music, and North Carolina is the birthplace of so many musical artists, that I figured what can I lose? I had heard of Eddie Ray, but knew very little about him beyond some background stuff I had read in biographies of various rhythm and blues artists.

When I arrived at the Museum I was greeted by a man, a little older than myself, and as we were walking around, looking at the exhibits, it came to me that this was Eddie Ray.

I have always been amazed at people who manage to carve out a niche for themselves, and then leave a mark upon the world in which they have lived. I'm still trying to find the secret. But Ed is one those rare individuals. Five minutes in his presence is all it takes to feel as if you have known this man your entire life. And in a way, you have.

So much of the music you listen to today, although it probably would have come to the surface anyway, came through the actions of Mr. Ray. From the late 1940's, and on through the 1970's, Eddie Ray was behind the scenes, a triple threat. He doesn't play anything, but he does write lyrics, and has a terrific ear for what is good. He has traveled the road from rhythm and blues to Pink Floyd and back again, covering every genre in between. And along the way he even helped to set the standards for artists royalties in a world of ever changing technology. In 1980 Eddie Ray was selected, and appointed, by President Reagan, as a Commissioner on the US Copyright Tribunal. Eddie served on that Tribunal for eight years, chairing it for 4 of them.

Hopefully we will see a book from Eddie soon. His life, in and out of the record business, is one of the most interesting of all the stories to come out of the world of entertainment. And did I mention he doesn't play any instrument? Unless you count his ever young and agile mind.

Kay Starr - Wheel of Fortune

I can never recall a time in my life when there was no music. When I was a child my parents always had music playing on the radio at home, and even in the car. The first four records I can recall hearing are Patti Page doing "Tennessee Waltz", Bette Hutton doing "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief", Frankie Laine doing "Cool, Clear Water" and Kay Starr doing "Wheel of Fortune." I still listen to these recordings on a regular basis. They are part of who I am.

Today is Kay Starr's birthday. She's 88 years young. And she always will be young, thanks to the recordings and films she has given us over the years. Here she is, singing "Wheel of Fortune" on The Wayne Newton Show in the 1960's. This is a short, 1 minute 30 second version of the recording, which runs about 3 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Es-UJepFQ

Born in Oklahoma in 1922, her father was full blooded Iroquois, and her mother was Irish. When the family moved to Dallas during the Depression, her mother began raising chickens in the back yard to supplement the family's income. Each day after school, Ms. Starr would go out back and feed the chickens while singing to them. Her Aunt Nora convinced Kay's mother to enter her into a singing contest on the radio in Dallas. She was well received and became known as "The Kid." Whenever a request for a ballad came in the band leader would say, "Let the kid do it."

Her first big break came in 1937 when Joe Venuti came to Memphis. The bandleader had a contract that required him to have a girl singer, which he did not. His manager heard Kay on the radio and they approached her family about her making an appearance with the band. For the next two years she would tour with the band each summer.

In 1939 she was hired by the Bob Crosby Orchestra for a short time. Her next move was to the Glenn Miller Orchestra. It was while singing with them that she made her first recordings.

Finishing high school in Memphis in 1942, she moved to L.A. and joined Charlie Barnet's Band to replace Lena Horne. Those were some big shoes to fill for a 20 year old! But fill them she did. In 1945 she became ill with pneumonia and lost her voice. Facing a serious operation which could have resulted in the loss of her singing abilities, she chose to treat the vocal chords and refrain from singing for 6 months. When she returned, her voice was fuller and more husky.

This began her nightclub years in L.A. while recording for Capitol Records, where she performed alongside of such legendary artists as Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford and Margaret Whiting. But her biggest break was yet to come.

Late at night on January 17th, 1952 she was awakened by a phone call summoning her to the studio to record a rush release of "Wheel of Fortune." This was her first Gold record and went on to become the #2 song on the charts in 1952. In 1955 she switched labels to RCA where she finally got the chance to show off her wide range of styles, singing everything from "pop" to jazz.

Returning to Capitol in 1959 she went on to record jazz, pop and even a country album through the 1970's. At that time she cut back on appearances in order to spend time with her family.

By the time the late 1980's rolled around, Ms. Starr had teamed up with Helen O'Connell and Margaret Whiting to tour in the musical revue "3 Girls." In 1993 she toured with Pat Boone, and in 1997 released her first "live" recording, the well received album "Live at Freddy's."

When her recording of "Wheel of Fortune" found it's way into the film "L.A. Confidential" in 1997, a police drama set in 1950's Los Angeles based on true events, her career hit another level. Millions more have now become acquainted with this multi talented singer. I am always amazed at the people who approach me in parking lots when they hear "Wheel of Fortune" coming from my speakers. They range in age from fans in their 80's, down to people in their 20's, who are familiar with her only through the movie soundtrack.

But for me, when I listen to this recording, I am back in Brooklyn, watching the turntable spin as I sing along to this wonderful recording. Happy Birthday to you, Ms. Starr.