Ray Whitley (songwriter)
Robert Ray Whitley (November 22, 1943 – May 5, 2013) was an American beach music composer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for composing hit songs recorded by The Tams and Guy Darrell, and he also released 14 of his own singles between 1961 and 1970.[1]
Ray Whitley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Ray Whitley |
| Born | November 22, 1943 Columbus, Georgia, United States |
| Died | May 5, 2013 (aged 69) Gainesville, Georgia, United States |
| Occupations | Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Producer, Arranger, Performer |
| Years active | 1961-1970 |
| Labels | Vee Jay, Dunhill, Apt, Columbia, TRX, 123, Attarack, others |
| Website | raywhitley |
Biography
Whitely was born in Columbus, Georgia on November 22, 1943 to Robert S. and Willie Bell Whitley.[2] Whitley was 14 when he formed his first band in his hometown.[3] Producer Felton Jarvis soon discovered him in an Atlanta High School.[3] Jarvis introduced Whitley to Atlanta music producer Bill Lowery, who saw Whitley's potential and signed him to a contract.[3]
Whitley's songwriting credits include "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" (which reached #9 on the Billboard charts), "I've Been Hurt", "Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me", "You Lied to Your Daddy", and "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" (co-written with J.R. Cobb of the Atlanta Rhythm Section) for The Tams.[1][3][4][5] His compositions were also recorded by Billy Joe Royal, Tommy Roe, Guy Darrell, The Swinging Medallions, Bill Deal and the Rhondels, Mylon LeFevre and Sonia Evans.[1][6]
Whitley toured nationally as a singer and performer, in addition to his work as a songwriter.[3] He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1991.[3][7]
Later in his life, Whitley struggled with alcoholism and homelessness; as of 2011, he was living in a shelter in Gainesville, Georgia.[5][8] Whitley died on May 5, 2013, after several months of illness.[2] Ray had one child, Christopher.
Discography as a recording artist
- 1961 - I Wasn't Sure / There Goes A Teardrop - Vee Jay USA VJ 414
- 1962 - Yessiree-Yessiree / A Love We Can Have And Hold - Vee Jay USA VJ 433
- 1962 - It Hurts / Deeper In Love - Vee Jay USA VJ 448
- 1963 - Teenage Crush / Young Heartaches - Vee Jay USA VJ 521
- 1964 - Walking Back To You / Weep Little Girl Weep - Vee Jay USA VJ 591
- 1965 - I've Been Hurt / There Is One Boy - Dunhill USA D-201
- 1965 - Runaway / I'll Tell The Robin - Apt USA 45-25086
- 1966 - The End Of My World / Just A Boy In Love - Columbia USA 4-43607
- 1967 - Take Back Your Mind / Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - Columbia USA 4-43980
- 1968 - 1983 / Gotta Go There - TRX USA 45-T-5007
- 1969 - Don't Throw Your Love To The Wind / Underdose Of Faith - 123 USA 1707
- 1970 - Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me / Everybody - Attarack USA ATT 103
Selected songs written by Ray Whitley
| Date | Performer | Title | Peak chart positions | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US AC [9] |
US Country [9] |
US R&B [9] |
UK [9] | ||||
| 12/1963 | The Tams | What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am) | 9 | 1 | ABC-Paramount 10502. | |||
| 03/1964 | The Tams | You Lied to Your Daddy | 70 | 27 | ABC-Paramount 10533. | |||
| 07/1964 | The Tams | Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me | 41 | 10 | ABC-Paramount 10573. | |||
| 10/1966 | Bryan Hyland | Run, Run, Look, and See | 25 | Philips 40405. Written by Martin Cooper & Ray Whitley. | ||||
| 04/1967 | The Swingin' Medallions | I Found a Rainbow | 107 | Smash 2084. | ||||
| 05/1968 | December's Children | Backwards and Forwards | 123 | World Pacific 77887. | ||||
| 09/1968 | The Tams | Trouble Maker | 118 | ABC 11128. | ||||
| 04/1969 | Bill Deal & the Rhondels | I've Been Hurt | 35 | Heritage 812. | ||||
| 08/1969 | Bill Deal & the Rhondels | What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am | 23 | Heritage 817. | ||||
| 07/1971 | The Tams | Hey Girl Don't Bother Me | 1 | |||||
| 08/1973 | Guy Darrell | I've Been Hurt | 12 | |||||
| 1976 | Larry Jon Wilson | Think I Feel a Hitchhike Coming On | 47 | 74 | Monument 8692. | |||
| 1978 | Eddie Middleton | What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am) | 44 | |||||
| 08/1991 | Sonia Evans | Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy | 13 | 22 | I.Q./RCA 62246. Written by James Cobb & Ray Whitley. | |||
References
- "Ray Whitley - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- "Robert Ray Whitley, 69". Access North Georgia. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- Zell Miller (1996). They Heard Georgia Singing. Mercer University Press. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-86554-504-5.
- Jon Kutner (2010). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. part 411. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
- Rick Simmons (2013). Carolina Beach Music from the '60s to the '80s: The New Wave. The History Press. pp. 168–170. ISBN 978-1-60949-750-7.
- Bob Leszczak (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-4422-3068-2.
- "Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Inductees". Georgia Music Channel. Retrieved Oct 10, 2022.
- Eggers, Marc (January 29, 2011). "Homeless man still has song in his heart". WDUN. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- "Songs written by Ray Whitley". MusicVF.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
Further reading
- Haynes, Greg (2006). The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music: Stories and Remembrances of a Southern Music Genre. Atlanta, Ga.: Rare Reads Publishing. ISBN 9780978604707.