Ray Conniff

• findagrave.. ;

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

Conniff was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, United States,[1] and learned to play the trombone from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.[2]

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.[1] After his stint with Shaw, he was then hired by Mitch Miller in 1954, 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.[1] He wrote a top 10 arrangement for Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies.[1] 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 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 1957-68, Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being Somewhere My Love (1966).[1] He topped the album list in Britain in 1969 with His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound,[1] 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.[1] 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 seventies and eighties. He 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, 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).[1] He released many more albums in the same vein, including ’s Marvelous (1957, 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).[1] 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 disliked it. When it sold poorly, he had it withdrawn from the market.

In 1959, he started The Ray Conniff Singers (12 women and 13 men, comprising mainly the Ron Hicklin Singers with augmentation by others) and released the album It's the Talk of the Town.[1] 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.[1]

The album 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), while the first of four Christmas albums by the Singers, Christmas with Conniff (1959) was also successful.

Nearly 50 years after its release, in 2004, Conniff was posthumously awarded 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 Conniff'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.

Conniff recorded in New York from 1955–61, 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.[citation needed]

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.

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 feature rare singles and previously unissued tracks. His music is also featured prominently in the movie There's Something About Mary.

From 1962 through 2001, membership in the Ray Conniff Singers included:[3]

Tenor

Dick Castle (also known as Dick Kent)

Dick Cathcart (father of Betsy Cathcart, who provided the singing voice in the Don Bluth film An American Tail)

Jack Halloran (as in Jack Halloran Singers)

Jay Meyer

Verne Rowe

Bob Shepard

Bill Stephens

Troy Kennedy

Enoch Asmuth

Dave Loucks

Phillip Chaffin

Scott Hoffman

John Bahler

Bass and Baritone

Wayne Dunstan

Jimmy Joyce (as in Children's Choir), featured on "Sing" (The Carpenters song)

Christopher Beatty

Bill Kanady

Bob Tebow (also sang bass with the Anita Kerr Singers on Dot & Warner Bros. labels)

Dick Wessler

Ted Wills

David Theriault

Jeff Dolan

Phill Gold

Gene Morfort

Soprano

Jackie Allen

Sally Castle (wife of Dick above)

Pat Collier

Betty Joyce (wife of Jimmy, above)

Loulie Jean Norman

Myra Stephens

Laura Savitz

Fran Logan

Kathy Westmoreland

Darlene Koldenhoven

Leana Ryan (Peggy Ryan)

Karen Schnurr

Rhonda Cherryholmes

Byllie Sluyter

Robin Gray

Kathy Mann

Judy Murdock

Dianna Lee

Alto

B.J. Baker (also sang alto with the Anita Kerr Singers on Warner Bros. label)

Vangie Carmichael

Rica Moore (the Disney narrator)

Marge Stafford

Doreen Tryden

Karen Kessler

Erin Theriault

Lisa Semko

Jackie Ward (Robin Ward)

Sandy Howell

Kimberly Lingo

Anna Callahan

Sylvia Lindsay

Leslie Tyson

Sue Allen

Ray Conniff was one of the most successful easy listening artists on the Billboard magazine album chart, placing 30 albums on their Billboard Hot 200 charts to 1973. The group went on to record over 90 albums.

'S Wonderful! (1956)

Dance the Bop! (1957)[4]

'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), with Billy Butterfield

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, gold album)

Somebody Loves Me (1961)

'S Continental (1962)

So Much in Love (1962, gold album)

Rhapsody in Rhythm (1962)

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (1962, platinum album)

The Happy Beat of Ray Conniff, His Orchestra and Chorus (1962)

Just Kiddin' Around (1962), with Billy Butterfield #85 Hot 200

You Make Me Feel So Young (1963) #73 Hot 200

Speak to Me of Love (1963) #50 Hot 200

Friendly Persuasion (1964) #141 Hot 200

Invisible Tears (1964) #23 Hot 200

Love Affair (1965) #54 Hot 200

Music From 'Mary Poppins', 'The Sound of Music', 'My Fair Lady' & Other Great Movie Themes (1965) #34 Hot 200

Here We Come A-Caroling (1965, platinum album)

Happiness Is (1965) #80 Hot 200

Somewhere My Love (1966, platinum album) #3 Hot 200

Ray Conniff's World of Hits (1966) #78 Hot 200

En Español (The Ray Conniff Singers Sing It in Spanish) (1966) #180 Hot 200

This Is My Song and Other Great Hits (1967) #30 Hot 200

Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album (1967) #39 Hot 200

It Must Be Him (1967, gold album) #25 Hot 200

Honey (1968, gold album) #22 Hot 200

Turn Around Look at Me (1968) #69 Hot 200

I Love How You Love Me (1969) #101 Hot 200

Ray Conniff's Greatest Hits (1969) #158 Hot 200

Live Europa Tournee 1969/Concert in Stereo (1969)

Jean (1969) #103 Hot 200

Concert In Stereo: Live at 'The Sahara Tahoe' (1969) #177 Hot 200

Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) #47 Hot 200

We've Only Just Begun (1970) #120 Hot 200

Love Story (1970) #98 Hot 200

Great Contemporary Instrumental Hits (1971) #177 Hot 200

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1971) #138 Hot 200

Love Theme from "The Godfather" (1972) #114 Hot 200

Alone Again (Naturally) (1972) #180 Hot 200

I Can See Clearly Now (1972) #165 Hot 200

Ray Conniff in Britain (1973)

You Are the Sunshine of My Life (1973) #176 Hot 200

Harmony (1973) #194 Hot 200

The Way We Were (1973)

"Ray Conniff Plays Carpenters" (1974)

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)

"Ray Conniff Plays The Beatles" (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".