“Poor old Johnnie Ray sounded sad upon the radio / He moved a million hearts in mono.” – “Come On Eileen,” Dexy’s Midnight Runners, 1982. Picture: Johnnie Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990), 1952. Johnnie Ray, who was born ninety years ago today, was an influential American singer, songwriter, and pianist whose career in America largely ended in the early 1960s. As one critic explained, Ray, who was left partially deaf after a childhood accident, was “a sensation in the 1950s, the heart-wrenching vocal delivery of [his biggest hit] ‘Cry’…influenced many acts including Elvis and was the prime target for teen hysteria in the pre-Presley days.” Between 1952 and 1957, Ray dominated the pop charts with hits including “Cry,” “Please Mr. Sun,” and “Such a Night,” and his on-stage theatrics—including tearing at his hair, falling to the floor, and crying—earned him the nicknames of “Mr. Emotion” and “The Prince of Wails.” For various reasons, including rumors about his sexuality, Ray’s stardom in America declined by 1960, though he remained successful in Europe and Australia until his death. In 1951, before he gained any real fame, Ray was arrested for soliciting an undercover vice squad officer; as was customary, he avoided a public trial by pleading guilty and paying a fine. In the mid-1950s, Ray married the daughter of the owner of a popular nightclub, though she was by all accounts aware of his sexuality; the marriage lasted just two years. In 1959, Ray was again arrested for solicitation, though he took the second charge to trial and was found not guilty. In his later years, Ray maintained friendships with gay icons including Judy Garland and Charles Pierce, and Ray was friendly with members of the Los Angeles gay activist community. Johnnie Ray died of liver failure on February 24, 1990; he was sixty-three. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #JohnnieRay
