Ray Whitley (songwriter)

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Ray Whitley
Birth nameRobert Ray Whitley
Born(1943-11-22)November 22, 1943
Columbus, Georgia, United States
DiedMay 5, 2013(2013-05-05) (aged 69)
Gainesville, Georgia, United States
OccupationsSinger, Songwriter, Composer, Producer, Arranger, Performer
Years active1961-1970
LabelsVee Jay, Dunhill, Apt, Columbia, TRX, 123, Attarack, others
Websiteraywhitley.wordpress.com

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][unreliable source?]

Biography[edit]

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[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Date Performer Title Peak chart positions Notes
US
[9][unreliable source?] 		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[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Ray Whitley - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Robert Ray Whitley, 69". Access North Georgia. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Zell Miller (1996). They Heard Georgia Singing. Mercer University Press. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-86554-504-5.
  4. ^ Jon Kutner (2010). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. part 411. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
  5. ^ a b 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Inductees". Georgia Music Channel. Retrieved Oct 10, 2022.
  8. ^ Eggers, Marc (January 29, 2011). "Homeless man still has song in his heart". WDUN. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Songs written by Ray Whitley". MusicVF.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.

Further reading[edit]

  • 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.
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