Danny Ray (born 3 September 1951) is a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n-born

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

singer and record producer who has been based in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. He recorded for

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

and

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. Th ...

in the early 1970s and later set up his own Black Jack label.

Biography

Born in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Ray began his career in Jamaican talent shows in the early 1960s, Jackie Edwards being an early influence.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 242Gray, Marcus (2011) ''Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and London Calling'', Vintage, , p. 350 He relocated to the UK in 1965 and joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. While posted in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

he formed the Danny Ray and the Vibrations, the band appearing on television and radio in Europe. After leaving the Air Force and a spell in Jamaica, he returned to the UK and formed Danny Ray and the Falcons, the group recording the single "The Scorpion" for MCA Records.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , pp. 251–2 He moved on to Trojan Records who released several successful singles including "Don't Stop", "Sister Big Stuff", "Playboy", and "Your Eyes are Dreaming", with his debut album, ''The Same One'', released in 1973.de Koning, Michael & Cane-Honeysett, Laurence (2003) ''Young Gifted and Black: the Story of Trojan Records'', Sanctuary Publishing Limited, , p. 293 In 1974 he starred in the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

-financed film ''Moon Over the Alley'' along with

Sharon Forrester Sharon Forrester (born 1956) is a Jamaican reggae singer who had success in the 1970s and 1990s. Biography Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1956, Forrester was born into a musical family and began singing at an early age, singing in church choirs f ...

. In 1976 he set up the

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...

-based Golden Age label with

Sydney Crooks Sydney Crooks (born Sydney Roy Crooks, 24 February 1945, Westmoreland, Jamaica, Westmoreland, Jamaica), also known as Sidney Crooks, Sidney Roy, Luddy Pioneer, Luddy Crooks, Brother Coleand now Norris Cole,Katz, David (2003) ''Solid Foundation: a ...

of The Pioneers, label subsidiaries including Pioneer and Doctor, the latter from Ray's initials. Ray had further success with singles such as "Dip and Fall Back", "

Revolution Rock "Revolution Rock" is a song written and originally recorded by Danny Ray and covered by punk rock artists, the Clash, featuring on their 1979 album ''London Calling''. Ray's version of the song was released as a single to modest success. Accordin ...

", and

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's "

Waiting in Vain "Waiting in Vain" is a song written by reggae musician Bob Marley and recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers, for their 1977 album '' Exodus''. Released as a single, it reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was one of only a ...

" and "Rastaman Live Up". Ray set up his own Black Jack label in the late 1970s, producing and releasing his own recordings as well as records by Christine Joy White, Album Pure Love,

Dave Barker Dave Barker (born David Crooks; 29 October 1947, Franklyn Town, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae and rocksteady singer who has made a string of solo albums along with recordings as a member of The Techniques and as half of the duo Dave and Ansell ...

The Glow of Love ''The Glow of Love'' is the debut studio album by Italian/American ensemble Change, released in April 1980. It includes the singles " A Lover's Holiday", "Searching" and " The Glow of Love"; all three singles simultaneously topped the US dance ...

") and Winston Francis ("

California Dreaming "California Dreamin" is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in Dece ...

").Gooden, Lou (2003) ''Reggae Heritage: Jamaica's Music History, Culture & Politic'', AuthorHouse, , p. 235 The B-side of his 1979 single "Rastaman Live Up", "Revolution Rock", was covered by British

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band,

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

on their ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. ...

'' album.Salewicz, Chris (2007) ''Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer'', Faber & Faber, , pp. 250–251 His duet with Shirley James, "Why Don't You Spend the Night", was sufficiently successful that

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

offered him a record deal, reissuing the single and its follow-up, "Right Time of the Night". An album followed featuring both singles. Recording alongside

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

and Aswad, Ray was one of the artists who contributed to the ''British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal'' charity single, the vocal and dub

Discomix A discomix, or simply a disco, is an extended reggae 12-inch single that typically features the vocal track followed by a dub version or a deejay version of the same track.Heath, ML (2010)Joe Gibbs: 12" Reggae Discomix Showcase Volumes 4 and 5, Pop ...

"Let's Make Africa Green Again", released in 1986. Amongst the many other artists contributing to the project were Michael "Bammie" Rose, Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton and B. B. Seaton. Danny Ray's third album, ''All the Best'', was released in 1989. He has continued to work as a producer, working with the Jet Star label and artists such as J.C. Lodge and

Luciano Luciano is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese given name and surname. It is derived from Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of '' Lucius'' ("Light"). The French form is '' Lucien'', while the Basque form is '' Luken''. Single name * Luciano (rap ...

Discography

Albums

*''The Same One'' (1973),

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 18 ...

*''All the Best'' (198?), Black Jack *''Why Don't You Spend the Night'' (1981), Black Jack – Danny Ray featuring Shirley James *''Playboy'' (198?), Black Jack *''Classic Lovers'' (2005), Black Jack – Danny Ray and Friends

Singles

*"Feel so Bad" (1972),

Horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

*"White And Wonderful, Black And Beautiful" (1972), Horse *"I'm Gonna Get Married" (1973), Trojan *"White And Wonderful, Black And Beautiful" (1973), Horse *"Ain't It A Beautiful Morning" (1974), Trojan *"Morning Side of the Mountain" (1974), Trojan *"Jane Ann" (1975), Talent *"Easy Loving" (1975), Doctor – with Pat Dillon *" I Can't Get Used to Losing You" (1976), Trojan *"Fire Redder Than Red" (1976), Love *"Waiting in Vain" (1977), Golden Age *"Playboy" (1977), Trojan *"World Festivity" (1977), Doctor *"Just Like a River" (1978), Horse *"Back in My Arms" (1978), Black Jack *"Rastaman Live Up"/"Revolution Rock" (1979), Black Jack/Philips *"If You Wanna Be Happy" (1980), Jackal *"Playboy (Rapping)" (1980), Black Jack *"Let Me Love You" (1981), Black Jack *"Why Don't You Spend The Night" (1981), Black Jack – with Shirley James *" Right Time of the Night" (1981), Black Jack – with Shirley James *"Hey! Paula" (1982), Black Jack – with Shirley James *"Spring Again" (1982), Black Jack *"Play Boy" (1986), Black Jack *"Hard Knock Life" (198?), Black Jack *"Jamaica I Hear You Calling" (198?), Black Jack *"He'll Break Your Heart", Boomerang – with Balance *"Kingston Town", Black Jack *"No Love Today", Black Jack *"Working Couple", Black Jack *"If You Wanna Be Happy", Jet Star *" Enjoy Yourself (It's Later than You Think)" (2011), Black Jack

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Danny 1951 births Living people Singers from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican male singers Jamaican reggae singers Trojan Records artists