Ray Baker is a

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

record producer. His first hit record produced was ''I Just Started Hatin' Cheating Songs Today'' by

Moe Bandy Marion Franklin "Moe" Bandy Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is an American country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and as part of a duo with Joe Stampley. Early life and recordings Ma ...

in 1974. He also produced ''It Was Always so Easy to Find an Unhappy Woman'' and ''It's a Cheatin' Situation'', both by Moe Bandy. He also produced all of

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity ...

's albums under Columbia and

Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label co-founded in 1958 by Fred Foster. Originally founded in Washington, D.C., the label moved to Nashville in 1960, and experienced success over the next two decades with a number of artists including ...

, starting with '' That's the Way Love Goes'' in 1974. Baker also produced duets by Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley. "Good Ole Boys" was a million-selling duet in 1979. In 1983 he produced '' Right or Wrong'' by

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

, his first gold album; singles from that album included the title track, " You Look So Good in Love" and " Let's Fall to Pieces Together." In 1984, he produced several hit records by

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

, including

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning '' That's the Way Love Goes''. ''That's the Way Love Goes'' at allmusic.com/ref> Ray Baker also produced "Natural High", "Let's Chase Each Other 'Round the Room", "What am I Gonna Do with the Rest of My Life", and "You Take Me for Granted", all number one records for Haggard. In addition, he produced several top ten records for Connie Smith for Columbia Records and Monument Records Prior to his producing career, Ray was a very successful music publisher. His catalogue contained such hits as "

Elvira Elvira is a female given name. It is believed to have first been recorded in medieval Spain, while other sources claim that it is likely of Germanic ( Gothic) origin. In the Balkans, Elvira is popular among Bosniaks, Croats, and Slovenes in the ...

" " There Goes My Everything" "

The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp "The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" is a song written by Dallas Frazier and first recorded by country musician, Johnny Darrell in 1968. The song tells the story of a woman with 14 children who is abandoned by her worthless alcoholic husband and tur ...

"," If My Heart Had Windows" " That's The Way Love Goes", " Johnny One Time" and over 35 other Number One Country and Pop Songs from 1966 to the 1990s. His various accomplishments are included in Michael Kosser's best-selling biography ''How Music City Became Music City USA''.

Notes

References

* "How Nashville Became Music City USA", Michael Kosser,

External links

* Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) American country record producers People from Nashville, Tennessee {{US-record-producer-stub