Ray Lynam is an Irish

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer, born on 29 November 1951 in Moate, County Westmeath.

Career

Ray was born in Moate, County Westmeath to Patrick, a baker, and Nora, a shopkeeper. He was one of three sons, his brothers being Padraic and John. His first venture into the music scene was when he played saxophone for a local group "the Merrymen" while still attending the local Carmelite College Secondary School. By 1969 he had joined and was lead singer for the group Ray Lynam and the Hillbillies and had their first Irish Charts success with a cover of the

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the ''Billboard'' country music chart. He pioneered what came ...

song "Sweet Rosie Jones". During the Wembley Country Music Festival of 1974, he teamed up with one of Irelands leading female country singers,

Philomena Begley Philomena Begley (born 20 October 1942) is a country music singer from Northern Ireland. In 1975, Begley had a hit with her version of the Billie Jo Spears' song Blanket on the Ground reaching higher sales than Spears in Ireland. In 2020, Begl ...

and went on to record many hit duets with her, including

My Elusive Dreams "My Elusive Dreams" is a country music song written by Billy Sherrill and Curly Putman. Putman recorded his song in March 1967 and released it on ABC Records in June 1967, peaking at #41 on the Hot Country Singles charts and #34 on the Bubbling U ...

in 1975.

Style

Lynam’s singing voice is closely modeled on those American country singers that influenced his early career, such as

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

and

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 ...

, rather than the more popular (in Ireland at that time)

Country and Irish A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, or ...

style. He has had hits on the Irish charts during the 1970s and 1980s with cover versions of some of their well-known tracks including

He Stopped Loving Her Today "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is a song recorded by American country music artist George Jones. It has been named in several surveys as the greatest country song of all time. It was released in April 1980 as the lead single from the album '' I Am ...

and

If We're Not Back in Love by Monday "If We're Not Back in Love by Monday" is a song written by Sonny Throckmorton and Glenn Martin, and first recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard. It was released in March 1977 as the first single from the album '' Ramblin' Fever'' ...

Selected discography

Singles

*1970 - " Busted" / "

Heartaches by the Number "Heartaches by the Number" is a popular country song written by Harlan Howard, and published in 1959. The sheet music was a best seller in both the US and Britain in January 1960. Background The song mentions three heartaches, listed by the na ...

" *1970 - " Sweet Rosie Jones" *1971 - "Gypsy Joe and Me" *1971 - " Will You Visit Me on Sunday?" *1971 - "Santa Looks a Lot Like Daddy" *1972 - "The Selfishness of Man" (IRE #14) *1972 - "Brand New Mister Me" (IRE #6) *1973 - "

I Can't Believe That You've Stopped Loving Me "I Can't Believe That You've Stopped Loving Me" is a song written by Dallas Frazier and A.L. "Doodle" Owens, and recorded by American country music artist Charley Pride. It was released in September 1970 as the second single from the album ''From ...

" (IRE #12) *1973 - "You're the One I Can't Live Without" (with

) (IRE #5) *1973 - " Borrowed Angel" (IRE #8) *1974 - "Second Hand Flowers" (IRE #2) *1974 - "

" (with Philomena Begley) (IRE #3) *1975 - " The Door is Always Open" (IRE #9) *1975 - "I've Loved You All Over the World" (IRE #11) *1976 - "You're the One I Sing My Love Songs To" (IRE #5) *1977 - "Golden Ring" *1977 - "

Wolverton Mountain "Wolverton Mountain" is a country music song and 1962 crossover hit that established Claude King's career as an American country singer-songwriter. The song was a rewrite of the original version by Merle Kilgore, which was based on a real person n ...

" *1978 - "

Sweet Music Man "Sweet Music Man" is a song written and recorded by American musician Kenny Rogers. It appears on his 1977 album '' Daytime Friends'', from which it was released as the final single. History In 1977, the song reached number 9 on the country musi ...

" (IRE #15) *1979 - "I Don't Want to See Another Town" (IRE #13) *1980 - "Shower the People" *1982 - "What a Lie" (IRE #18) *1983 - "

" (IRE #17) *1983 - "Girls Women and Ladies" *1984 - "

" *1985 - "

Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile" is a song written by Johnny Cunningham and recorded by David Allan Coe. It was the first single from Coe's 1984 album ''Just Divorced'', and was released to radio in early 1984. The song is Coe's highest-charting single, ...

" (IRE #10) *1985 - "Fire of Two Old Flames" (with Philomena Begley) *1986 - "Too Late" / "Wintertime" (with Paul Cleary) *1986 - "To Be Lovers" *1988 - "Beautiful Woman" *1990 - "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart"

References

Musicians from County Westmeath Irish country singers 1951 births Living people People from Moate {{ireland-singer-stub