Neville Marshall-Corbin (1936 – 31 March 2006) was a Guyanese

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

singer, composer and recording artist who moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

in the 1960s and originally studied acting, performing with the English Stage Company. He was born in Christianburg, Guyana. Raye came to England to learn acting, studying at the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. LAMDA's Principal i ...

John Hawkins
Sol Raye Obituary
/ref> His singing style was reflective of

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

. A nine-time winner of the British TV talent contest '' Opportunity Knocks'', he recorded such popular songs as "

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a Half length portrait, half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described ...

", "How Sweet It Is", and "Come Home Love" and toured widely with his cabaret tribute show to Cole. He also starred in, produced and directed a television tribute to Cole, ''A Nightingale Sang'', in 1985, in which he sang alongside the likes of

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blue ...

, Will Gaines and Danny Williams. He was also an opening act for such performers as

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

and

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of " C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song " Santa ...

. He was best known for the semi-regular role of Burt in the

Black British Black British people are a multi-ethnic group of British citizens of either African or Afro-Caribbean descent.Gadsby, Meredith (2006), ''Sucking Salt: Caribbean Women Writers, Migration, and Survival'', University of Missouri Press, pp. 76– ...

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

Desmond's ''Desmond's'' is a British television situation comedy broadcast by Channel 4 from 1989 to 1994. Conceived and co-written by Trix Worrell, and produced by Charlie Hanson and Humphrey Barclay, ''Desmond's'' stars Norman Beaton as barber Desmo ...

'', as a member of The Georgetown Dreamers, a band that featured Desmond ( Norman Beaton) and Raye's fellow real-life musicians Porkpie ( Ram John Holder) and Vince (

Count Prince Miller Clarence Linberg Miller (30 March 1934 – 16 August 2018), better known as Count Prince Miller, was a Jamaican-born British actor and musician. Biography Miller began as a musician, recording a number of reggae songs. His best known song is " ...

). Other television roles included an appearance in '' Runaway Bay'', whilst also acted in a number of theatre productions. Sol Raye was also the President of New Target Records, headquartered at 47c Queens Gate, London SW7 5JN. His younger brother, Robert Corbin, is the current leader of the

People's National Congress Reform The People's National Congress Reform is a social-democratic and democratic socialist political party in Guyana led by Aubrey Norton. The party currently holds 31 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly. In Guyana's ethnically divided politica ...

(PNCR), the main Guyanese opposition political party. Raye died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, on Friday, 31 March 2006 of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

following a ten-year battle with the disease. His brother Robert Corbin delivered the eulogy at his funeral.Sol Raye Laid To Rest To The Sound Of His Own Music
/ref>

References

External links

Biography of Sol Raye
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raye, Sole 1946 births 2006 deaths Crooners 20th-century Guyanese male singers English people of Guyanese descent Deaths from prostate cancer Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art 20th-century Guyanese male actors People from Linden, Guyana