Customer Reviews

Tell Laura I Love Her

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What fascinated me about Ray Peterson in the 1960s was that he had polio, taught himself to sing, and had a range of 3 and a half octaves. I owned the vinyl LP album of this name and probably wore out some of the cuts: not only Tell Laura I Love Her and The Wonder of You, but also Fever, Answer Me My Love, and Goodnight My Love.

The original album had Ray's RCA songs, before he moved to Dune. Now the CD includes not only the 12 RCA songs, but also the Dune hits Corrina Corrina and Missing You. A great replacement for what I had before.

The only thing missing are the other Dune songs, such as Sweet Little Kathy, I Could Have Loved You So Well, and You Thrill Me. This last one is actually good for a laugh. Hope to be able to acquire them on CD someday.

I first heard Ray Peterson when I was a thirteen... first saw him live at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium in 1961... met him two years later... and became good friends, inaugerating the Ray Peterson Humanitarian Award... then I moved to Australia and we lost contact...

Today I am still amazed at how little appreciated this wonderfully versatile singer is. He is certainly one of the most dynamic live performers I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few. With a four and a half octave vocal range, and a way round a lyric that few rock performers of the late 50s and early 60s ever commanded, Ray Peterson's is one of the classic voices of pre-British Invasion American pop. A great, virtuoso performer, his renditions of songs like Fever, Tell Laura I Love Her, What Did You Wanna Make Those Eyes At Me For? and Answer Me, place him very near the pinnacle of the best in his field. This album attests to that.

Ray, if you're reading this, PLEASE contact me on tutamajack@hotmail.com Thanks for the memories...

and for the rest of you, BUY this album!!! and discover a singer who will astound...

BM

Born on April 23, 1939 in Denton, Texas, Ray was signed to an RCA Victor contract in 1958 after he moved to LA. His first few efforts were chart flops [Let's Try Romance, Tail Light, the rocking Shirley Purley, and Fever - only the last is included here at track 7], but in 1959, with the backing of SHorty Rogers & His Orchestra, he scored with The Wonder Of You which went to # 25 Billboard Hot 100 in July (Elvis would later take it to # 9 in 1970), b/w I'm Gone (tracks 2 and 12).

Later that year his cover of the 1956 Jesse Belvin R&B hit (# 7) and McGuire Sisters Pop hit (# 32), Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams) stalled at # 64 Hot 100 in December b/w Till Then (tracks 6 and 4). Then came what is arguably the most famous "death disc" of all time, Tell Laura I Love Her, which peaked at # 7 Hot 100 in August 1960 b/w Wedding Day (which is not included here).

Ray then left RCA to form his own label, Dunes, and before the year was out had revived another 1956 hit, Big Joe Turner's rocking Corrina, Corrina (# 2 R&B/# 46 Top 100) which was produced by Phil Spector. In January 1961 Peterson's rendition peaked at # 9 Hot 100 b/w Be My Girl. As with the previous selection, the A-side is here but not the flipside.

After Sweet Little Kathy (also missing from this set) could only manage to squeak into the Hot 100 in April 1961 b/w You Didn't Care (missing as well), he at least had the satisfaction, as a label owner, of seeing one of his new artists, Curtiss Lee, take Pretty Little Angel Eyes to # 7 Hoy 100 in August.

A couple of months later Ray himself came back strong with a cover of the 1967 Webb Pierce C&W hit Missing You (track 14), which made it to # 7 on the recently-introduced Adult Contemporary charts and # 29 Hot 100 b/w You Thrill Me (not here), followed shortly by another Spector-produced hit, I Could Have Loved You So Well, which peaked at # 57 Hot 100 in January 1962 b/w a cover of the 1955 The Jacks hit Why Don't You Write Me (neither included here). He then experienced several failures before he took Give Us Your Blessing to # 70 Hot 100 in June 1963 (The Shangri-Las would have a # 29 hit with the same song in 1965), b/w a cover of the 1957 Clyde McPhatter hit Without Love (There Is Nothing) - both not included in this volume.

Ironically, his last charter was the same song that became his first hit, when RCA Victor re-released The Wonder Of You b/w Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams), and this time the A-side topped out at # 70 Hot 100 in May of 1964.

After signing with MGM, and a spate of chart failures, he tried his hand at pure country sounds, but without any chart success.

Still, not a bad album and one which could have been a 5-star entry with the inclusionm of those missing sides.

Mostly forgotten among the crowd of early 60's teenage-oriented performers, Ray Peterson was no one-off novelty act. Peterson scored eight top-100 charting songs with two of them making the top 10. His first chart success did not come until after several failed singles. That song, "The Wonder of You", charted a respectable 25 but is far better known by the version done by Elvis a decade later. Peterson's career really became established when he delivered "Tell Laura I Love Her" from songwriters Ben Raleigh and Jeff Barry (of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich Brill-Building songwriting team fame). With this success and the end of his RCA contract, Peterson went on to form Dunes records and with a young Phil Spector producing, Peterson scored with his second top-ten hit, "Corinna Corinna". Though he continued to place tunes in the top 100 in the early 60's, he never regained the heights of "Laura" or "Corinna". His last charting hit in 1964 was a reissue of his first hit, "The Wonder of You".

This new collection from the premier reissue company, Bear Family of Germany, gathers up all of Peterson's chart hits plus many B-sides, album cuts and failed singles from his stints at RCA and Dunes. This is the first high-quality CD-era compilation, domestic or foreign, of Peterson's recordings . The generous 31 tracks, sound quality and accompanying 42-page booklet are all part and parcel of this extraordinarily well-done package. Bear Family has done their usual careful audio restoration from vintage sources and gives us these recordings in their best possible sound. All the tracks except 2,3,6,12,15,21,23 and 30 appear in stereo.

Overlooked as he has been in the digital age, Ray Peterson's music finally gets its due and in exceptional form. Thank you Bear Family!

This CD made me reminisce back to the days that I was dancing with my favorite girl at the prom. It really brought back memories.

RAY PETERSON MAKES ME REMINISCE ABOUT MY TEEN YEARS. I USED TO LISTEN TO HIM ON "WHERE THE ACTION IS" AND "SHINDIG." PETERSON HAS A UNIQUELY MELLOW VOICE AND YET HAS A TREMENDOUS VOCAL RANGE. I PARTICULARLY LIKE HIS RENDITION OF "THE WONDER OF YOU." I THINK IT IS FAR SUPERIOR TO "THE KING'S(ELVIS) RENDITION.

Ray Peterson is worldwide known for his "Tell Laura I Love Her" the
first of a series of "death" songs. He is also well known for his
"The Wonder Of You" which was splendidly covered by Elvis who made it
a top 10 hit. But most of all he is known for his Phil Spector produced
"Corrina, Corrina" which is one of my all-time favorate songs and which
is offered here in stereo ( so far I only had heard it in mono ). I
din't expect much more than these 3 toppers but there's a lot more:
doo-wop, some other beautiful ballads and last but not least an
incredible beauty: "Missing You" a song never heard of before at least
at this side of the Atlantic. It did chart in the USA but was probably
never released in Europe. A great end to a great "Collectables" CD

Tell Laura I Love Her gives us a magnificent showcase of the wonderful talent of the late Ray Peterson. He had quite a voice; his four octave-plus vocal range remains outstanding to this day. When Ray sang you listened--and you listened closely, too, because he always put so much genuine emotion into everything he performed. The quality of the sound on the CD is nothing short of excellent and I really like that artwork, too.

"Corrina, Corrina" was a hit for Ray Peterson; he delivers this with panache and his excellent diction enhances his performance all the more. I really like "Corrina, Corrina:" that backup chorus works well, too. Ray's cover of "Fever" lacks nothing--it's all THAT good. Wouldn't Peggy Lee have been proud! Ray handles this with all the grace of an accomplished pro and that's grand. "The Wonder Of You" is yet another marvelous tune from Ray Peterson; Elvis may have scored big with his song but Ray's rendition is simply heavenly and he outdoes even himself on this one! "Tell Laura I Love Her" stuns me with its beauty; Ray handles this well and it shines bright in his capable hands.

"I'm Tired" is another fine number that sparkles when Ray Peterson sings it; that guitar work enhances the ballad, too. "Shirley Purley" has quite an early rock and roll flavor to it; Ray Peterson could certainly handle a rock tune without ever letting go of a superfluous note! I'm impressed.

"Is It Wrong" is very pretty; and there's also a wonderful treat when he hear Ray Peterson deliver "Teenage Heartache." "Teenage Heartache" was certainly a number so many young people could identify with; it still sounds great all these years later. In addition, "Promises" is terrific; Ray plays with the tempo and key changes a bit to make this yet another highlight of this album; and I also enjoy "Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams)" is also a very sweet, romantic ballad.

"We're Old Enough to Cry" is very well done; and listen for Ray Peterson to do a great job on "Give Us Your Blessings." The lyrics he almost speaks are equally powerful; I love it. "Patricia" was a very popular number; and Ray Peterson's rendition of this works well on many levels. "I Could Have Loved You So Well" charms me with its beauty; Ray tackles this and he makes it truly special. "Till Then" never sounded better than when Ray Peterson sang it; this is another huge highlight of this album and wisely the musicians never steal the spotlight away from Ray. "Suddenly" is very pretty; and the CD ends strong with Ray Peterson performing "Richer Than I." "Richer Than I" features his operatic voice with that incredibly broad range and Ray never misses a beat.

Ray has passed away; but we are all so much better off for his sharing his talents with us. I highly recommend this album for his fans; and people who enjoy music from the middle part of the twentieth century will want this for their collections, too.

This CD brought back many wonderful memories with great songs like, Tell Laura I love Her, Corinna, Corinna, Fever, and of course, my favorite "Goodnight My Love", the last song played everynight by a D.J. named Rick Shaw back in my hometown Miami, Fl. in the early 60's. He just retired after 50 years in the air. His farewell was very emotional and he once again closed with that song. Needless to say, I went looking for it, and was thrilled to find it, at Amazon.com. Thanks for the memories.

This song is a reminder of my wife. The words fit her to a tee. Having met Ray Peterson in Albuquerque N M this past year was a wonderful expearence. He said a prayer for my wife who is getting over cancer. He signed a picture for her and he will remain in our hearts forever.