Customer Reviews

Very Best of Johnnie Ray 1951-57

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This man in my opinion was one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and more were inspired by him. He was a tremendous
talent. Unique, would be a word that fits him to a "T". He blew all the big band singers away. Including who they said was The Voice - Frank Sinatra. He certainly blew me away when I first heard him sing the song that brought him to stardom, Cry. He was a phenomenon. Way ahead of his time. The most saddest thing about this man was and is that he is not remembered. Who knows why not. When he appeared on the scene at that time he was recognized the world over. There were some personal issues in the early fifties that really hurt him. Today, it wouldn't amount to a hill of beans. But back then it was a big no - no. The Very Best of Johnnie Ray 1951 - 1957 is a fantastic gathering of his songs and hits. When you listen to him and I hope you do pay attention to his phrasing, his breaking up of words and syllables, his emotional intent etc. There are many good singers out there today but not as totaled an entertainer as The One AND only JOHNNIE RAY. Rest in peace Johnnie.

I sort of lost track of Johnnie Ray's music until I recently reconnected with it. I had forgotten how wonderful it is. This CD set has almost 100 songs and a nice bio to go with it. I especially like his early rythm and blues songs such as Coffee and Cigarettes, and Whiskey and Gin. I urge everyone to share this great music with their family and friends.

I absolutely love this 3-cd set! All of Johnnie's hits are on this set, and there is an excellent representation of his range in different music genres. Highly recommended.