Dobie Gray

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Biography

Dobie Gray (July 26, 1940 & ndash; December 6, 2011)Some other sources give a birth year of 1942 or 1943. was an American singer and songwriter , whose musical career spanned soul music|soul , country music|country , pop music|pop and Musical theatre|musical theater . His hit records included " The 'In' Crowd (song)|The 'In' Crowd " in 1965, and " Drift Away ", which was one of the biggest hit single|hits of 1973, sold over one million copies, and remains a staple of radio broadcasting|radio airplay .

Life and career

He was born near Houston , Texas , by his own account in Simonton, Texas|Simonton although some sources suggest the nearby town of Brookshire, Texas|Brookshire .. Accessed January 13, 2010. His birth name was probably Lawrence Darrow Brown , who is listed in the Fort Bend County Birth Records as being born in 1940 to Jane P. Spencel and Jethro Clifton Brown. Other sources suggest he may have been born Leonard Victor Ainsworth, a name he used on some early recordings.

His family were sharecropping|sharecropper s, and he discovered gospel music through his grandfather, a Baptist Minister (Christianity)|minister . In the early 1960s he moved to Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles , intending to pursue an acting career but also singing to make money. He recorded for several local labels under the names Leonard Ainsworth , Larry Curtis , and Larry Dennis , before Sonny Bono directed him towards the small independent Stripe Records. They suggested that he record under the name "Dobie Gray", an allusion to the then-popular situation comedy|sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis . His first taste of success came in 1963, when his seventh single "Look At Me", on the Cor-Dak label, recorded with electric bass|bassist Carol Kaye , reached # 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 . However, Gray's first album, Look! , failed to sell. Greater success came in early 1965 when his original recording of " The 'In' Crowd " (recorded later that year as an instrumental by Ramsey Lewis ) reached # 13 on the chart. Written by Billy Page, arranged by his brother Gene Page|Gene ,. Accessed January 13, 2010. and produced by Fred Darian,. Accessed January 13, 2010. Gray's record reached # 11 on the US R& B chart , and # 25 in the UK Singles Chart|UK . The follow-up, "See You at the Go-Go", recorded with such top session musicians as Kaye, Hal Blaine and Larry Knechtel , also reached the Hot 100, and he issued an album, ''Dobie Gray Sings For 'In' Crowders That Go Go Go , which featured some self-penned songs.

Gray continued to record, though with little success, for small labels such as Charger and White Whale Records|White Whale , as well as contributing to movie soundtracks. He also spent several years working as an actor, including 2½ years in the Los Angeles production of Hair (musical)|Hair . In 1970, while working in Hair , he joined a band, Pollution (band)|Pollution , as singer and percussionist. They were managed by actor Max Baer Jr. (best known as "Jethro" in The Beverly Hillbillies ), and released two albums of soul-inspired psychedelic rock, Pollution I and Pollution II .. Accessed January 13, 2010. The band also included singer Tata Vega and guitarist/singer James Quill Smith. After that, he worked at A & M Records on demo (music)|demo recordings with songwriter Paul Williams (songwriter)|Paul Williams .

In 1972, he won a recording contract with Decca Records , shortly before it became part of MCA Records|MCA , to make an album with producer Mentor Williams , Paul's brother, in Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville . Among the songs that they recorded at the Quadrafonic Sound Studios, co-owned by session musicians Norbert Putnam and David Briggs (American musician)|David Briggs , was Mentor Williams' song " Drift Away ", featuring a guitar riff by Reggie Young .. Accessed January 13, 2010. Released as a single, the song rose to # 5 on the US pop charts and remains Gray's best known song today. It placed at #17 in the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1973 . The follow-up, a version of Tom Jans ' much-covered song "Loving Arms", made # 61 in the chart. Gray also released three albums with MCA, Drift Away , Loving Arms , and Hey, Dixie , but later stated that MCA were unsure of how to market the albums - "They didn't know where to place a black guy in country music."

In the mid-1970s, he moved permanently to Nashville and signed for Capricorn Records , writing songs in collaboration with Troy Seals . His biggest hit singles in the late 1970s were "If Love Must Go", # 78 in 1976, and "You Can Do It", # 37 in late 1978, his last solo chart hit. He increasingly concentrated on songwriting, writing songs for a variety of artists including Ray Charles , George Jones , Johnny Mathis , Charley Pride and Don Williams . Gray also toured in Europe , Australia and Africa in the 1970s. He performed in South Africa only after persuading the apartheid authorities to allow him to play to integrated audiences, becoming the first artist to do so in that country. His popularity in South Africa continued through numerous subsequent concert tours.

He re-emerged as a recording artist for Capitol Records in the mid-1980s, recording with producer Harold Shedd . Gray placed two singles in the US Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Hot Country Songs|country chart during 1986 and 1987, including "That's One to Grow On" which peaked at #35. His country albums included From Where I Stand in 1986, and he made several appearances at Charlie Daniels ' popular Volunteer Jam concert s. He also sang on a number of TV and radio jingles. In 1997, he released the album Diamond Cuts , including both new songs and re-recordings of older material.

In 2000, Wigan Casino Disc jockey|DJ , Kev Roberts, compiled The Northern Soul Top 500 , which was based on a survey of northern soul fan (person)|fans .Roberts, Kev, The Northern Soul Top 500 , Gray's "Out On The Floor", a 1966 recording which had been a British chart hit in 1975, was placed in the Top 10. "Drift Away" became a hit again in 2003, when it was covered by Uncle Kracker on his No Stranger to Shame album. The recording was a Duet (music)|duet between Kracker and Gray, who was also featured in the Music video|video . It placed at #19 in the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2003 .

Death

On December 6, 2011, Gray's official website stated that he had died. According to the Associated Press , he died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee after a long battle with cancer . Sources differed as to his age; his official site stated he was 71, while the AP stated he was 69.

Discography

Albums

Look (Stripe, 1963)

Dobie Gray Sings For "In" Crowders (Charger, 1965)

Pollution (Prophecy/Atlantic, 1970)

Pollution II (Prophecy/Atlantic, 1971)

Drift Away (Decca/MCA, 1973)

Loving Arms (MCA, 1974)

Hey Dixie (MCA, 1975)

New Ray Of Sunshine (Capricorn, 1976)

Let Go (Capricorn, 1977)

The Best Of Dobie Gray (Gallo, 1978)

Dobie Gray & Mary Wells (Gusto Inc., 1978)

Midnight Diamond (Capricorn, 1978)

Dobie Gray (Infinity, 1979)

Welcome Home (Equity / Robox, 1981)

From Where I Stand (Capitol/EMI/Amer., 1986)

Love’s Talkin’ (Capitol/EMI/Amer., 1987)

Dobie Gray: His Very Best (Razor & Tie, 1996)

Diamond Cuts (Dobie Gray Prods., 1998)

Soul Days (CDMemphis, 2001)

Dobie Gray: The Ultimate (Universal Hip-O, 2001)

Songs Of The Season (Dobie Gray Prods., 2001)

Dobie Gray: A Decade of Dobie (1969-1979) (UMG/Select-O-Hits, 2005)

Chart singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions								Certifications ( List of best selling music artists
Year	Single	US	US R& B	US AC	US Country	CAN	CAN AC	CAN Country	UK cite book	Certifications ( List of best selling music artists
1963	"Look at Me"	91	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1965	" The 'In' Crowd (song)	13	11	—	—	8	—	—	25
1965	"See You at the Go-Go"	69	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1973	" Drift Away "	5	42	—	—	7	—	—	—	align="left" Recording Industry Association of America\|US : Gold
1973	"Loving Arms"	61	81	7	—	70	2	—	—
1975	"Out on the Floor"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	42
1976	"If Love Must Go"	78	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1976	"Find 'Em, Fool 'Em & Forget 'Em"	94	71	—	—	—	—	—	—
1979	"You Can Do It"	37	32	—	—	58	—	—	—
1979	"In Crowd"	—	—	—	—	—	47	—	—
1986	"That's One to Grow On"	—	—	—	35	—	—	—	—
	"The Dark Side of Town"	—	—	—	42	—	—	48	—
	"From Where I Stand"	—	—	—	67	—	—	—	—
1987	"Take It Real Easy"	—	—	—	82	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released to that country

Featured singles

Year	Single	Artist	Peak chart positions					Album
Year	Single	Artist	US	US Adult	US AC	US Pop	NZ	Album
2003	" Drift Away "	Uncle Kracker	9	2	1	10	25	No Stranger to Shame

Copyright Citations

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