Latest Release
- JUL 5, 2024
- 2 Songs
- The Essential Ray Price 1951-1962 · 1959
- For the Good Times · 1970
- The Essential Ray Price · 2007
- The Essential Ray Price 1951-1962 · 1956
- The Essential Ray Price · 1970
- The Essential Ray Price · 2007
- The Essential Ray Price · 1963
- The Essential Ray Price · 1954
- The Essential Ray Price · 1958
- The Essential Ray Price · 1957
Essential Albums
- Take away the string arrangements and the choirs, and Burning Memories is as perfect as Night Life, Ray Price’s 1962 masterwork. While country purists will always deride Nashville’s antique production touches, the strings and choirs here aren't nearly as intrusive as they are on other albums from the period. In fact, the way the strings manifest on “Release Me” and “A Thing Called Sadness” makes them seem like a figment of the narrator’s imagination, adding to an overall feeling of regret and longing that pervades this set of heartbreaking songs. Though the recordings are markedly spare—featuring Price’s operatic tenor set against a backdrop of Nashville sessioneers, most notably pianists Floyd Cramer and Pig Robbins—the singer is joined in spirit by some of the world’s greatest songwriters. Price had impeccable taste in songs, as proven by a set that includes superlative works by Willie Nelson (“Are You Sure”), Harlan Howard (“You Took Her off My Hands”), and Hank Cochran (“That’s All That Matters”). They gave Price the gold that he then crafted into timeless jewelry.
- 1963
Artist Playlists
- Celebrate the long reign of the baritone boss.
- Transcending the swinging shuffle that made him famous.
Singles & EPs
- 2012
About Ray Price
Texan country singer Ray Price got the best possible start by having Hank Williams himself for a mentor. After Williams's death, Price began using Hank's Drifting Cowboys as a backup band and performing in a remarkably similar style. After putting together a new band to find his own sound, he essentially invented the 4/4 country shuffle, replacing the traditional country 2/4 beat. This combination of honky-tonk and Western Swing both influenced a whole school of country and helped pave the way for rockabilly. Besides his voluminous body of solo work, Price was also known for his latter-day collaborations with Willie Nelson, whose "Night Life" had been an early-'60s Price hit.
- HOMETOWN
- Perryville, TX, United States
- BORN
- January 12, 1926
- GENRE
- Country