Cry: The Johnnie Ray Story

by Jonny Whiteside

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569800138
• ISBN13: 9781569800133
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Barricade Books
• Length: 445 Pages
• Weight: 1.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The fast and hard life

I just finished reading this book - and then began looking at some of the book reviews listed here - some very negative. Well, I thought the book was very interesting and very sad. It exposed the truth of a wonderfully talented performer, who is too often forgotten today. Show business is a tough business and many fall victim to the addictions of pills and alcohol. Johnnie Ray was a great singer and stylist and became, sadly, another victim of heady success followed by a devastating fall to being almost forgotten by the masses. This book doesn't cover up that rise - or fall. It is a tough story. It was a tough life for Johnnie. His story is an eye opener.

A VERSATILE SINGER ROOTED IN JAZZ AND R & B

"Cry" is a brilliant book. I use it in my class, "Elvis as Anthology" which I teach at the University of Iowa each Spring, together with Todd Rheingold's "Dispelling the Myths," Doug Carter's "The Black Elvis-Jackie Wilson" and Michael Ventura's "Shadow Dancing in the USA." Clarifying the social and political situation of the time, "Cry" shows the important role LaVern Baker played in the development of Johnnie Ray's style, and the role Johnnie played in opening the door for Elvis. (Elvis thanked both: Johnnie in "Cry" and LaVern in Paul Simpson, "The Rough Guide to Elvis.") I have one session in class on LaVern and Elvis and I quote from the book. The information and analyses by Jonny of Johnnie's albums is fine and detailed; I tracked down many albums, starting with "High Drama: The Real Johnnie Ray", for which Jonny wrote the liner notes. I play in class Johnnie's "Such a Night," "Flip, Flop and Fly," "Up Above My Head" and "Cry". Thank you, Jonny Whiteside, for bringing back to our attention with such care and attention a singer I took for granted in the fifties and then forgot without understanding just what he had achieved.

Great

Well researched, revealing and enjoyable account of the tumultuous life of the farmer's son from Oregon who went on to become one of the most important song stylists of the 20th century. From his early years of struggle in sleazy, small town saloons through to the dizzy heights of international stardom and then finally back to the endless, depressing monotony of the suburban cabaret circuit,this captivating biography lays bare the crazy, mixed up world of "Celebrity" with all it's bizarre peculiarities. One thing shines through in this book i.e... it appeared to be virtually impossible for the author to find ANYONE who had a seriously bad word to say about Johnnie and perhaps THAT's the nicest tribute of all !The only minor flat spot was the amount of space devoted to Dorothy Kilgallen's involvement in the JFK case. No one's more interested in the "Camelot" era than yours truly but it didn't seem to have much (if anything) to do with the primary subject of this book. Still , it was neatly self contained and I just skipped over the "Problem Area". I'm a long time fan. If I thought this was a lousy read I would be straining at the bit to say so but it isn't - it's great.Buy the book, buy the CDs, watch the videos and enjoy the artistry of "Mr Excitement", - the fabulous JOHNNIE RAY !

Strips aside the facade and shows us the man.

I read this book in one sitting and was amazed by Johnnie Ray's naivete. He was transformed in a short time from a trusting,simple young man into an idol. This transformation seemed to benefit everyone but him as he became more and more isolated. He had few real friends and a lot of bad advice. Like a lot of entertainers he had little knowledge of business and trusted others to run his life, almost always a mistake. An icon to this day, many musicologists credit him with the beginnings of what became rock and roll. He had a viceral, very physical and emotional way of performing that pre-dated Elvis. Frank Sinatra's hatred of him was legendary and some say that he was instrumental in short-fusing Johnnie's career in the U.S. This book details his tumultuous life and is one hell of a read. Worth making time to find out who the real Johnnie Ray was and why he is often overlooked by musical historians.

very well researched and written

as a character in the book and a friend of johnnie ray for over 35 years i can say that the book was very well researched and is very factual. often bios are fluffed. this one is factual, revealing the man as well as well as he entertainer.It tqakesyou into the silent.lonely tortious world my friend lived in. It shows how his accomplishments in the music world were so overlooked. there is suddenly a large iterest in the music of johnnie ray. if you are one in that 35-45 age group looking or johnie ray .this is the book. its intimate, exolisive, and much like the man i knew. very controversial.