Danny Ray (born 3 September 1951)[1] is a Jamaican-born reggae singer and record producer who has been based in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. He recorded for MCA Records and Trojan Records in the early 1970s and later set up his own Black Jack label.
Danny Ray
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|---|---|
| Born | (1951-09-03) 3 September 1951 (age 72) Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae, lovers rock |
| Years active | Late 1960s–present |
| Labels | Trojan Records, Polydor Mercury, Golden Age, Doctor, Arista / Black Jack, Jet Star |
Born in Kingston, Ray began his career in Jamaican talent shows in the early 1960s, Jackie Edwards being an early influence.[2][3] He relocated to the UK in 1965 and joined the Royal Air Force.[2][3] While posted in Germany he formed the Danny Ray and the Vibrations, the band appearing on television and radio in Europe.[2] After leaving the Air Force and a spell in Jamaica, he returned to the UK and formed Danny Ray and the Falcons, the group recording the single "The Scorpion" for MCA Records.[2][4] He moved on to Trojan Records who released several successful singles including "Don't Stop", "Sister Big Stuff", "Playboy", and "Your Eyes are Dreaming", with his debut album, The Same One, released in 1973.[2][5]
In 1974 he starred in the BFI-financed film Moon Over the Alley along with Sharon Forrester.[2] In 1976 he set up the Harlesden-based Golden Age label with Sydney CrooksofThe Pioneers, label subsidiaries including Pioneer and Doctor, the latter from Ray's initials.[3]
Ray had further success with singles such as "Dip and Fall Back", "Revolution Rock", and cover versionsofBob Marley's "Waiting in Vain" and "Rastaman Live Up".
Ray set up his own Black Jack label in the late 1970s, producing and releasing his own recordings as well as records by Christine Joy White, Album Pure Love, Dave Barker ("The Glow of Love") and Winston Francis ("California Dreaming").[2][4][6] The B-side of his 1979 single "Rastaman Live Up", "Revolution Rock", was covered by The Clash on their London Calling album.[3][7] His duet with Shirley James, "Why Don't You Spend the Night", was sufficiently successful that Arista Records offered him a record deal, reissuing the single and its follow-up, "Right Time of the Night".[2] An album followed featuring both singles.
Ray was one of the artists who contributed to the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal charity single "Let's Make Africa Green Again" in the mid-1980s. His third album, All the Best, was released in 1989.
He has continued to work as a producer, working with the Jet Star label and artists such as J.C. Lodge and Luciano.[4]