Born in Denton, Texas on 23^rd April 1939, Ray was diagnosed with polio as a child and he was told that he would never walk again. But miraculously that was not the case and he was left with only a slight limp. It was while he was being treated at a hospital in Texas, that Ray began to sing to amuse himself and the other patients. When he was finally released, he began to work in local clubs before moving to Los Angeles.

RCA Records signed the singer in 1957 and despite a lack of interest in his records, he remained with RCA, finally scoring his first hit with his seventh single The Wonder Of You. It became a Top Thirty success in the summer of 1959 and Elvis Presley released a cover version, which became a even bigger hit in 1970. His biggest hit ever was Tell Laura I Love Her, which made number seven on Billboard's Hot One Hundred.

Leaving RCA for Dunes in late 1960, he released Corinna Corinna, which quickly became a Top Ten pop record. The song had previously been a hit for "Big" Joe Turner with Peterson’s version having a slight Latin feel about it. He hit the charts one more time for RCA in 1964 with a reissue of The Wonder Of You. Peterson is still performing for audiences and still receiving standing ovations at each event.