From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun Feb 10, 2002  2:27 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Ral Donner
 
RAL DONNER (By Shaun Mather)

Born 10 February, 1943, Chicago, Illinois

Died 6 April, 1984, Chicago, Illinois

Ral Donner had a voice that bore a strong resemblance to Elvis Presley, and
it was both his blessing and his curse. At times he actually sounded like a
cross between Billy Fury and Conway Twitty, but he wasn't just an imitator,
he had high quality material of his own, and his body of work for the Gone
label has stood the test of time. After playing in a group called the
Rockin' Five he then formed the Gents and before he'd turned 18 had already
played Alan Freed's "Big Beat" TV show and appeared at the Apollo. In the
summer of '59 they cut a single in Memphis which came out on the small
Scottie label. A session cut in Miami got Ral a deal with George Goldner's
Gone label who issued The Girl Of My Best Friend, and saw it sneak into the
Top 20. Over the next 18 months, there was a string of aching ballads that
made the lower reaches of the charts including the smouldering You Don't
Know What You've Got (Until You Lose It) which rose all the way to # 4. A
dispute over royalties saw Donner join Reprise Records (among his singles
for them was the classic, I Got Burned) and Fontana records, before
returning to Goldner and his Red Bird label. Things were quiet until 1981
when he provided Elvis' voice for the docufilm "This Is Elvis". After a
lengthy spell with cancer, Ral Donner passed away in April 1984.

Recommended listening:

The Complete Ral Donner 1959-1962 - Sequel 2CD.
Rip It Up. 27 Rockin' Hits - Canadian Records.