From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sat Sep 7, 2002  2:03 am - UPDATED 6 JANUARY 2004
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Ray Harris
 
RAY HARRIS (By Jean-Marc Pezet)

Born Homer Ray Harris, 7 September 1927, Mantachie, Mississippi
Died 13 November 2003, Mooreville, MS

Raised to sharecropper parents in a small rural town near Tupelo, Ray
listened mostly to the Grand Ole Opry. He doesn't recall being exposed
to Rhythm & Blues, despite the rawness of his later Sun recordings!
By 1953, Ray was married and had moved to Memphis, landing a job at the
Firestone plant next to Bill Black. Through Bill, he reportedly attended the
Elvis "Good Rockin Tonight" recording session.

"Hell! He ain't doing anything I can't do" to quote Ray.

He set up a band with guitarist Wayne Powers and they started rehearsing
every night in search of something different, raw and wild.

After having presented their songs to the new label Fernwood and to Meteor,
they ended up at Sun where they recorded the seminal Memphis rockabillies
"Come On Little Mama" b/w "Where Did You Go Last Night", issued as Sun
254 in September 1956. Colin Escott describes it: "It was a definitive 
supercharged rockabilly....The lyrics were virtually unintelligible, the 
musicianship limited, and the production sparse...", in one word, all we 
love in rockabilly!

The single apparently sold well and Ray recorded a follow-up, a rockabilly
version of the old ballad "Greenback Dollar, Watch And Chain" b/w "Foolish
Heart", Sun 272, June 1957. It sank without a trace, as it appeared at the
same time as Jerry Lee's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On".

Later in 1957, Ray moved on to producing, first Carl McVoy (You Are My
Sunshine / Tootsie, sold to Sun) and helped set up the successful Hi Records,
working there until 1970. At this time he decided to quit the music business
and set up a construction company.

He returned to music in the mid 70s, building up the Trace Recording studio
in Tupelo with Sam Phillips (Harris's daughter has married Phillips' son),
which was a financial disaster.

To my knowledge, Ray Harris has never played live before a European
audience.

Recommended listening:
Ray Harris' Sun singles and a few unissued/alternates have been hugely
reissued on numerous Sun compilations over the years.
More info: http://www.rockabilly.nl/artists/rharris.htm