Johnnie Ray

Johnnie Ray achieved early 1950s stardom through his emotionally charged, tear-filled vocal style despite being almost completely deaf. He relocated from Oregon to Detroit, where he secured a performance spot at the Flame Club, a renowned venue for R&B and jazz. Ray joined the roster of Okeh Records, Columbia's R&B imprint, in 1951. That same year, his dramatic and over-the-top million-selling track "Cry" topped the pop charts exclusively, featuring backing vocals from the Four Lads. Under the production of Mitch Miller, "Cry" held the number one pop position for almost twelve weeks. Following this, Ray delivered another success with "The Little White Cloud That Cried," then transferred to the main Columbia label, where he continued releasing popular singles such as "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" in 1952 and his 1956 rendition of The Prisonaires' "Just Walking in the Rain." During his peak period, Ray's wild stage behavior provoked frenzied reactions and disturbances from his female fans, yet the rise of rock music soon diminished his ability to produce chart successes. His string of hits concluded by 1959.