Ray Peterson

Ray Peterson, blessed with a four-octave vocal span, notched a series of early-1960s pop successes that included the Phil Spector-produced “Corrina Corrina” and the tragic car-crash narrative “Tell Laura I Love Her.” Born April 23, 1939, in Denton, TX, he devoted much of his youth to rehabilitation from polio; during a lengthy stay at a nearby medical center he entertained fellow patients with impromptu performances. Once his health improved, Peterson began working local club circuits and eventually settled in Los Angeles, where manager Stan Shulman discovered him and secured a 1958 RCA contract. His first efforts spanned teenage ballads such as “Let’s Try Romance” and renditions of songs like Little Willie John’s “Fever,” none of which connected; the singer finally broke through in 1959 when “The Wonder of You” reached the Top 30 in both the U.S. and the U.K.

A follow-up minor hit, “Answer Me,” preceded Peterson’s biggest triumph, the sweeping 1960 single “Tell Laura I Love Her.” Its commercial impact enabled him to launch his own imprint, Dunes, for which he enlisted producer Spector to craft a hit treatment of the traditional number “Corrina Corrina.” The Dunes roster also featured singer Curtis Lee, whose 1961 singles “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” and “Under the Moon of Love” were likewise shaped by Spector. Peterson himself recorded the Goffin/King compositions “Missing You” and “I Could Have Loved You So Well,” yet his popularity waned rapidly. After one last modest chart appearance with 1963’s “Give Us Your Blessing,” he moved to MGM in hopes of reaching country listeners before withdrawing from the stage as the decade ended.