Claude Gray | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Claude Gray Jr. |
Born | Henderson, Texas, U.S. | January 25, 1932
Died | April 28, 2023 Skokie, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 91)
Genres | Country |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1959–2023 |
Website | Claude Gray Official Website |
Claude Gray Jr. (January 25, 1932 – April 28, 2023), nicknamed "The Tall Texan", was an American country music singer-songwriter and guitar picker best known for his 1960 hit " Family Bible", which has been covered by many different artists. Gray's other hit, "I'll Just Have a Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)", was covered and rearranged by Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter Bob Marley, who retitled the song as "One Cup Of Coffee".
Alongside artists such as Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, Don Gibson and Chet Atkins, Gray was a purveyor of the Nashville sound, embracing the Countrypolitan movement which paved the way for pop-oriented singers in country music and attracted new audiences to the genre.
Gray was born in Henderson, Texas, on January 25, 1932, [1] [2] where he started his singing career while attending high school. [2] After school, he served in the United States Navy from 1950 to 1954. Upon his return to home, he worked as a salesman for the rest of the decade. He began a recording career in 1959, after working as a radio announcer in Kilgore, Texas, and performing as a disc jockey in Meridian, Mississippi. [3]
Gray was approached by D Records in 1959, and recorded "I'm Not Supposed", which was released as his first single. The song made the Cashbox country charts. [3] The following year, Gray and two friends purchased the song " Family Bible" from Willie Nelson [4] for $100. [5] Gray then recorded the song, and released it as a single. [3] It peaked at No. 10 on the country chart. [2] In 1961, "I'll Just Have a Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)", was released, which peaked at No. 4, and was followed by the biggest hit of Gray's career, the No. 3 "My Ears Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About)", which was penned by Roger Miller. [2] Gray's final top ten hit came in 1967 with "I Never Had the One I Wanted", which was also his final charted song upon re-release in 1979. [6]
In the late 1970s, Gray co-wrote with Walt Breeland, a controversial song titled "The Ballad of Jimmy Hoffa". Gray's record label at the time ( Mercury Records) refused to allow him to record the song, but he eventually recorded it for Ol' Podner Records, who subsequently released it directly to the Teamsters. [3] In 1986, he released a cover of Neil Diamond's " Sweet Caroline". [3]
Gray continued to tour with The Claude Gray Roadshow, performing shows throughout North America and in parts of Europe, where classic country music remains popular.[ citation needed]
Gray was 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and because of his height, was given the moniker, "The Tall Texan." [3]
On April 18, 2023, a social media post shared by a Gray family friend, stated that Gray had entered hospice care after the discovery of a large tumor on his brain, leaving him non-cognitive. [7] He died in Skokie, Illinois, on April 28, 2023, at the age of 91. [8] [9]
Year | Album | US Country | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | Songs of Broken Love Affairs | Mercury | |
1962 | Country Goes to Town | ||
1967 | Claude Gray Sings | 45 | Decca |
1968 | Easy Way | ||
Treasure of Love | Hilltop | ||
1972 | Presenting | Million | |
1978 | If I Ever Need a Lady | Koala |
Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Country | US | CAN Country | |||
1958 | "My Tears Are Inside" | singles only | |||
"Late Again" | |||||
1959 | "I'm Not Supposed" | ||||
"Best Part of Me" | |||||
1960 | " Family Bible" | 10 | |||
" My Party's Over" | |||||
"Homecoming in Heaven" | |||||
1961 | "I'll Just Have a Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)" | 4 | 84 | Songs of Broken Love Affairs | |
"My Ears Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About)" | 3 | ||||
1962 | "Let's End It Before It Begins" | 26 | singles only | ||
"You Take the Table (And I'll Take the Chairs)" | |||||
"Daddy Stopped In" | 20 | ||||
1963 | "Knock Again, True Love" | 18 | |||
"First Love Never Dies" | |||||
"I'm Gonna Lie Again" | |||||
1964 | "Eight Years (And Two Children Later)" | 43 | |||
"Too Many Rivers" | |||||
1965 | "Kinderhook Bill" | ||||
"Thank You for the Ride" | |||||
1966 | "Mean Old Woman" | 22 | |||
"I Never Had the One I Wanted" | 9 | Claude Gray Sings | |||
1967 | "Because of Him" | 45 | Easy Way | ||
"If I Ever Need a Lady (I'll Call You)" | 67 | ||||
"How Fast Them Trucks Can Go" | 12 | Claude Gray Sings | |||
1968 | "Your Devil Memory" | Easy Way | |||
"Night Life" | 31 | 25 | |||
"The Love of a Woman" | 68 | single only | |||
1969 | "Don't Give Me a Chance" | 41 | Easy Way | ||
"Take Off Time" | 34 | singles only | |||
1970 | "The Cleanest Man in Cincinnati" | 54 | |||
"Everything Will Be Alright" | 40 | 27 | |||
1971 | "Angel" | 41 | |||
"Baton Rouge" | |||||
1972 | "Jeannie" | Presenting | |||
"What Every Woman Wants to Hear" | 66 | ||||
1973 | "Woman Ease My Mind" | 58 | |||
"Loving You Is a Habit I Can't Break" | |||||
1976 | "Rockin' My Memories (To Sleep)" | 88 | singles only | ||
1977 | "We Fell in Love That Way" | 92 | |||
"It'll Do" | |||||
1978 | "Slow Dancing" | ||||
"If I Ever Need a Lady" (re-recording) | 68 | If I Ever Need a Lady | |||
1979 | "I Never Had the One I Wanted" (re-recording) | 78 | |||
"How Fast Them Trucks Can Go" | singles only | ||||
"It Ain't the Wakin' Up" | |||||
1981 | "Every Night Sensation" | ||||
"He's Just an Illusion" | |||||
1982 | "Let's Go All the Way" (w/ Norma Jean) | 68 | |||
"Who Sent My Ex to Texas" | |||||
1986 | " Sweet Caroline" | 77 |