Johnnie Ray

Ray was the fourth name/item mentioned in Billy Joel's 1989 song We Didn't Start the Fire. After Ray's death he was name-checked by Van Morrison in his duet with Tom Jones entitled "Sometimes We Cry". Later career influences

Ray had a close relationship with journalist and television game show panelist Dorothy Kilgallen who gave a boost to his sagging American career during his engagement at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas Nevada in 1965.

influenced many acts including Elvis and was the prime target for teen hysteria in the pre-Presley days". The publication British Hit Singles & Albums noted that Ray was "a sensation in the 1950s the heart-wrenching vocal delivery of the 'Cry Guy'. Extremely popular for most of the 1950s Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.