In these early years he also produced similar-sounding records for Columbia's Epic label under the name of Jay Raye (which stood for 'Joseph Raymond') amongst them a backing album and singles with Somethin' Smith and the Redheads, an American male vocal group.īetween 19, Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being Somewhere My Love (1966). He also backed up the albums Tony by Tony Bennett, Blue Swing by Eileen Rodgers, Swingin' for Two by Don Cherry, and half the tracks of The Big Beat by Johnnie Ray.

Among the hit singles he backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were 'Yes Tonight Josephine' and 'Just Walkin' in the Rain' by Johnnie Ray 'Chances Are' and 'It's Not for Me to Say' by Johnny Mathis 'A White Sport Coat' and 'The Hanging Tree' by Marty Robbins 'Moonlight Gambler' by Frankie Laine 'Up Above My Head,' a duet by Frankie Laine and Johnnie Ray and 'Pet Me, Poppa' by Rosemary Clooney. He wrote a top 10 arrangement for Don Cherry's 'Band of Gold' in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies. After his stint with Shaw, he was then hired by Mitch Miller, then head of A&R at Columbia Records, as their home arranger, working with several artists including Rosemary Clooney, Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell and Johnnie Ray. Army in World War II (where he worked under Walter Schumann), he joined the Artie Shaw big band and wrote many arrangements for him.

He studied music arranging from a course book. Joseph Raymond 'Ray' Conniff, also known as 'Jay Raye,' (Novem– October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.Ĭonniff was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and learned to play the trombone from his father.

Ray conniff singers members