Ray Whitley (songwriter)

Robert Ray Whitley, commonly known as Ray Whitley, (1943-2013) was an American beach music composer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for composing hit songs recorded by The Tams and Guy Darrell, though he also released 14 of his own singles between 1961 and 1970.[1]

Ray Whitley
Birth name	Robert Ray Whitley
Born	November 22, 1943 Columbus, Georgia, United States
Died	May 5, 2013 (aged 69) Gainesville, Georgia, United States
Years active	1961-1970
Labels	Vee Jay, Dunhill, Apt, Columbia, TRX, 123, Attarack, others

Biography

Whitely was born in Columbus, Georgia on November 22, 1943 to Robert S. and Willie Bell Whitley.[2] Whitley was 14 when he formed his first band in his hometown.[3] Producer Felton Jarvis soon discovered him in an Atlanta High School.[3] Jarvis introduced Whitley to Atlanta music producer Bill Lowery, who saw Whitley's potential and signed him to a contract.[3]

Whitley's songwriting credits include "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" (which reached #9 on the Billboard charts), "I've Been Hurt", "Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me", "You Lied to Your Daddy", and "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" (co-written with J.R. Cobb of the Atlanta Rhythm Section) for The Tams.[1][3][4][5] His compositions were also recorded by Billy Joe Royal, Tommy Roe, Guy Darrell, The Swinging Medallions, Bill Deal and the Rhondels, Mylon LeFevre and Sonia Evans.[1][6]

Whitley toured nationally as a performer, in addition to his work as a songwriter.[3] He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in the early 1990s.[3][7]

Later in his life, Whitley struggled with alcoholism and homelessness; as of 2011, he was living in a shelter in Gainesville, Georgia.[5][8] Whitley died on May 5, 2013, after several months of illness.[2] Ray had one child, Christopher.

Discography as performer

• 1961 - I Wasn't Sure / There Goes A Teardrop - Vee Jay USA VJ 414
• 1962 - Yessiree-Yessiree / A Love We Can Have And Hold - Vee Jay USA VJ 433
• 1962 - It Hurts / Deeper In Love - Vee Jay USA VJ 448
• 1963 - Teenage Crush / Young Heartaches - Vee Jay USA VJ 521
• 1964 - Walking Back To You / Weep Little Girl Weep - Vee Jay USA VJ 591
• 1965 - I've Been Hurt / There Is One Boy - Dunhill USA D-201
• 1965 - Runaway / I'll Tell The Robin - Apt USA 45-25086
• 1966 - The End Of My World / Just A Boy In Love - Columbia USA 4-43607
• 1967 - Take Back Your Mind / Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - Columbia USA 4-43980
• 1968 - 1983 / Gotta Go There - TRX USA 45-T-5007
• 1969 - Don't Throw Your Love To The Wind / Underdose Of Faith - 123 USA 1707
• 1970 - Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me / Everybody - Attarack USA ATT 103

Selected songs written by Ray Whitley

Date	Performer	Title	Peak chart positions					Notes
			US [9]	US AC [9]	US Country [9]	US R&B [9]	UK [9]
12/1963	The Tams	What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)	9			1		ABC-Paramount 10502.
03/1964	The Tams	You Lied to Your Daddy	70			27		ABC-Paramount 10533.
07/1964	The Tams	Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me	41			10		ABC-Paramount 10573.
10/1966	Bryan Hyland	Run, Run, Look, and See	25					Philips 40405. Written by Martin Cooper & Ray Whitley.
04/1967	The Swingin' Medallions	I Found a Rainbow	107					Smash 2084.
05/1968	December's Children	Backwards and Forwards	123					World Pacific 77887.
09/1968	The Tams	Trouble Maker	118					ABC 11128.
04/1969	Bill Deal & the Rhondels	I've Been Hurt	35					Heritage 812.
08/1969	Bill Deal & the Rhondels	What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am	23					Heritage 817.
07/1971	The Tams	Hey Girl Don't Bother Me					1
08/1973	Guy Darrell	I've Been Hurt					12
1976	Larry Jon Wilson	Think I Feel a Hitchhike Coming On		47	74			Monument 8692.
1978	Eddie Middleton	What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)			44
08/1991	Sonia Evans	Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy		13			22	I.Q./RCA 62246. Written by James Cobb & Ray Whitley.

References

1. "Ray Whitley - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
2. "Robert Ray Whitley, 69". Access North Georgia. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
3. Zell Miller (1996). They Heard Georgia Singing. Mercer University Press. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-86554-504-5.
4. Jon Kutner (2010). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. part 411. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
5. Rick Simmons (2013). Carolina Beach Music from the '60s to the '80s: The New Wave. The History Press. pp. 168–170. ISBN 978-1-60949-750-7.
6. Bob Leszczak (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-4422-3068-2.
7. "Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Inductees". Georgia Music Channel. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
8. Eggers, Marc (January 29, 2011). "Homeless man still has song in his heart". WDUN. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
9. "Songs written by Ray Whitley". MusicVF.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.

Further reading

• Haynes, Greg (2006). The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music: Stories and Remembrances of a Southern Music Genre. Atlanta, Ga.: Rare Reads Publishing. ISBN 9780978604707.