Dobie Gray

At 71 years old, Dobie Gray has this physical status:

Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown, 1940-2012) was an American singer and songwriter whose musical career spanned soul, country, pop, and musical theater.

In 1965 and 1966, his hit songs, "The 'In' Crowd" and "Drift Away," both of 1965's greatest hits, sold over one million copies, and remained a staple of radio airplay.

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Career

Gray migrated to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, hoping to pursue an acting career while also performing to make money. Before Sonny Bono directed him to the small independent Stripe Records, he appeared on various local labels under the names Leonard Ainsworth, Larry Curtis, and Larry Dennis. He performed under the name "Dobie Gray," an allusion to Dobie Gillis' then-famous sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie.

His first glimpse of success came in 1962, when his seventh single "Look at Me" on the Cor-Dak label and recorded with bassist Carol Kaye, debuted at No. 1. Billboard Hot 100 hits 91.

However, his first album Look!

We were unsuccessful at selling. Early 1965, he achieved great success on his first album, "In" Crowd," released by Ramsey Lewis as an ambassador and later covered by Petula Clark in 1965. 13. Billy Page's book, arranged by his brother, Gene, and produced by Fred Darian, reached No. 10. On the US R&B chart, 11 is the most important, and No. 5 is No. 1. In the United Kingdom, there are 25. "See You at the Go-GoGo," the follow-up to Kaye, Hal Blaine, and Larry Knechtel's album "In Your Crowders That Go Go For," which featured some self-penned songs, also made it to the Hot 100.

Gray continued to record, although with less success for small brands such as Charger and White Whale, as well as contributing to movie soundtracks. He spent several years as an actor, including two and a half years in the Los Angeles production of Hair.

Pollution, a 1970s band, formed a percussionist and singer, while still active there. They were operated by actor Max Baer Jr. (best known as "Jethro" in The Beverly Hillbillies) and released two albums of soul-inspired psychedelic rock, Pollution I and Pollution II. Tata Vega and guitarist/singer James Quill Smith were among the band's members. Paul Williams, a songwriter, appeared on A&M Records on demo recordings.

In 1972, he signed a recording deal with Decca Records (shortly before it became part of MCA) to produce an album with producer Mentor Williams—Paul's brother. Mentor Williams' "Drift Away" was one of the songs recorded at the Quadrafonic Sound Studios, co-owned by session players Norbert Putnam and David Briggs, featuring a guitar riff by Reggie Young. The album debuted as a single, and it soared to No. ten. Dobie Gray's signature song remains at No. 5 on the US pop chart and remains Dobie Gray's top song. It debuted at No. 11 in the United States. In the 1973 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles, 17 songs, out of over 1 million copies, were awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on July 5, 1973. The sequel, a recreation of Tom Jans' much-covered song "Life Arms," debuted at No. 61. Gray, MCA, Drift Away, Loving Arms, and Hey, Dixie, all released three albums, but MCA was still unsure of how to market the records; "They didn't know where to place a black guy in country music."

He moved to Nashville and signed with Capricorn Records in the mid-1970s, writing songs in collaboration with Troy Seals. "If Love Must Go" was No. 2 on his last solo hit singles. "You Can Do It" No. 78, and "You Can Do It" No. In 1978, there were 37 people in the country. He mainly concentrated on songwriting and writing for a variety of artists, including Ray Charles, George Jones, Johnny Mathis, Charley Pride, and Don Williams. In the 1970s, he toured in Europe, Australia, and Africa. He appeared in South Africa only after convincing the apartheid authorities to allow him to perform to mainstream audiences, becoming the first artist to do so. During subsequent concert tours, his fame in South Africa soared.

Dobie Gray appeared on a Word Records/Myrrh Contemporary Christian Music showcase in 1981. Dobie appeared on two television shows: "Everything To Me" and Walter Carter's "Last Train to Glory."

Dobie Gray resurfaced as a recording artist for Capitol Records in the 1980s, working with producer Harold Shedd. In 1986-87, he earned two singles on the US country chart, including "That's One to Grow On" which reached No. 2. 35. He appeared on numerous occasions at Charlie Daniels' famous Volunteer Jam concerts, including Where I Stand in 1986. He has appeared on a number of television and radio jingles. Gray performed "Paradise Road" in the 1988 film Blind Justice, which starred Christopher Cazenove, Patrick Shai, Oliver Reed, and Edita Brychta.

He released Diamond Cuts in 1997, containing both new songs and re-recordings of older stuff.

The Northern Soul Top 500, compiled by Wigan Casino DJ Kev Roberts in 2000, was based on a poll of Northern soul followers. "Out on the Floor," Gray's "Out on the Floor," a 1966 album that would become a British hit in 1975, reached its high point at No. 139. 42.

"Drift Away" became a hit again in 2003, when he covered the song as a duet with Uncle Kracker on the latter's No Stranger to Shame album. The re-recording reached a high point at No. 1. Gray's 63rd birthday and he was ranked No. 9 one week to the day and his day after being placed at No. 93. 19 in the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2003, as well as a landshaking 27 weeks at the top of the Adult Contemporary chart in 2003–04.

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