The Ray Conniff Singers Biography

Home	Music	Video	Stock Footage	Help

Original Recordings by the Original Artists!

The Ray Conniff Singers
Pop Music | 3 CD Set
Reg. $24.99 ON SALE!
$19.99

Trombonist Ray Conniff has spanned most kinds of popular music in a career that began in the big band era as sideman but segued into making arrangements that featured vocals. Born in 1916 in Massachusetts, Conniff learned the trombone from his father but by the end of high school was leaning towards orchestral arranging. Still playing, however, he gigged around Boston before joining noted trumpeter Bunny Berigan’s band, both as trombonist and arranger. He was only twenty at the time. He followed Berigan with a stint in Bob Crosby’s Bobcats and then moved further up to the popular Artie Shaw band, where he stayed for four years. His slide work can be heard on several Shaw recordings of the late ‘30s, including "Concerto For Clarinet," "Dancing In the Dark," and "St. James Infirmary." But with an eye to the future, Conniff also studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. World War II intervened, as it did to most young men in their 20s, Conniff joined the Army. After discharge, he joined the Harry James Band as an arranger and upon leaving that band began freelancing as an arranger while working on new ways to bring popular music to the masses via hit records. Joining Columbia Records in 1954, he started working out vocal arrangement for the label’s singers, including mega-popular Johnnie Ray, Rosemary Clooney, Guy Mitchell and country star Marty Robbins. His arrangement of "Band of Gold" for Don Cherry that year became a million-selling hit. Columbia producer Mitch Miller took up his cause and by 1956 had pushed Conniff into the pop territory that was to see hit album after hit album take off. His long-researched "new sound" was to be a big hit in 1956, and it included an instrumental orchestral arrangement embellished by vocals that remained wordless, a way to make the voices a part of the instrumental plot. The initial LP was "S’Wonderful," which was followed by "S’Marvelous" and "S’Awful Nice," all offering the same formula on popular songs of the late ‘50s and into the ‘60s. By 1960, the formula was changing. "It’s The Talk of the Town" included actual words sung by a larger chorus. Between 1957-68, the Ray Conniff sound sent an amazing twenty-eight albums into the Top 40 charts, even as jazz was experiencing a slump caused by the roaring success of rock music, neither of which had any connections to the Conniff sound. He was also having success in Europe, topping British charts in 1969 and in 1974 going to Russia to become the first American to record pop music there. His "Ray Conniff In Moscow" utilized a local Russian chorus. Over the years, the Conniff formula for vocal/orchestral arrangements has continued to be popular with the less raucous audience that enjoys old standards in his style. He has recorded a large number of albums in his career, even working into the country field with "The Nashville Collection" with George Jones, Barbara Mandrell and Charly McClain, besides offering several sets of Latin-influenced music. He did return to his jazz roots in 1976 with an album with jazz trumpeter Billy Butterfield and in 1986 a collection featuring many of his big hits was released by Columbia. Later, Time/Life released "Ray Conniff," a comprehensive look and listen to a long career.

TIMELESS MEDIA GROUP 100% GUARANTEED
If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase you may return it for a prompt refund, credit or exchange. Click here for details

All Items Usually Ship Within 24 Hours!