Ray Perry

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Ray Perry (February 25, 1915 - 1950) was an American jazz violinist and saxophonist.

Perry was born in 1915 to a musical family and began playing the violin at a young age, while his brothers Joe and Bay became a baritonist and drummer, respectively. Perry sang during his violin solos, inspiring Slam Stewart to continue the practice on bass. ^[1] He performed more frequently on alto saxophone.

He worked bread and butter gigs with the best in the business, including Dean Earl (1935), Clarence Carter (1937-39), Blanche Calloway (1940), and Lionel Hampton (1940-43). Despite his short career, Ray Perry worked with many jazz artists, including:

• Shadow Wilson
• Illinois Jacquet (1946-47, 1950)
• Vernon Alley
• J. C. Heard (1946)
• Joe Newman
• Fred Beckett
• Sabby Lewis (1948)
• Sir Charles Thompson
• Irving Ashby

Many of his records failed to gain a prominent following, but he was very successful until poor health prevented him from touring. Two of Perry's albums remain popular - Jumpin' Jacquet and 50 Sublimes Chanteurs de Jazz. Some of his more famous songs are Flyin' Home, How High the Moon, Love is the Thing, Boog It, and I Want a Little Girl.

Recently his music has enjoyed a renewed popularity, and his records are available on CDs. He died relatively young at age 35, a fact that has substantially affected the memory of his recording career.

[edit] References

1. ^ Yanow, Scott. AllMusic (search on "Ray Perry"). Retrieved on 2007-02-23.