01-27-2012, 09:51 PM
Johnny Ray, an Oregon native, was one of the most controversial performers of his day. In live performance, he would beat up his piano, lie on the floor as if he were in pain, and add further animations to his singing. Sound familiar? It should since a lot of rock and roll performers who came after him, copied his animated performing style. Questions about his sexuality surfaced later adding further drama to the life of this 50's sensation. Shortly after he signed with Columbia Records, he entered the studio in October of 1951 and recorded a two-sided hit with vocal backing provided by the Four Lads. One side was "The Little White Cloud That Cried", and the other was this recording of "Cry". Both were two of the biggest hits of year 1951 and firmly established Johnny Ray on the pop charts for most of the decade.