Dobie Gray

Probably best known for his dance floor anthem, 'Out On The Floor' and the '60s soul classic 'The In-Crowd', Dobie Gray was a versatile vocalist who could handle soul, country and pop, not to mention musical theatre. Gray's origins are somewhat ill-defined; different sources alternately list his birth name as Leonard Victor Ainsworth or Laurence Darrow Brown and his Texas birthplace as Brookshire or Simonton. His likely birth date is July 26, 1940 (though some sources list 1942 or 1943). 

Whatever the case, Gray discovered gospel music through his grandfather, a Baptist minister. He also soaked up the R&B, country and gospel music of his surroundings, and in the early '60s he moved to Los Angeles to seek his fortune.

For more than four decades Dobie Gray’s distinctive voice has graced record charts all over the world. It is not an understatement to say that he is a singer’s singer - a songwriter’s songwriter. Through his prodigious talent and fluid performing style, the multi-talented performer earned the respect and admiration of his peers. In his long and distinguished career, Dobie had the good fortune to record numerous career songs, any of which would have sustained another artist throughout their entire career.

Moving from Texas to California in the early '60s, Dobie met Sonny Bono who was A&R manager for Specialty Records. That encounter led to his first notable single, 'Look at Me' (later recorded by The Righteous Brothers). Although 'Look at Me' remained on the charts a healthy five weeks, Dobie’s real breakthrough came in 1965 with the release of 'The In Crowd'. During his three-year tenure as a staff writer at Almo/Irving Publishing, Dobie’s vocal talents landed him a recording contract with MCA Records in late 1973.

In Hollywood he enrolled in acting classes and appeared in theatre group productions, including A Raisin in the Sun, The Amen Corner, Look Homeward Angel and Rhinoceros. His dramatic gifts eventually landed him a role in the LA production of the mega-hit musical Hair, in which he remained for two and a half years.

Gray's tenure in Nashville was marked by a commercial downturn, but his increased activity as a songwriter, mostly in a country vein, resulted in covers by the likes of Don Williams, Charley Pride, George Jones and John Denver among others. The disco-flavoured 'You Can Do It' became his final Top 40 hit in 1978, the same year he recorded the first of two LPs for Infinity. When Infinity went bankrupt, Gray concentrated exclusively on songwriting for a few years, then re-emerged on Capitol in the mid '80s as a fully-fledged country artist. He made the lower reaches of the country charts with singles like 'That's One to Grow on' and 'From Where I Stand', but found it impossible to break through to a wider country audience and again faded from view after two albums. In 1997, Gray released Diamond Cuts, a mix of new songs and re-recorded past hits.

Dobie performed at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Hall’s first Annual Musicians Hall of Fame Inductees Awards presentation. Owing to the talents of Joe Chambers, musicians and singers from all corners came and made November 26, 2007 a night to remember – adding another Hurrah! to Nashville’s famed music legacy.

Dobie’s voice was also heard on a number of motion picture soundtracks.

'Drift Away', still heralded as his signature tune, was written by Mentor Williams, and his follow-up, 'Loving Arms', written by Tom Jans and produced by Williams, has been covered by everyone from Elvis Presley to Ray Charles.

While Dobie enjoyed moderate success as a composer, in Hollywood, the true persona of Dobie Gray - the songwriter - began to emerge in earnest, and given his country/gospel roots, his next move was not surprising. With more than a little trepidation and the absolute conviction that he could become a "polished" songwriter, he traded the bright lights of LA for the southern graces of Nashville, Tennessee. The move was well timed. Though his reputation as a consummate performer was accelerating toward international prominence and new-found stardom, Nashville would afford him peace and tranquility after his travels abroad. Above all, though, it would bring him a feeling of belonging in Music City USA’s community of auspicious songwriters - many of whom became his friends during the recording of his three albums for MCA, at Quadrafonic Studios on 18th Avenue.

It was Dobie's insistence to the South African Government and promoters that he would play only to integrated audiences, which led to his becoming the first artist to do so in that country. His standing-room-only appearances there garnered eight gold singles, four platinum albums and an unprecedented nine concert tours. He remains one of South Africa's most popular and enduring recording artists.

In the US, Dobie went on to record for Infinity (which became all too finite, all too soon) and Capricorn labels, before signing with Nashville-based Capitol/EMI/America. His three Capitol albums resulted in two chart singles, 'That’s One to Grow on' and the unforgettable 'From Where I Stand'.

Dobie spent the next several years concentrating on songwriting. Many of his compositions have been recorded by a myriad of music industry immortals: Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, George Jones, Don Williams, Exile, John Conlee, Tammy Wynette, Etta James, Jodice, Nina Simone, Charlie Pride, Conway Twitty, Brook Benton, Three Dog Night, Julio Iglesias, John Denver, Paul Rogers, Razzy Bailey, B J Thomas and a number of other talented artists.

Moreover, Dobie also had an impressive number of national radio and TV commercials to his credit: Procter & Gamble, Chrysler Corp., Ultra Slimfast, Oscar Mayer, Chevrolet, Buick, Kraft, Coca-Cola, Allstate, Sunbeam, Budweiser, MacDonald’s, American Movie Classics and a little reggae ditty called 'Momma’s Got the Magic of Clorox 2'.

Inspired by the demand from his fans and the encouragement of friends and peers to go back into the studio, he did just that. Released In 1999, Diamond Cuts, his first studio offering in many years, is a collection of carefully chosen gems of the calibre that has become the unmistakable hallmark of Dobie’s music, comprising recordings of his greatest hits, some of his new compositions and renditions of many of the all-time great standards, including his electrifying version of Roy Orbison’s classic, 'It’s Over'. Thankfully for Dobie and for his following, it is far from over.

In 2003, Dobie was invited by rap artist Uncle Kracker to sing on his version of 'Drift Away'. The rest, as they say, is history. The second time around, 'Drift Away' stayed in the charts at number one for 28 weeks.

Audiences all over the world were enchanted by the charismatic, intoxicating intimacy of one of the greatest voices of our time. 

Perhaps Dobie summed it up best: "My goal is to create the kind of music that makes memories for my audience - music that they will want to revisit time and again. Songs from the heart!"

Dobie Gray (b. July 26, 1940 - d. December 6, 2011)