Ray Lynam | |
|---|---|
 Ray Lynam performing in Drumlish August 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 29 November 1951 Moate, Westmeath, Ireland |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1969–present |
Ray Lynam is an Irish country music singer, born on 29 November 1951 in Moate, County Westmeath. [1]
Ray was born in Moate, County Westmeath to Patrick, a baker, and Nora, a shopkeeper. He was one of three sons, his brothers being Padraic and John. His first venture into the music scene was when he played saxophone for a local group "the Merrymen" while still attending the local Carmelite College Secondary School. By 1969 he had joined and was lead singer for the group Ray Lynam and the Hillbillies and had their first Irish Charts success with a cover of the Buck Owens song "Sweet Rosie Jones". [2]
During the Wembley Country Music Festival of 1974, he teamed up with one of Irelands leading female country singers, Philomena Begley and went on to record many hit duets with her, [1] including My Elusive Dreams in 1975. [3]
Lynam’s singing voice is closely modeled on those American country singers that influenced his early career, such as George Jones and Merle Haggard, rather than the more popular (in Ireland at that time) Country and Irish style. He has had hits on the Irish charts during the 1970s and 1980s with cover versions of some of their well-known tracks including He Stopped Loving Her Today and If We're Not Back in Love by Monday. [1]
Donald Eugene Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the mid-1970s.
County Westmeath is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of Meath, which was named Mide because the kingdom was located in the geographical centre of Ireland. Westmeath County Council is the administrative body for the county, and the county town is Mullingar. At the 2022 census, the population of the county was 95,840.
Moate is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.
Billie Jo Spears was an American country music singer. She was known for a series of singles whose characters often represented women in assertive positions. Among these recordings was a song about sexual harassment, and a song about rekindling sexual desire ".
"I Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular song written and composed by country singer, songwriter, and musician Don Gibson, who first recorded it on December 3, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side of "Oh, Lonesome Me", becoming a double-sided country hit single. At the time of Gibson's death in 2003, the song had been recorded by more than 700 artists, most notably by Ray Charles, whose recording reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
Billy Norris Sherrill was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Glenn Sutton are regarded as the defining influences of the countrypolitan sound, a smooth amalgamation of pop and country music that was popular during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Sherrill also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Stand by Your Man" and "The Most Beautiful Girl".
Clydie Mae King was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single "Loneliness " reached No. 44 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1973.
Hugo Duncan is a singer and BBC broadcaster born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland on 26 March 1950. His nickname is "The wee man from Strabane" or "Uncle Hugo".
Claude "Curly" Putman Jr. was an American songwriter.
Hillbilly Deluxe is the second studio album by American country music singer-songwriter, Dwight Yoakam. Released in 1987, it was Yoakam's second consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Four tracks were released as singles with each becoming Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1987 and 1988.
"A Pair of Brown Eyes" is a single by The Pogues, released on 18 March 1985. The single was their first to make the UK Top 100, peaking at Number 72. It featured on the band's second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, and was composed by Pogues front man Shane MacGowan. Its melody is loosely based on that of “Wild Mountain Thyme", a song by Francis McPeake in a traditional Irish folk style.
The Grand Tour is an album by the American country music artist George Jones, released in 1974 as his fifth album for Epic Records. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and contained the hit title track, which reached a peak of #1 in August 1974.
Philomena Begley is a country music singer from Northern Ireland. In 1975, Begley had a hit with her version of the Billie Jo Spears' song Blanket on the Ground reaching higher sales than Spears in Ireland. In 2020, Begley became the first lady to be inducted into ICMA Hall Of Fame. Today, Begley is affectionately known as 'The Queen of Country'.
Edward Monroe Miller was an American songwriter, in the country music genre.
"My Elusive Dreams" is a country music song written by Billy Sherrill and Curly Putman. Putman recorded his song in March 1967 and released it on ABC Records in June 1967, peaking at #41 on the Hot Country Singles charts and #34 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. The song was later recorded by several artists. The best-known version was recorded as a duet by David Houston and Tammy Wynette, and was a No. 1 country hit in October 1967; the song also peaked at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wynette recorded a second duet version of My Elusive Dreams in 1973 with George Jones; this version was included on the Let's Build a World Together album.
Arthur Leo "Doodle" Owens was an American country music songwriter and singer. He had a long songwriting partnership with Dallas Frazier, with whom he wrote "All I Have to Offer You " (1969), "(I'm So) Afraid of Losing You Again" (1969), "I Can't Believe That You've Stopped Loving Me" (1970) and "Then Who Am I" (1974), all number-one country hits for Charley Pride. In the 1980s, Owens wrote many songs with fellow songwriter Dennis Knutson for George Jones and other artists.
"Muswell Hillbilly" is a track recorded by British rock band The Kinks. It served as the title track to their 1971 album, Muswell Hillbillies.
Andrea Begley is a singer-songwriter from Pomeroy, Northern Ireland, who is most notable for winning the second series of the BBC talent search The Voice UK, beating the favourite to win, Leah McFall. She is the niece of Irish country music singer Philomena Begley.
Johnny Hogan, is an Irish country music singer-songwriter and guitar player. He released 16 CDs and a live concert DVD. He is often referred to as the 'Prince of Irish country music' as well as the 'Offaly Rover'.
Lisa Stanley is an Irish singer, songwriter, and presenter, based in the UK and Ireland. Stanley was born in Sligo, Ireland, and is the only child of Irish entertainers Maisie McDaniel and Fintan Stanley.
  | This biographical article about an Irish singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |