Ray Williams | |
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Born | London, England |
Occupation(s) | Producer, publicist, entrepreneur |
Years active | 1965–present |
Labels | Crumbs Productions Ltd. |
Website | www |
Ray Williams is a British A&R music producer and publisher. He discovered Elton John and introduced him to Bernie Taupin. Williams has been a prominent figure of the music and film industry for many years as a press agent, A&R head, artist manager, film music producer, and publisher. He was the music supervisor of films including The Last Emperor , Absolute Beginners , and Naked Lunch .
During the 1960s, Williams worked with Cathy McGowan, who presented Ready Steady Go! He was also a press agent for a number of major artists such as Sonny & Cher, Cream, Robert Stigwood, and for Brian Epstein's Saville Theatre. He eventually moved up to head the A&R department for Liberty Records, where he signed upcoming artists who went on to achieve major successes with Jeff Lynne (Idle race and ELO), The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and Mike Batt, among others.
In 1967, he discovered Elton John and introduced him to lyricist Bernie Taupin. [1] [2] Williams managed Elton John for his first five albums. He also launched and managed Stealers Wheel (Gerry Rafferty) and the Blues Band.
Since 1984, Williams has been one of Europe’s leading film and television music producers. Williams was the music supervisor of The Last Emperor , Absolute Beginners and Naked Lunch . [3] His credits include Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1988), which collected the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Grammy and the L.A. film critics’ award for best score and The Sheltering Sky (1990), which won the Golden Globe and L.A. film critics' award.
The year 1996 brought more success as Williams produced the soundtrack for Lars Von Trier's Breaking The Waves, a winner of the Grand Prix Award at Cannes and an Academy Award nomination in Hollywood.
From 1997 to 2002, Williams went on to produce and supervise several soundtracks including Saving Grace , the film which won Sundance Festival Best Film Award, and Dancer in the Dark, Lars Von Trier’s film starring Björk, which went on to win the coveted Palme d'Or Award for best film at the Cannes Film Festival.
During this period, Williams was instrumental in the acquisition of Bill Lowery's Atlanta-based Lowery Music Publishing Group for Sony Music Entertainment. The catalogue included the songs "Be-Bop-a-Lula", "Young Love" and "Rose Garden". He was appointed as Sony's consultant for three years to oversee the transition of the business.
Williams runs his own music publishing/production company, Crumbs Music based out of Raleigh, North Carolina and continues to sign new artists, composers, and catalogues. His latest project on Crumbs-The Label is Ali Campbell's album Running Free featuring Smokey Robinson, Katie Melua, Lemar, Beverley Knight, Robin Campbell, and Bitty McLean. In 2009, Ray and Crumbs Music UK organized the music content for the 50th anniversary of the mini automobile. The Festival included performances by Paul Weller, Calvin Harris, Twisted Wheel and Raygun. In 2014, Ray created Crumbs Music INC to develop his pre-cleared music licensing website. His latest project on Crumbs focuses on revitalizing the film industry in North Carolina by highlighting new and emerging artists with placements in film, TV, and advertising.
In 2019, Williams was portrayed by actor Charlie Rowe in the film Rocketman (which, he says, "mixed up all the stories" of what actually happened). [4]
Bernard John Taupin is an English-American lyricist and visual artist. He is most well known for his songwriting partnership with Sir Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin is behind the majority of John's songs, dating back to the 1960s.
Breaking the Waves is a 1996 psychological drama film directed and co-written by Lars von Trier and starring Emily Watson in her feature film acting debut, and with Stellan Skarsgård, a frequent collaborator with von Trier.
Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.
"Tiny Dancer" is a song written by English musician and composer Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally released on John's 1971 album Madman Across the Water, and was later released as a single in 1972.
Sleeping with the Past is the 22nd studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 29 August 1989. It is his best-selling album in Denmark and is dedicated to his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin. The album features "Sacrifice" and "Healing Hands", which were issued as a double A-side and became John's first solo number-one single in his home country of the UK. The single's success helped the album also hit number one there, his first since 1974's Elton John's Greatest Hits. It also became his first platinum album in the UK since 1985's Ice on Fire. In the US it was certified gold in October 1989 and platinum in April 1990 by the RIAA. Sleeping with the Past became John's best selling album of the 1980s.
Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, pianist and composer. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s and for his lasting impact on the music industry, his music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.
"Bennie and the Jets" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs and was performed during his appearance at Live Aid.
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a 1991 tribute album consisting of interpretations of sixteen songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The title refers to a song on John's album 21 at 33, "Two Rooms at the End of the World", and to the duo's unusual collaborative style; it is also the title of a 1991 film documenting their collaboration.
"The Bitch Is Back" is a rock song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was the second single released from John's 1974 album Caribou, and reached number 1 in Canada, number 4 in the United States and number 15 in the United Kingdom.
"I'm Still Standing" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, from John's 1983 studio album Too Low for Zero. It was the second single released from the album in the UK, and the first single released in the United States.
"I Want Love" is a 2001 song by English musician Elton John, co-written with Bernie Taupin, released as the first single from his Songs from the West Coast album. The song reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the US, "I Want Love" reached No. 10 on the Billboard "Bubbling Under" chart and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song also featured in an advert for Royal Mail, in which John starred. It was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
"Rock and Roll Madonna" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song was released as a single in England in 1970, where it never charted. It appeared on several bootlegs and rarities compilations, such as 1992's Rare Masters, before it appeared on 1995 remaster of his self-titled album and to the 2008 deluxe edition of the same album, along with two previously unreleased demo versions of the song.
"Original Sin" is a 2001 song performed by English musician Elton John from his 26th studio album, Songs from the West Coast. The song was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and is the final single of the album.
Melancholia is a 2011 apocalyptic sci-fi psychological drama thriller art film written and directed by Lars von Trier and starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland, with Alexander Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Cameron Spurr, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, and Udo Kier in supporting roles. The film's story revolves around two sisters, one of whom marries just before a rogue planet is about to collide with Earth. Melancholia is the second film in von Trier's unofficially titled Depression Trilogy. It was preceded in 2009 by Antichrist and followed by Nymphomaniac in 2013.
"Rocket Man" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John.
Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin and Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin are two tribute albums to English musician Elton John and his frequent songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, both released on 6 April 2018. Revamp was described as John's project and features covers of the duo's back catalogue by pop, rock and R&B artists, whereas Restoration was seen as Taupin's project and features covers by country music artists. Revamp was released via Island Records and Restoration by Universal Music Group Nashville. The release of the albums coincided with John's 2018–2023 Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Rocketman is a 2019 biographical jukebox musical film based on the life and career of British musician Elton John. Directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall, the film tells the story of John in his early days in England as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his musical partnership with Bernie Taupin told through his music, and is titled after John's 1972 song "Rocket Man". The film stars Taron Egerton as John, with Jamie Bell as Taupin, Richard Madden as John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Sheila Eileen, John's mother.
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" is a song from the 2019 biopic Rocketman. Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, the song was performed by John and Taron Egerton, who portrayed John in the film. The song is heard in the end credits of the film. The official music video features both archival clips from John's early career as well as scenes from the film. The song won numerous accolades including "Best Original Song" at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, "Best Song" at the 25th Critics' Choice Awards, "Best Original Song" at the 24th Satellite Awards, and Best Original Song at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Rocketman: Music from the Motion Picture is a soundtrack album released by Virgin EMI (UK) and Interscope Records (US) on CD and digital formats on 24 May 2019 and is the official soundtrack album to the 2019 biographical musical film of English musician Elton John entitled Rocketman. The album contains 22 tracks of several hits performed by the cast of the film and a newly written track "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" featuring vocals by Taron Egerton and John together. This is the only song featuring Elton. The song won the 2019 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song & the 2020 Academy Award for Best Original Song. The soundtrack was also released by Interscope Records on vinyl on 23 August 2019.
Elton: Jewel Box is an eight-disc compilation album by Elton John featuring rare songs from his catalogue including deep cuts, non-album B-sides and 60 previously unreleased songs and demos. John selected the songs for the compilation, which contains a total of 148 songs, organised in four parts: Deep Cuts, Rarities, B-sides, and And This Is Me.., ending with the song "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" featuring Taron Egerton from John's 2019 biopic film Rocketman.