Bandleader Ray Conniff Autographed Photo

Description: BANDLEADER RAY CONNIFF SIGNED PHOTO 8 x 10 b/w glossy Columbia promo photo inscribed and signed dated 4/27/1995. In very fine condition Conniff was born November 6, 1916 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, United States,[1] and learned to play the trombone from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.Early careerAfter serving in the U.S. Army in World War II (where he worked under Walter Schumann), he joined the Artie Shaw big band and wrote many arrangements for him.[1] After his stint with Shaw, he was hired in 1954 by Mitch Miller, head of A&R at Columbia Records, as the label's home arranger, working with several artists including Rosemary Clooney, Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell and Johnnie Ray.[1] He wrote a top-10 arrangement for Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies.[1] Among the hit singles Conniff backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were "Yes Tonight Josephine" and "Just Walkin' in the Rain" by Johnnie Ray; "Chances Are" and "It's Not for Me to Say" by Johnny Mathis; "A White Sport Coat" and "The Hanging Tree" by Marty Robbins; "Moonlight Gambler" by Frankie Laine; "Up Above My Head", a duet by Frankie Laine and Johnnie Ray; and "Pet Me, Poppa" by Rosemary Clooney. He also backed up the albums Tony by Tony Bennett, Blue Swing by Eileen Rodgers, Swingin' for Two by Don Cherry, and half the tracks of The Big Beat by Johnnie Ray. In these early years Conniff produced similar-sounding records for Columbia's Epic label under the name of Jay Raye (which stood for "Joseph Raymond"), among them a backing album and singles with the American male vocal group Somethin' Smith and the Redheads.Between 1957 and 1968, Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being Somewhere My Love (1966).[1] He topped the album list in Britain in 1969 with His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound,[1] an album which was originally published to promote his European tour (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) in 1969. He also was the first American popular artist to record in Russia—in 1974 he recorded Ray Conniff in Moscow with the help of a local choir.[1] His later albums like Exclusivamente Latino, Amor Amor, and Latinisimo made him very popular in Latin-American countries, even more so after performing in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival. In Brazil and Chile in the 1980s and 1990s, he was treated like a young pop superstar despite being in his seventies and eighties. He played live with his orchestra and eight-person chorus in large football stadiums as well as in Viña del Mar.Conniff commented, "One time I was recording an album with Mitch Miller – we had a big band and a small choir. I decided to have the choir sing along with the big band using wordless lyrics. The women were doubled with the trumpets and the men were doubled with the trombones. In the booth Mitch was totally surprised and excited at how well it worked." Because of the success of his backing arrangements, and the new sound Conniff created, Miller allowed him to make his own record, and this became the successful ’s Wonderful!, a collection of standards that were recorded with an orchestra and a wordless singing chorus (four men, four women).[1] He released many more albums in the same vein, including ’s Marvelous (1957, gold album), ’s Awful Nice (1958), Concert in Rhythm (1958, gold album), Broadway in Rhythm (1958), Hollywood in Rhythm (1959), Concert in Rhythm, Vol. II (1960), Say It With Music (1960), Memories Are Made of This (1960, gold album), and ’s Continental (1962).[1] His second album was Dance the Bop! (1957). It was an experiment by one of the senior managers at Columbia to cash in on a new dance step, but from the outset, Conniff disliked it. When it sold poorly, he had it withdrawn. CELEBRATING 27 YEARS IN BUSINESS!!PLEASE DO NOT WASTE OUR TIME BY WINNING AN ITEM AND NOT PAYING FOR IT!! YOU WILL BE REPORTED TO EBAY AND BLOCKED FROM OUR AUCTIONS!!! ALSO WE WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY BIDS FROM 0 FEEDBACKS, THEY WILL BE CANCELLED! NO RESERVEPLEASE READ!!Terms of Sale: 1. Payment is due within 4 days of the close of this auction. We are set automatically on Unpaid Bidder Assistant.2. If you have any questions, please ask prior to bidding. 3. All items are guaranteed authentic. COAs issued upon request. (Only for signed items) You can buy with complete confidence.4. Buyer pays for shipping. (combine shipping for multiple items) PLEASE NOTE IF BIDDING OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. - WE ONLY SHIP THROUGH EBAY'S GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM SO PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS!!Thanks for looking and Good Luck bidding!The Inkwell Autograph Gallery

Price: 14.95 USD

Location: Eagleville, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2025-01-21T16:12:36.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6 USD