Don Raye
Encyclopedia
Don Raye born Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr., in Washington, D.C.
, was an American vaudevillian and songwriter, best known for his songs for the Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar
", "The House of Blue Lights
", "Just For A Thrill
" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
."
While known for such wordy novelty numbers, he also wrote the lyrics to "You Don't Know What Love Is
," a simple, poetic lament of unusual power. He also composed the song "(That Place) Down the Road a Piece," one of his boogie woogie songs, which has a medium bright boogie tempo. It was written for the Will Bradley
Orchestra, who recorded it in 1940, but the song was destined to become a rock and roll standard, recorded by The Rolling Stones
, Chuck Berry
, Jerry Lee Lewis
, Foghat
, Amos Milburn
, Harry Gibson
, and countless others.
In 1940 he wrote the lyrics for the patriotic song "This Is My Country
".
His great success with "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (written with Big Band drummer Ray McKinley
) led Raye to write the follow-up songs, "Scrub Me Mamma, with a Boogie Beat," "Bounce Me Brother, with a Solid Four," and "Fry Me Cookie, with a Can of Lard."
In 1985, Raye was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
.
r, going on to win the "Virginia State Dancing Championship." He started work in vaudeville
as a "song and dance man" often writing his own songs for his act. In 1935 he started work as a songwriter, collaborating with composers Sammy Cahn
and Saul Chaplin
, and Saxophonist
Jimmie Lunceford
.
Raye went on to work largely with the Andrews Sisters in the 1930s. He joined the Army in 1941, and served in World War II
. Upon his return he resumed songwriting in Hollywood and worked alongside Gene de Paul
at Universal Studios
. He wrote original songs for Walt Disney's
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
as well as A Song is Born
. Raye and de Paul also wrote "Beware the Jabberwock," a song for Disney's Alice in Wonderland
, which was not included in the final version of the film. A demo was recorded, and is included on the 2004 and 2010 DVD releases of the Disney movie.
Raye co-wrote "The Ballad of Thunder Road
" with its script writer and star, Robert Mitchum. The Robert Mitchum version of the song did NOT appear in the movie Thunder Road, but was released by Capitol Records.
He co-wrote the classic "The House of Blue Lights" in 1946 with Freddie Slack
, a song which was recorded originally by Freddie Slack with Ella Mae Morse on vocals, by The Andrews Sisters, Merrill Moore in 1952, Chuck Miller in 1955, Chuck Berry, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Asleep At The Wheel, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
published Raye's Like Haiku, a collection of poems. He called them "not haiku
in the true sense. They are 'like' haiku. An Occidental songwriter's haiku. I have merely used that stringent form to frame my own pictures of wonder, my moments of awareness of those things which have made me feel."
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, was an American vaudevillian and songwriter, best known for his songs for the Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar
Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar
"Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" is a song written in 1940 by Don Raye, with credit given to Ray McKinley. It follows the American boogie-woogie tradition of syncopated piano music. The song was first recorded in 1940 by the Will Bradley orchestra, with Freddie Slack on piano...
", "The House of Blue Lights
The House of Blue Lights (song)
"The House of Blue Lights" is a popular song published in 1946, written by Don Raye and Freddie Slack. It was first recorded by Freddie Slack with singer Ella Mae Morse, and was covered the same year by The Andrews Sisters....
", "Just For A Thrill
Just for a Thrill
Just for a Thrill was the twenty-third studio album of country music artist Ronnie Milsap. It was released in 2004 under Image Records, his first for the label. The album consisted of fourteen recordings of pop and jazz standards....
" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was a major hit for The Andrews Sisters and an iconic World War II tune. This song can be considered an early jump blues recording...
."
While known for such wordy novelty numbers, he also wrote the lyrics to "You Don't Know What Love Is
You Don't Know What Love Is
"You Don't Know What Love Is," a popular song of the Great American Songbook, has one the craziest histories of any song. It was written by Don Raye and Gene de Paul for the Abbott and Costello 1941 Universal picture Keep 'Em Flying, in which it was sung by Carol Bruce...
," a simple, poetic lament of unusual power. He also composed the song "(That Place) Down the Road a Piece," one of his boogie woogie songs, which has a medium bright boogie tempo. It was written for the Will Bradley
Will Bradley
Wilbur Schwictenberg was an American trombonist and bandleader who also performed under the name Will Bradley...
Orchestra, who recorded it in 1940, but the song was destined to become a rock and roll standard, recorded by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, Foghat
Foghat
Foghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
, Amos Milburn
Amos Milburn
Amos Milburn was an African American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, popular during the 1940s and 1950s...
, Harry Gibson
Harry Gibson
Harry "The Hipster" Gibson was a jazz pianist, singer and songwriter.Gibson played New York style Stride piano and boogie woogie while singing in a wild, unrestrained style. His music career began in the late 1920s, when as the young Harry Raab, his birth name, he played stride piano in Dixieland...
, and countless others.
In 1940 he wrote the lyrics for the patriotic song "This Is My Country
This Is My Country (song)
"This is My Country" is an American patriotic folk song composed in 1940. The lyrics are by Don Raye and the music is by Al Jacobs.The song begins slowly, opening with:"This is My Country" is an American patriotic folk song composed in 1940...
".
His great success with "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (written with Big Band drummer Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.McKinley got his start working with local bands in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, before joining Smith Ballew in 1929, when he met Glenn Miller. The two formed a friendship which lasted from 1929 until Miller's death in 1944....
) led Raye to write the follow-up songs, "Scrub Me Mamma, with a Boogie Beat," "Bounce Me Brother, with a Solid Four," and "Fry Me Cookie, with a Can of Lard."
In 1985, Raye was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
.
History
Raye started his career as a danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
r, going on to win the "Virginia State Dancing Championship." He started work in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
as a "song and dance man" often writing his own songs for his act. In 1935 he started work as a songwriter, collaborating with composers Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
and Saul Chaplin
Saul Chaplin
Saul Chaplin was an American composer and musical director.He was born Saul Kaplan in Brooklyn, New York.He had worked on stage, screen and television since the days of Tin Pan Alley...
, and Saxophonist
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
Jimmie Lunceford
Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.-Biography:...
.
Raye went on to work largely with the Andrews Sisters in the 1930s. He joined the Army in 1941, and served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Upon his return he resumed songwriting in Hollywood and worked alongside Gene de Paul
Gene de Paul
Gene de Paul was an American pianist, composer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in New York City, he served in the United States Army during World War II....
at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. He wrote original songs for Walt Disney's
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a 1949 animated feature produced by Walt Disney. The film was released to theaters on October 5, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures and is the eleventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
as well as A Song is Born
A song is born
"A Song Is Born" was a collaboration between Ayumi Hamasaki and Keiko for the Song Nation non-profit project by Avex, which was created to raise funds to help the victims of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center...
. Raye and de Paul also wrote "Beware the Jabberwock," a song for Disney's Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
, which was not included in the final version of the film. A demo was recorded, and is included on the 2004 and 2010 DVD releases of the Disney movie.
Raye co-wrote "The Ballad of Thunder Road
The Ballad of Thunder Road
"The Ballad of Thunder Road" is a song performed and co-written by actor Robert Mitchum in 1957, with music by composer Jack Marshall. It was the theme song of the movie Thunder Road. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 twice, in 1958 and 1962, and while it never peaked higher than #62, it racked...
" with its script writer and star, Robert Mitchum. The Robert Mitchum version of the song did NOT appear in the movie Thunder Road, but was released by Capitol Records.
He co-wrote the classic "The House of Blue Lights" in 1946 with Freddie Slack
Freddie Slack
Frederick Charles Slack was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader.He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939...
, a song which was recorded originally by Freddie Slack with Ella Mae Morse on vocals, by The Andrews Sisters, Merrill Moore in 1952, Chuck Miller in 1955, Chuck Berry, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Asleep At The Wheel, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Publications
In 1971, the Charles E. Tuttle CompanyTuttle Publishing
Tuttle Publishing, originally the Charles E. Tuttle Company, is a book publishing company that includes Tuttle, Periplus Editions, and Journey Editions...
published Raye's Like Haiku, a collection of poems. He called them "not haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
in the true sense. They are 'like' haiku. An Occidental songwriter's haiku. I have merely used that stringent form to frame my own pictures of wonder, my moments of awareness of those things which have made me feel."