The Raes
Encyclopedia
The Raes were the Welsh
-Canadian
husband-and-wife singing duo of Robbie and Cherrill Rae, who had a handful of disco
-inflected pop hits in the late 1970s.
and began his recording career as a pre-teen, though his version of "The Lord's Prayer," sung in Welsh
, was banned by the BBC
, who considered it blasphemous
. Before long, he was touring Europe and had his own television variety show in Wales. Cherrill Yates was born in England but lived in the Canadian province of Ontario as a child and developed an appreciation for R&B, especially the Motown Sound, while living there; following this experience, she moved back to the United Kingdom to continue her musical studies and pursue a singing career. Robbie and Cherrill met in England when Cherrill was performing on Robbie's TV show, and were engaged soon afterward. Since their solo careers in the U.K. kept them apart for too long, Robbie and Cherrill moved to Canada, where they began to perform and record as a duo. The Raes scored their first hit in Canada with a disco-styled remake of Doris Day
's "Que Sera Sera" in 1977 and followed it up with their debut album, Winning Combination, the following year. The duo were nominated for two Juno Awards and hosted their own network show called The Raes' Variety Hour on CBC
for three hit seasons, but turned down a five-year contract to continue for fear it might negatively impact their record sales.
In a 1979 interview, the Raes maintained that they did not think of themselves as a disco group necessarily, but a group that recorded pop songs with a disco feel. They also maintained that they had no interest in the synthesizer-based "Euro-disco" sound (a la Donna Summer
's "I Feel Love"): "We want to sound man-made," Cherrill said. "The disco sound should keep coming from people, not machines."
Their second album, Dancing Up A Storm, was released in 1979. Picked up for U.S. release by A&M
, it included their best-known song, "A Little Lovin' (Keeps The Doctor Away)," which became a top-five hit on the Billboard dance club chart. After the record was added by influential radio stations on the East Coast such as WKTU
in New York and WRKO
in Boston, it entered the Billboard Hot 100
chart and went on to peak at #61 (reportedly it would have charted higher but for a typographical error which showed the song dropping down the chart after a promising start, leading the label to pull all promotion on the record). Robbie and Cherrill toured the U.S. to promote their album and made appearances on American television shows such as Soul Train
and American Bandstand
but were unable to find lasting success in the American market. The follow-up to "A Little Lovin'," "(I Only Wanna) Get Up And Dance," was another Canadian hit but petered out at #47 on the Dance chart in the U.S. Robbie and Cherrill released one more album in Canada, Two Hearts (not released in the U.S.), in 1980 before the marriage and the act split up.
Both Robbie and Cherrill continued to pursue separate careers after their split. Robbie recorded for Quality Records
for a time and was part of a trio called "Robert Bevan" (Robbie's birth name) which also included Jim Gilmour, that split after one album for Virgin Records
. In the 1990s, he went on to perform the club circuit in Toronto
and for American troops in Saudi Arabia
. Afterwards, he moved to Thailand
and ran a nightclub there. Robbie died in February 2006 in Phuket
, Thailand, following a short illness. Cherrill remarried and has revitalized her career as a fly-on act with Carnival Cruise Lines.
The Raes are still remembered fondly in the United States in the disco fan community, and "Que Sera Sera" and "A Little Lovin'" are still frequently played on oldies
radio in Canada.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
husband-and-wife singing duo of Robbie and Cherrill Rae, who had a handful of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-inflected pop hits in the late 1970s.
Career
Robbie Rae (born Robert Henry Bevan) grew up in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and began his recording career as a pre-teen, though his version of "The Lord's Prayer," sung in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, was banned by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, who considered it blasphemous
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
. Before long, he was touring Europe and had his own television variety show in Wales. Cherrill Yates was born in England but lived in the Canadian province of Ontario as a child and developed an appreciation for R&B, especially the Motown Sound, while living there; following this experience, she moved back to the United Kingdom to continue her musical studies and pursue a singing career. Robbie and Cherrill met in England when Cherrill was performing on Robbie's TV show, and were engaged soon afterward. Since their solo careers in the U.K. kept them apart for too long, Robbie and Cherrill moved to Canada, where they began to perform and record as a duo. The Raes scored their first hit in Canada with a disco-styled remake of Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
's "Que Sera Sera" in 1977 and followed it up with their debut album, Winning Combination, the following year. The duo were nominated for two Juno Awards and hosted their own network show called The Raes' Variety Hour on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
for three hit seasons, but turned down a five-year contract to continue for fear it might negatively impact their record sales.
In a 1979 interview, the Raes maintained that they did not think of themselves as a disco group necessarily, but a group that recorded pop songs with a disco feel. They also maintained that they had no interest in the synthesizer-based "Euro-disco" sound (a la Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
's "I Feel Love"): "We want to sound man-made," Cherrill said. "The disco sound should keep coming from people, not machines."
Their second album, Dancing Up A Storm, was released in 1979. Picked up for U.S. release by A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, it included their best-known song, "A Little Lovin' (Keeps The Doctor Away)," which became a top-five hit on the Billboard dance club chart. After the record was added by influential radio stations on the East Coast such as WKTU
WKTU
WKTU is a radio station based in New York City that plays an upbeat, gold-based CHR format. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New...
in New York and WRKO
WRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
in Boston, it entered the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and went on to peak at #61 (reportedly it would have charted higher but for a typographical error which showed the song dropping down the chart after a promising start, leading the label to pull all promotion on the record). Robbie and Cherrill toured the U.S. to promote their album and made appearances on American television shows such as Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
and American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
but were unable to find lasting success in the American market. The follow-up to "A Little Lovin'," "(I Only Wanna) Get Up And Dance," was another Canadian hit but petered out at #47 on the Dance chart in the U.S. Robbie and Cherrill released one more album in Canada, Two Hearts (not released in the U.S.), in 1980 before the marriage and the act split up.
Both Robbie and Cherrill continued to pursue separate careers after their split. Robbie recorded for Quality Records
Quality Records
Quality Records is a Canadian entertainment company which released music albums in Canada on behalf of American record labels, and also released recordings by Canadian artists...
for a time and was part of a trio called "Robert Bevan" (Robbie's birth name) which also included Jim Gilmour, that split after one album for Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
. In the 1990s, he went on to perform the club circuit in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and for American troops in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Afterwards, he moved to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and ran a nightclub there. Robbie died in February 2006 in Phuket
Phuket Province
Phuket , formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon , is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
, Thailand, following a short illness. Cherrill remarried and has revitalized her career as a fly-on act with Carnival Cruise Lines.
The Raes are still remembered fondly in the United States in the disco fan community, and "Que Sera Sera" and "A Little Lovin'" are still frequently played on oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
radio in Canada.
Albums
- The Raes (also known as Winning Combination) (1978)
- Dancing Up a Storm (1979)
- Two Hearts (1980)
Singles
- "Don't Shut Me Out" (1976)
- "Oh Me, Oh My" (1976)
- "Que Sera Sera" (1977) - Canada (CHUMCHUM (AM)CHUM, branded as TSN Radio 1050, broadcasting at 1050 kHz in the AM band, is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned and operated by Bell Media....
) #15 - "All Kinds of People" (1977)
- "Cara MiaCara Mia"Cara Mia" is a popular song published in 1954 and became a hit for English singer David Whitfield in 1954 and a #4 hit by the American pop group Jay and the Americans in 1965. The title means "my beloved" in Italian....
" (1977) - "A Little Lovin' (Keeps the Doctor Away)" (1978) - Canada (CHUM) #11, US Hot 100 #61, US Disco #5
- "(I Only Wanna) Get Up and Dance" (1979) - Canada (CHUM) #13, US Disco #47
- "Don't Turn Around" (1979)
- "Two Hearts" (1980)