Dobie Gray

Dobie Gray Artistfacts

  • July 26, 1940 - December 6, 2011
  • The genre-spanning singer known for hits like "The 'In' Crowd" and "Drift Away" was born in Texas to sharecroppers. His birth name has been cited as both Lawrence Darrow Brown and Leonard Victor Ainsworth.
  • With the help of Sonny Bono, he signed to Stripe Records, an independent label that suggested he change his name to Dobie Gray to capitalize on the success of the '60s sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
  • He was also an actor who enjoyed a two-and-a-half year run in the Los Angeles production of the popular musical Hair.
  • His sound shifted to country in the mid-'70s with albums like Loving Arms and Hey, Dixie, but according to Gray, his label MCA "didn't know where to place a black guy in country music." In the following decade, he signed with Capitol Records as a country artist and had a minor hit on the country chart at #35 with "That's One To Grow On."
  • After he relocated to Nashville, Gray wrote songs for a slew of artists, including George Jones, Charley Pride, John Denver, Don Williams, and Ray Charles.
  • He died of complications from a cancer surgery in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 71.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)Songwriter Interviews

The Brazilian rocker sees pictures in his riffs. When he came up with one of his gnarliest songs, there was a riot going on.