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Jimmy Ray | |
|---|---|
 Jimmy Ray | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Ray |
| Born | (1970-10-03)3 October 1970 (age 54) London, England |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels |
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James "Jimmy" Ray (born 3 October 1970) is an English singer, songwriter and musician.
In press interviews and promotional materials, Ray cited his influence by the music ofElvis Presley and otherrock and roll stars such asBuddy Holly,Eddie Cochran andTommy Steele. His manager wasSimon Fuller, who also managed theSpice Girls and produced the hit showAmerican Idol. Ray's recording career began as one-half of techno-pop outfit AV (Alternative Vision). The duo was founded in 1994 byGraham Drinnan (a.k.a. 'Gypsy' or 'Gipsy') who previously as a solo artist had scored several critically acclaimed techno/house hits in the early 1990s, most notably "I Trance You", "Funk De Fino" and "Skinnybumblebee". AV signed to Sony S2 Records in 1994 but no recordings were ever released.
After splitting from Drinnan in 1996, Ray went on to score ahit single in both the United Kingdom and the United States with his debut single "Are You Jimmy Ray?" the following year. "Are You Jimmy Ray?" reached No. 13 on the U.S.BillboardHot 100chart and sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S. alone.
Ray released his self-titled album in the U.S. in March 1998, but the album was never issued in the UK. The song "Are You Jimmy Ray?" was successful in his native country reaching No. 13 on theUK Singles Chart in November 1997.[3]
Ray followed up in 1998 (primarily in the UK) with "Goin' to Vegas", including atelevised performance onLive and Kicking Friday. It failed to enter the UKtop 40, only peaking at No. 47.[3] Avideo for the single was made, but it (and the single) never aired in the U.S. In mid-1998, Ray went on the U.S.tour with theBackstreet Boys. In late 1998, a third promotional single and video clip, "I Got Rolled" was given minimalairplay.
In a November 2015 announcement on his official fan page, Ray stated that he was working on material for a comeback record. This was later confirmed in September 2016 on his record label's website: "La Rocka Records was created in 2016 as a launchpad for UK singer Jimmy Ray's 'comeback' album tentatively titledLive to Fight Another Day".[4] A later promotional video posted on the La Rocka Records website and YouTube channel confirmed the release date as 13 October 2017.[5]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [6] | ||
| Jimmy Ray | 1998 | 112 |
| Live to Fight Another Day | 2017 | — |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [7] | AUS [8] | US [9] | ||||
| "Are You Jimmy Ray?" | 1997 | 13 | 84 | 13 | Jimmy Ray | |
| "Goin' to Vegas" | 1998 | 49 | — | — | ||
| "I Got Rolled" | — | — | — | |||
| "Who Wants to Know?" | 2018 | — | — | — | Live to Fight Another Day | |
| "Dangerous Feeling" | — | — | — | |||
| "Per Aspera Ad Astra" | 2020 | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
