#42 'Cry' by Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads (1951)

SONG

"I really like this song :) The melody is fab! I'm sure the lyrics will resonate with a lot of people too. Yes, this is goodun! I'm hoping that the '50s will bring me many gems like this one that I may never otherwise have heard." - LC

Written by: Churchill Kohlman.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: Okeh.

FACTS

• It was the drama and personality that Ray added to his performances that made him stand out as an original performer. He often broke down in tears when performing this song at his concerts. 
• He became deaf in his right ear at age 13 after an accident during a Boy Scout"blanket toss," a variation of the trampoline. Due to this, Ray performed wearing a hearing aid. 
• In 1958, at the age of 31, he had surgery which left him almost completely deaf in both ears, although hearing aids helped his condition. 
• Ray was arrested twice for soliciting men for sex. After the first arrest in 1951, Ray quietly plead guilty and paid a fine. Despite this, Marilyn Morrison (the daughter of a night club owner) married him the following year, claiming (of his sexuality) that she would "straighten it out." The second arrest was in 1959 was for allegedly soliciting an undercover officer, however Ray was found 'not guilty'. 
• Morrison and Ray's marriage didn't last (shocker!); they separated in 1953 and divorced in 1954. 
• Since 1960, Ray began suffering as a result of his alcoholism. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis in 1977 and eventually died of liver failure in 1990.