Robert Ray Whitley (November 22, 1943 – May 5, 2013) was an American

beach music Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, Beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...

composer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for composing hit songs recorded by

The Tams ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and

Guy Darrell John Swail (9 December 1944 – 3 May 2013), better known under his stage name Guy Darrell, was a British singer and musician active in the 1960s and 1970s. His biggest hit, "I've Been Hurt" reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1973. Biog ...

, and he also released 14 of his own singles between 1961 and 1970.

Biography

Whitely was born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

on November 22, 1943 to Robert S. and Willie Bell Whitley. Whitley was 14 when he formed his first band in his hometown. Producer

Felton Jarvis Charles Felton Jarvis (November 15, 1934 – January 3, 1981) was an American record producer and singer. Career As an RCA Victor record producer, Jarvis was responsible for most recordings of Elvis Presley in the years 1966–1977. He also rele ...

soon discovered him in an Atlanta High School. Jarvis introduced Whitley to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

music producer Bill Lowery, who saw Whitley's potential and signed him to a contract. Whitley's songwriting credits include "

What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am) "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" is a 1964 single written by Ray Whitley and recorded by the Tams. Background This track was one of the many hit records recorded at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Musicians on this ...

" (which reached #9 on the Billboard charts), " I've Been Hurt", "

Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" is a popular single by American vocal group The Tams. Written by Ray Whitley, it was originally released in 1964 and reached number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 10 on the R&B chart. It later became a f ...

", "You Lied to Your Daddy", and "

Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" is a soul song. It was first recorded in 1967 by the Sensational Epics and was originally released on Warner Bros. Records. The song has also been recorded by the Tams, Sonia, and others. The Tams version The Tams ...

" (co-written with J.R. Cobb of the Atlanta Rhythm Section) for

. His compositions were also recorded by Billy Joe Royal,

Tommy Roe Thomas David "Tommy" Roe (born May 9, 1942) is a retired American rock and pop singer-songwriter. Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" (1962) and " Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late ...

The Swinging Medallions The Swingin' Medallions are an American beach music group from Greenwood, South Carolina, United States. History The band was formed as The Medallions in 1962 adding the "Swingin'" in 1965; possibly as a tribute to the Swingin' Travelers, an R&B ...

, Bill Deal and the Rhondels,

Mylon LeFevre Mylon R. LeFevre (born October 6, 1944) is an American Christian rock singer best known for his work with his band Mylon and Broken Heart. He is a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He travels around the United States, ministering, teachi ...

and

Sonia Evans Sonia Evans (born 13 February 1971), known mononymously as Sonia, is an English pop singer from Skelmersdale, near Liverpool. She had a 1989 UK number one hit " You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" and became the first female UK artist to achieve ...

. Whitley toured nationally as a singer and performer, in addition to his work as a songwriter. He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1991. Later in his life, Whitley struggled with alcoholism and homelessness; as of 2011, he was living in a shelter in

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...

. Whitley died on May 5, 2013, after several months of illness. Ray had one child, Christopher.

Discography as a recording artist

*1961 - I Wasn't Sure / There Goes A Teardrop - Vee Jay USA VJ 414 *1962 - Yessiree-Yessiree / A Love We Can Have And Hold - Vee Jay USA VJ 433 *1962 - It Hurts / Deeper In Love - Vee Jay USA VJ 448 *1963 - Teenage Crush / Young Heartaches - Vee Jay USA VJ 521 *1964 - Walking Back To You / Weep Little Girl Weep - Vee Jay USA VJ 591 *1965 - I've Been Hurt / There Is One Boy - Dunhill USA D-201 *1965 - Runaway / I'll Tell The Robin - Apt USA 45-25086 *1966 - The End Of My World / Just A Boy In Love - Columbia USA 4-43607 *1967 - Take Back Your Mind / Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - Columbia USA 4-43980 *1968 - 1983 / Gotta Go There - TRX USA 45-T-5007 *1969 - Don't Throw Your Love To The Wind / Underdose Of Faith - 123 USA 1707 *1970 - Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me / Everybody - Attarack USA ATT 103

Selected songs written by Ray Whitley

Biography

Discography as a recording artist

Selected songs written by Ray Whitley

References

Further reading