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Ray Pillow

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ray Pillow
Birth nameHerbert Raymond Pillow
Born(1937-07-04)July 4, 1937[1][2]
Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMarch 26, 2023(2023-03-26) (aged 85)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger
InstrumentVocals
Years active1963–2018
LabelsCapitol, ABC, Plantation, Mega, Dot, MCA, First Generation[3]

Herbert Raymond Pillow (July 4, 1937 – March 26, 2023) was an American country music singer, music publisher, and artists and repertoire (A&R) representative. In his career, he had 18 singles on the Billboard country songs chart, with his highest-peaking song being the number 9 single "I'll Take the Dog", a duet with Jean Shepard.[1] After charting for the last time in 1981, Pillow founded Sycamore Records with Larry McFadden,[1] and later worked in the A&R department of Capitol Records.

Pillow continued to perform as a member of the Grand Ole Opry and on popular classic country television programs such as Country's Family Reunion, which airs regularly in the United States on RFD-TV network.

Through his record label, Pillow released two albums, Ray Pillow Live and Country Class, the latter of which contained new material. Pillow retired in 2018.

Pillow was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1966.[4][5]

Pillow died in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 26, 2023, at the age of 85.[6]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Single Chart Positions
US Country
1965 Presenting Ray Pillow
1966 I'll Take the Dog (with Jean Shepard) 11
1967 Even When It's Bad, It's Good
1969 Ray Pillow Sings
People Music
1972 Slippin' Around with Ray Pillow
1975 Countryfied 46
1984 One Too Many Memories
1998 Stars Of The Grand Ole Opry
2014 Country Class
2017 Ray Pillow Live

Singles

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Year Single Chart Positions
US Country[3] CAN Country
1965 "Take Your Hands Off My Heart" 49
"Thank You Ma'am" 17
1966 "Common Colds and Broken Hearts" 32
"I'll Take the Dog" (with Jean Shepard) 9
"Volkswagen" 25
"Mr. Do It Yourself" (with Jean Shepard) 25
1967 "I Just Want to Be Alone" 56
"Gone with the Wine" 62
1968 "Wonderful Day" 51
1969 "Reconsider Me" 38
1972 "Since Then" 62
"She's Doing It to Me Again" 66
1974 "Countryfied" 80 85
"Livin' in the Sunshine of Your Love" 77
1975 "Roll On, Truckers" 100
1978 "Who's Gonna Tie My Shoes" 97
1979 "Super Lady" 82
1981 "One Too Many Memories" 82

References

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  1. ^ a b c Sandra Brennan. "Ray Pillow biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
  2. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1960. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  3. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  4. ^ "Ray Pillow". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  5. ^ "Opry Member List PDF" (PDF). April 23, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  6. ^ "Ray Pillow Obituary". legacy.com. March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
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