Introduction? The Cream!
Introduction? One can be a fan or Ray Price and not own a lot of his tracks. These are the songs that most of us are most likely to remember. Ray Price was the closest anyone came to being a "C&W crooner." Beginning in the Western swing tradition of Bob Wells, he became popular by doing what so many vocal artists forget to do: He stuck to the melody; he did so with passion and expression; respected the song and let it speak for itself. Chances are, after hearing him on the radio, you might find yourself humming the song for the rest of the day. In the earlier recordings in this set, you may be able hear Willie Nelson singing harmony. If so, that might be a case of hearing something that isn't really there, but it could have been, and sounds like it to me, since there was a time when Willie was front man for Ray Price. This album is a good representation of the gentle side of Country going back to the fifties and beyond, the yin to Hank Williams's yang.
