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Topic: Dobie Gray R I P |
Larry King
From:
Watts, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 7 Dec 2011 5:20 am |
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| I just read the news that Dobie has left us . Has it occured to anyone that a lot of folks have passed in recent days ? Anyway , sad news . |
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John Roche
From:
England
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Posted 7 Dec 2011 7:00 am
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| Sad news, I always have loved his voice and songs..R.I.P |
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Ransom Beers
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 7 Dec 2011 12:29 pm
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Thats really sad news, I got to work with Dobie back in the mid 80's out here in NZ - he was a wonderful, humble bloke and a true gentleman !
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Chris Boyd
From:
Leonia,N.J./Charlestown,R.I.
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Nick Reed
From:
Russellville, KY USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2011 1:58 pm
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Dobie Gray, who recorded one of the most excruciating pop hits of all time and then redeemed himself by recording one of the best, died Tuesday. He was about 71. Gray was born in Texas, the son of sharecroppers, and details of his early life, including his precise birthdate are vague. Gray moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and after several years on the fringe of the music business he scored a top-20 hit in 1965 with “The In Crowd.”
While it had a catchy beat, and later became an instrumental hit for Ramsey Lewis, its lyrics seemed to celebrate the kind of high school elitism that much of rock ’n’ roll had always rebelled against.
“We make every minute count,” went one stanza. “Our share is always the biggest amount.”
Ironically, Gray struggled after “The In Crowd” because in real life he was in the out crowd. While his style included soul, pop and gospel, much of his music had a country sound and country music had few black performers. He had some success as a country songwriter, having his songs recorded by artists like Charley Pride and Tammy Wynette. Then in 1973 he scored his biggest hit by teaming up with guitarist Reggie Young for “Drift Away,” which still had some country flavor but also celebrated rock ’n’ roll and eventually rose to No. 5 on the pop charts.
Driven by an irresistible hook in its chorus, “Drift Away” became a standard around multiple radio formats and reached the charts again 30 years later when Uncle Kracker recorded a version with a very similar arrangement and sound. Part of the similarity came from Gray singing along with Uncle Kracker on the lead vocals. The song reached the top 10 on the pop charts and No. 1 on the adult contemporary charts. Dobie Gray died at age 71. |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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Posted 9 Dec 2011 2:21 pm
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| I worked with Dobie back in 1970 in a rock band called "Indian Head." This was after "In Crowd" and before "Drift Away." Teddy Neeley was the drummer, in fact. Dobie was a neat man, I liked him a lot. |
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