Collin Raye
Encyclopedia
Floyd Collin Wray is an American country music
singer, known professionally as Collin Raye. He made his debut on the American country music scene in 1991 with the release of his debut album All I Can Be
, which produced his first Number One hit in "Love, Me
". All I Can Be was the first of four consecutive albums released by Raye to achieve platinum certification
in the United States for sales of one million copies each.
He maintained several Top Ten hits throughout the rest of the decade and into 2000. 2001's Can't Back Down was his first album that did not produce a Top 40 country hit, and he was dropped by his record label soon afterward. He did not record another studio album until 2005's Twenty Years and Change, released on an independent label.
Between 1991 and 2007, Raye charted 30 singles on the U.S. country charts; he has also charted twice on the Adult Contemporary format as a duet partner on two Jim Brickman
songs. Four of Raye's singles have reached Number One on the Billboard country music charts: 1992's "Love, Me" and "In This Life", 1994's "My Kind of Girl", and 1998's "I Can Still Feel You". He has also recorded a total of eleven studio albums, counting a Christmas album and a compilation of lullabies, in addition to releasing a Greatest Hits compilation, a live album, and a live CD/DVD package. His most recent album, Never Going Back
, was released via Saguaro Road Records on April 28, 2009.
on August 22. His mother, Lois Wray, was a local musician; in the 1950s, she served as an opening act for several Sun Records
artists, including Jerry Lee Lewis
, Elvis Presley
, Johnny Cash
and Carl Perkins
. Later, she became a solo musician in her own right; she would occasionally bring both Floyd and his brother Scott onstage to sing harmony vocals. By the 1980s, the two brothers began a country-rock band called the Wray Brothers Band, in which Collin assumed the stage name Bubba Wray. The Wray Brothers Band performed primarily in the state of Texas, and later in Reno, Nevada
, eventually releasing singles on independent labels. By 1986, the band (which had shortened its name to The Wrays
) signed to Mercury Records
, releasing four singles. After the singles performed poorly on the charts, The Wrays disbanded.
in 1990. His debut single, "All I Can Be (Is a Sweet Memory)", entered the charts in 1991, reaching a peak of #29 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Raye's first album, also titled All I Can Be
, was released soon afterward.
The follow-up single, a ballad co-written by Skip Ewing
and titled "Love, Me
," reached Number One on the country music charts in early 1992, holding the peak position for three weeks. All I Can Be was then certified platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
. The album's final single was "Every Second
," which peaked at #2 on Billboard.
charts. In late 1992, Raye made an appearance on the Carl Weathers
television drama series "Street Justice
", where he gave a live performance of "In This Life". The first season episode, entitled "Country Justice", was directed by David Winning
. The album produced three additional Top Ten country hits, and was also certified platinum.
1993 saw the release of Raye's third album. Titled Extremes
, it received critical acclaim for its more socially aware content, most evidently in the second single, "Little Rock", a story of a recovering alcoholic. The song's accompanying music video also promoted Al-Anon, an international support group for friends and family of alcoholics. Overall, Extremes produced five straight Top Ten hits on the country charts, including the Number One single "My Kind of Girl" in 1994; it also became Raye's third consecutive platinum album.
was the title of Raye's fourth album. Released in 1995, it produced six singles overall and became Raye's fourth consecutive platinum-certified album. The album's title track was a Top Five hit on the country charts; in addition, its music video won a Video of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music
.
In 1996, Raye also released a Christmas album titled Christmas: The Gift
. He also appeared on Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
, a Beach Boys album featuring lead vocals by country musicians. A year later, his first Greatest Hits package was issued; titled The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits
, it comprised several of his hit singles from the past five years, as well as four new songs, of which three released as singles. "What the Heart Wants" and "Little Red Rodeo" both reached Top Five on the country music charts, while "The Gift", a collaboration with Jim Brickman
and Susan Ashton
, was a Top Five hit on the Adult Contemporary charts. Direct Hits received a gold certification from the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies in the United States.
was the title of Raye's fifth studio album. Released in 1998, it produced his fourth and final Billboard Number One single in "I Can Still Feel You". "Someone You Used to Know" and the Radney Foster
-penned "Anyone Else" were both Top Five hits as well. "Start Over Georgia", the fourth single (co-written by Raye's brother), peaked at #39. Also included on The Walls Came Down was a ballad entitled "The Eleventh Commandment", in which Raye addressed the issue of child abuse
. Although not released as a single, "The Eleventh Commandment" was made into a music video, which featured a number for a child abuse hotline at the end.
The same year, he appeared on compilation CD Tribute To Tradition (released on Columbia label) with cover versions of Cold Cold Heart (country classic recorded by Hank Williams in 1957) and Honky Tonk Heroes (Like Me) (a major hit for Waylon Jennings
in 1973, written by Billy Joe Shaver
). Raye duets with Joe Diffie
on the latter song.
Counting Sheep, a special album composed of lullabies for Raye's children, was released in 2000.
, Raye's sixth album. Its first release, the primarily spoken-word "Couldn't Last a Moment", was a Top Five hit on the country charts. "Tired of Loving This Way", which followed, was a duet with singer and actress Bobbie Eakes
. Although it was Raye's first single to miss the Top 40 entirely, it provided Eakes with her first and only appearance on the country music charts.
Can't Back Down
, Raye's last album for Epic, was released in 2001. Neither of the album's two singles entered Top 40 on the country music charts. Because of a conflict with his label, Raye asked out of his contract that year. Although he did not have a record label at the time, he entered the Adult Contemporary charts for the third time in 2003, as a duet partner on Jim Brickman's single "Peace (Where the Heart Is)". 2004 saw the release of Raye's first live album, Live at Billy Bob's Texas, and a promotional single titled "World History 101" was released in 2005.
album. Two singles were released from the album, although neither single charted. The same year, Raye appeared in television commercials for Fruit of the Loom
underwear, in which he sang the jingle "You Can't Over-Love Your Underwear" (with the "Apple" character lip-syncing the song in the commercial) and was a guest vocalist on the single "Merry Christmas Angel" by Brit
, a tribute song to the events of September 11. Another studio album, Fearless, was released in 2006 on Country Roads Records, although it did not produce any singles.
In 2007, a CD/DVD combination titled The Power in You was released, followed by an EP titled Selected Hits. The latter includes "That's My Story", "Little Rock", "I Think About You" and "Love, Me", as well as two new tracks: "A Soldier's Prayer" and "Quitters", the latter of which was co-written by Canadian country singer George Canyon
. Both of the new tracks were released as singles in 2007, and the former peaked at #59 on Hot Country Songs.
Raye's next album, Never Going Back
, was released on April 28, 2009 on the Saguaro Road label. Its first single is "Mid-Life Chrysler". It also includes the track "She's With Me," which is a tribute to Raye's granddaughter, Haley, who died from a severe but undiagnosed brain disorder.
ballads, such as "Love, Me" (a popular choice at funerals) and "In This Life" (one of the most popular wedding songs of the 1990s).
Raye is also known for dealing with social issues in his material. "Little Rock", for example, tells of a recovering alcoholic; its music video included the number for Al-Anon, as a means of public service announcement. "What If Jesus Comes Back Like That", from his I Think About You album, is a power ballad that poses questions about the return of Jesus Christ in the modern world. In "The Eleventh Commandment", a track from The Walls Came Down, Raye addresses child abuse, suggesting "honor thy children" as an eleventh commandment to accompany the Ten Commandments
. In the song's music video, a telephone number for the child abuse hotline ChildHelp USA was included.
Category:American country bass guitarists
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer, known professionally as Collin Raye. He made his debut on the American country music scene in 1991 with the release of his debut album All I Can Be
All I Can Be
All I Can Be is the debut album of American country music artist Collin Raye. It features the hit singles "All I Can Be ", "Love, Me" , and "Every Second". The final track, "If I Were You", is a different song than the song of the same name recorded on Raye's 1994 album Extremes...
, which produced his first Number One hit in "Love, Me
Love, Me
"Love, Me" is the title of a single released in 1991 by American country music artist Collin Raye. In January of 1992, the single became Raye's first Number One single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts; the same year, the song received a Song of the Year nomination from the...
". All I Can Be was the first of four consecutive albums released by Raye to achieve platinum certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the United States for sales of one million copies each.
He maintained several Top Ten hits throughout the rest of the decade and into 2000. 2001's Can't Back Down was his first album that did not produce a Top 40 country hit, and he was dropped by his record label soon afterward. He did not record another studio album until 2005's Twenty Years and Change, released on an independent label.
Between 1991 and 2007, Raye charted 30 singles on the U.S. country charts; he has also charted twice on the Adult Contemporary format as a duet partner on two Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists...
songs. Four of Raye's singles have reached Number One on the Billboard country music charts: 1992's "Love, Me" and "In This Life", 1994's "My Kind of Girl", and 1998's "I Can Still Feel You". He has also recorded a total of eleven studio albums, counting a Christmas album and a compilation of lullabies, in addition to releasing a Greatest Hits compilation, a live album, and a live CD/DVD package. His most recent album, Never Going Back
Never Going Back
Never Going Back is an album from Country singer Collin Raye. The album was released on April 28, 2009 through Time Life Entertainment.-Track listing:# "Get Up in Jesus' Name" - 3:41# "The Only Jesus" - 3:20...
, was released via Saguaro Road Records on April 28, 2009.
Early years
Floyd Collin Wray was born in De Queen, ArkansasDe Queen, Arkansas
De Queen is a city and the county seat of Sevier County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 5,765 at the 2000 census.-Geography:De Queen is located at ....
on August 22. His mother, Lois Wray, was a local musician; in the 1950s, she served as an opening act for several Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
artists, including Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
. Later, she became a solo musician in her own right; she would occasionally bring both Floyd and his brother Scott onstage to sing harmony vocals. By the 1980s, the two brothers began a country-rock band called the Wray Brothers Band, in which Collin assumed the stage name Bubba Wray. The Wray Brothers Band performed primarily in the state of Texas, and later in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, eventually releasing singles on independent labels. By 1986, the band (which had shortened its name to The Wrays
The Wrays
The Wrays, also known as The Wray Brothers Band, were an American country music group from Oregon composed of Bubba Wray, Jim Covert, Lynn Phillips and Joe Dale Cleghorn. Following two independent singles, The Wrays released a pair of singles on Mercury Records in the 1980s...
) signed to Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, releasing four singles. After the singles performed poorly on the charts, The Wrays disbanded.
Beginnings
By the end of the 1980s, Collin had considered leaving his music career and finding work at a factory to support his family; however, he changed his mind and continued pursuing a musical career. After altering the spelling of his last name to Raye, Collin was signed to a record deal with Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in 1990. His debut single, "All I Can Be (Is a Sweet Memory)", entered the charts in 1991, reaching a peak of #29 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Raye's first album, also titled All I Can Be
All I Can Be
All I Can Be is the debut album of American country music artist Collin Raye. It features the hit singles "All I Can Be ", "Love, Me" , and "Every Second". The final track, "If I Were You", is a different song than the song of the same name recorded on Raye's 1994 album Extremes...
, was released soon afterward.
The follow-up single, a ballad co-written by Skip Ewing
Skip Ewing
Donald Ralph "Skip" Ewing is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1988, Ewing has recorded nine studio albums, and has charted fifteen singles on the Billboard country charts.-Career:...
and titled "Love, Me
Love, Me
"Love, Me" is the title of a single released in 1991 by American country music artist Collin Raye. In January of 1992, the single became Raye's first Number One single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts; the same year, the song received a Song of the Year nomination from the...
," reached Number One on the country music charts in early 1992, holding the peak position for three weeks. All I Can Be was then certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. The album's final single was "Every Second
Every Second
"Every Second" is a single by American country music artist Collin Raye. It was the third single released from his debut album, All I Can Be.-Chart performance:...
," which peaked at #2 on Billboard.
In This Life and Extremes
Raye's second album, titled In This Life, was released in 1992. The album's title track, which served as its lead-off single, not only went to the top of the Billboard country charts, but also became a hit on the Hot Adult Contemporary TracksHot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts. In late 1992, Raye made an appearance on the Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...
television drama series "Street Justice
Street Justice
Street Justice is an American action crime drama series starring Carl Weathers and Bryan Genesse. The series began airing in syndication in 1991, and was canceled in 1993 after two seasons.-Synopsis:...
", where he gave a live performance of "In This Life". The first season episode, entitled "Country Justice", was directed by David Winning
David Winning
David Winning is a Canadian and American dual Citizen film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, thrillers and drama.-Biography:Winning...
. The album produced three additional Top Ten country hits, and was also certified platinum.
1993 saw the release of Raye's third album. Titled Extremes
Extremes (album)
Extremes is the third studio album released by American country music artist Collin Raye. As with Raye's first two albums, Extremes received platinum certification in the United States for sales of over one million copies. The singles released from this album were "That's My Story", "Man of My...
, it received critical acclaim for its more socially aware content, most evidently in the second single, "Little Rock", a story of a recovering alcoholic. The song's accompanying music video also promoted Al-Anon, an international support group for friends and family of alcoholics. Overall, Extremes produced five straight Top Ten hits on the country charts, including the Number One single "My Kind of Girl" in 1994; it also became Raye's third consecutive platinum album.
I Think About You and The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits
I Think About YouI Think About You
I Think About You is the fourth studio album released by American country music artist Collin Raye. Released in 1995 on Epic Records, I Think About You was also Raye's fourth consecutive album to receive a platinum certification by the RIAA...
was the title of Raye's fourth album. Released in 1995, it produced six singles overall and became Raye's fourth consecutive platinum-certified album. The album's title track was a Top Five hit on the country charts; in addition, its music video won a Video of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
.
In 1996, Raye also released a Christmas album titled Christmas: The Gift
Christmas: The Gift
Christmas: The Gift is an album released in 1996 by country music artist Collin Raye. It was Raye's first Christmas album. It is composed largely of cover songs, except for "It Could Happen Again", which was newly written and recorded for this album....
. He also appeared on Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 is an album by The Beach Boys. Released in 1996, it is, despite its 'Volume 1' sub-title, their only venture into the genre of country pop music....
, a Beach Boys album featuring lead vocals by country musicians. A year later, his first Greatest Hits package was issued; titled The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits
The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits
The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits is the title of country singer Collin Raye's first greatest hits album. Released by Epic Records, the album contains the greatest hits from his first studio albums plus several new tracks....
, it comprised several of his hit singles from the past five years, as well as four new songs, of which three released as singles. "What the Heart Wants" and "Little Red Rodeo" both reached Top Five on the country music charts, while "The Gift", a collaboration with Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists...
and Susan Ashton
Susan Ashton
Susan Ashton is a best-selling and award-winning American Contemporary Christian Music and country music artist who topped the Christian charts throughout the 1990s...
, was a Top Five hit on the Adult Contemporary charts. Direct Hits received a gold certification from the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies in the United States.
The Walls Came Down
The Walls Came DownThe Walls Came Down
The Walls Came Down is the fifth studio album released by country music artist Collin Raye. The album's lead-off single, "I Can Still Feel You", was Raye's fourth and final Number One on the Billboard country charts...
was the title of Raye's fifth studio album. Released in 1998, it produced his fourth and final Billboard Number One single in "I Can Still Feel You". "Someone You Used to Know" and the Radney Foster
Radney Foster
Radney Foster is an American Texas Country artist. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his debut in 1986 alongside Bill Lloyd in the duo Foster & Lloyd...
-penned "Anyone Else" were both Top Five hits as well. "Start Over Georgia", the fourth single (co-written by Raye's brother), peaked at #39. Also included on The Walls Came Down was a ballad entitled "The Eleventh Commandment", in which Raye addressed the issue of child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
. Although not released as a single, "The Eleventh Commandment" was made into a music video, which featured a number for a child abuse hotline at the end.
The same year, he appeared on compilation CD Tribute To Tradition (released on Columbia label) with cover versions of Cold Cold Heart (country classic recorded by Hank Williams in 1957) and Honky Tonk Heroes (Like Me) (a major hit for Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
in 1973, written by Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver is a Texas country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.-Biography:...
). Raye duets with Joe Diffie
Joe Diffie
Joe Logan Diffie is an American country music singer known for his ballads and novelty songs. Between 1990 and 2004, Diffie charted 35 cuts on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including five number one singles: his debut release "Home", "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun",...
on the latter song.
Counting Sheep, a special album composed of lullabies for Raye's children, was released in 2000.
2000s
2001 saw the release of TracksTracks (Collin Raye album)
Tracks is the sixth studio album released by country music artist Collin Raye. It contains the singles "Couldn't Last a Moment", "Tired of Loving This Way", and "You Still Take Me There". "Couldn't Last a Moment" was Raye's final Top 40 hit on the Billboard country charts at #3, while the other two...
, Raye's sixth album. Its first release, the primarily spoken-word "Couldn't Last a Moment", was a Top Five hit on the country charts. "Tired of Loving This Way", which followed, was a duet with singer and actress Bobbie Eakes
Bobbie Eakes
Bobbie Eakes is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Macy Alexander Forrester Chambers Sharpe on The Bold and the Beautiful and for her role as Krystal Carey Chandler Martin Hayward on All My Children .- Personal life :She is the youngest...
. Although it was Raye's first single to miss the Top 40 entirely, it provided Eakes with her first and only appearance on the country music charts.
Can't Back Down
Can't Back Down
Can't Back Down is the seventh studio album released by country music artist Collin Raye. It was also his last album for Epic Records, and the first album of his career not to produce any Top 40 country hits. "Ain't Nobody Gonna Take That from Me", the first single, reached #43 on the Hot Country...
, Raye's last album for Epic, was released in 2001. Neither of the album's two singles entered Top 40 on the country music charts. Because of a conflict with his label, Raye asked out of his contract that year. Although he did not have a record label at the time, he entered the Adult Contemporary charts for the third time in 2003, as a duet partner on Jim Brickman's single "Peace (Where the Heart Is)". 2004 saw the release of Raye's first live album, Live at Billy Bob's Texas, and a promotional single titled "World History 101" was released in 2005.
2005-present
In 2005, Raye signed to the independent Aspirion label, releasing his Twenty Years and ChangeTwenty Years and Change
-Personnel:As listed in liner notes.*Eddie Bayers – drums, percussion*Larry Beaird – acoustic guitar*Mike Chapman – bass guitar*J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar*Glen Duncan – fiddle, mandolin*Paul Franklin – steel guitar*Johnny Garcia – electric guitar...
album. Two singles were released from the album, although neither single charted. The same year, Raye appeared in television commercials for Fruit of the Loom
Fruit of the Loom
Fruit of the Loom is an American company which manufactures clothing, particularly underwear. The company's world headquarters is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is currently a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.-Company profile:...
underwear, in which he sang the jingle "You Can't Over-Love Your Underwear" (with the "Apple" character lip-syncing the song in the commercial) and was a guest vocalist on the single "Merry Christmas Angel" by Brit
Brit
Brit may refer to:*A short for Britney Spears, an American pop singer*British people*The Brit Awards*BRIT School, A free performing arts school*Bedford Road Invitational Tournament, a basketball tournament held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada...
, a tribute song to the events of September 11. Another studio album, Fearless, was released in 2006 on Country Roads Records, although it did not produce any singles.
In 2007, a CD/DVD combination titled The Power in You was released, followed by an EP titled Selected Hits. The latter includes "That's My Story", "Little Rock", "I Think About You" and "Love, Me", as well as two new tracks: "A Soldier's Prayer" and "Quitters", the latter of which was co-written by Canadian country singer George Canyon
George Canyon
George Canyon is a Canadian country music singer. He was runner up Nashville Star 2 in 2004. He grew up in Fox Brook, Pictou County, Nova Scotia and later lived in Hopewell, Nova Scotia before he moved west. He currently lives in High River, Alberta...
. Both of the new tracks were released as singles in 2007, and the former peaked at #59 on Hot Country Songs.
Raye's next album, Never Going Back
Never Going Back
Never Going Back is an album from Country singer Collin Raye. The album was released on April 28, 2009 through Time Life Entertainment.-Track listing:# "Get Up in Jesus' Name" - 3:41# "The Only Jesus" - 3:20...
, was released on April 28, 2009 on the Saguaro Road label. Its first single is "Mid-Life Chrysler". It also includes the track "She's With Me," which is a tribute to Raye's granddaughter, Haley, who died from a severe but undiagnosed brain disorder.
Musical stylings
Raye is known primarily for his country popCountry pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
ballads, such as "Love, Me" (a popular choice at funerals) and "In This Life" (one of the most popular wedding songs of the 1990s).
Raye is also known for dealing with social issues in his material. "Little Rock", for example, tells of a recovering alcoholic; its music video included the number for Al-Anon, as a means of public service announcement. "What If Jesus Comes Back Like That", from his I Think About You album, is a power ballad that poses questions about the return of Jesus Christ in the modern world. In "The Eleventh Commandment", a track from The Walls Came Down, Raye addresses child abuse, suggesting "honor thy children" as an eleventh commandment to accompany the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
. In the song's music video, a telephone number for the child abuse hotline ChildHelp USA was included.
Social activism
Raye became the national spokesperson for the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network in September 2011.Studio albums
- All I Can BeAll I Can BeAll I Can Be is the debut album of American country music artist Collin Raye. It features the hit singles "All I Can Be ", "Love, Me" , and "Every Second". The final track, "If I Were You", is a different song than the song of the same name recorded on Raye's 1994 album Extremes...
(1991) - In This Life (1992)
- ExtremesExtremes (album)Extremes is the third studio album released by American country music artist Collin Raye. As with Raye's first two albums, Extremes received platinum certification in the United States for sales of over one million copies. The singles released from this album were "That's My Story", "Man of My...
(1993) - I Think About YouI Think About YouI Think About You is the fourth studio album released by American country music artist Collin Raye. Released in 1995 on Epic Records, I Think About You was also Raye's fourth consecutive album to receive a platinum certification by the RIAA...
(1995) - Christmas: The GiftChristmas: The GiftChristmas: The Gift is an album released in 1996 by country music artist Collin Raye. It was Raye's first Christmas album. It is composed largely of cover songs, except for "It Could Happen Again", which was newly written and recorded for this album....
(1995) - The Walls Came DownThe Walls Came DownThe Walls Came Down is the fifth studio album released by country music artist Collin Raye. The album's lead-off single, "I Can Still Feel You", was Raye's fourth and final Number One on the Billboard country charts...
(1998) - Counting Sheep (2000)
- TracksTracks (Collin Raye album)Tracks is the sixth studio album released by country music artist Collin Raye. It contains the singles "Couldn't Last a Moment", "Tired of Loving This Way", and "You Still Take Me There". "Couldn't Last a Moment" was Raye's final Top 40 hit on the Billboard country charts at #3, while the other two...
(2000) - Can't Back DownCan't Back DownCan't Back Down is the seventh studio album released by country music artist Collin Raye. It was also his last album for Epic Records, and the first album of his career not to produce any Top 40 country hits. "Ain't Nobody Gonna Take That from Me", the first single, reached #43 on the Hot Country...
(2001) - Twenty Years and ChangeTwenty Years and Change-Personnel:As listed in liner notes.*Eddie Bayers – drums, percussion*Larry Beaird – acoustic guitar*Mike Chapman – bass guitar*J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar*Glen Duncan – fiddle, mandolin*Paul Franklin – steel guitar*Johnny Garcia – electric guitar...
(2005) - Fearless (2006)
- Never Going BackNever Going BackNever Going Back is an album from Country singer Collin Raye. The album was released on April 28, 2009 through Time Life Entertainment.-Track listing:# "Get Up in Jesus' Name" - 3:41# "The Only Jesus" - 3:20...
(2009)
Billboard number-one hits
- "Love, MeLove, Me"Love, Me" is the title of a single released in 1991 by American country music artist Collin Raye. In January of 1992, the single became Raye's first Number One single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts; the same year, the song received a Song of the Year nomination from the...
" (3 weeks, 1992) - "In This LifeIn This Life (Collin Raye song)"In This Life" is the title of a song written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin, and recorded by American country music singer Collin Raye that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
" (2 weeks, 1992) - "My Kind of GirlMy Kind of Girl"My Kind Of Girl" is a single by American country music singer Collin Raye that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was the fourth single released from his CD, Extremes.-Chart performance:...
" (1 week, 1995) - "I Can Still Feel YouI Can Still Feel You"I Can Still Feel You" is the title of a song written by Kim Tribble and Tammy Hyler, and recorded by American country music singer Collin Raye that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was the first single released from his CD, The Walls Came Down.-Song structure:"I Can...
" (2 weeks, 1998)
External links
Category:American country bass guitarists