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Robert Ray Whitley (November 22, 1943 – May 5, 2013) was an American beach music composer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for composing hit songs recorded by The Tams and Guy Darrell, and he also released 14 of his own singles between 1961 and 1970.

Biography

Whitely was born in Columbus, Georgia 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 soon discovered him in an Atlanta High School. Jarvis introduced Whitley to Atlanta 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)" (which reached #9 on the Billboard charts), "I've Been Hurt", "Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me", "You Lied to Your Daddy", and "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" (co-written with J.R. Cobb of the Atlanta Rhythm Section) for The Tams. His compositions were also recorded by Billy Joe Royal, Tommy Roe, Guy Darrell, The Swinging Medallions, Bill Deal and the Rhondels, Mylon LeFevre and Sonia Evans.

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. 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

References

1. ^ "Ray Whitley - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
2. ^ "Robert Ray Whitley, 69". Access North Georgia. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
3. ^ Zell Miller (1996). They Heard Georgia Singing. Mercer University Press. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-86554-504-5.
4. Jon Kutner (2010). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. part 411. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
5. ^ Rick Simmons (2013). Carolina Beach Music from the '60s to the '80s: The New Wave. The History Press. pp. 168–170. ISBN 978-1-60949-750-7.
6. Bob Leszczak (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-4422-3068-2.
7. "Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Inductees". Georgia Music Channel. Retrieved Oct 10, 2022.
8. Eggers, Marc (January 29, 2011). "Homeless man still has song in his heart". WDUN. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
9. ^ "Songs written by Ray Whitley". MusicVF.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.

Further reading

• Haynes, Greg (2006). The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music: Stories and Remembrances of a Southern Music Genre. Atlanta, Ga.: Rare Reads Publishing. ISBN 9780978604707.

• 1943 births
• 2013 deaths
• American male singers
• Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state)