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Don Raye
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Don Raye
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Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985)[1] was an American songwriter, best known for his songs for The Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", "The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Thrill" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The latter was co-written with Hughie Prince.

While known for such wordy novelty numbers, he also wrote the lyrics to "You Don't Know What Love Is," a simple, poetic lament of unusual power. He also composed the song "(That Place) Down the Road a Piece," one of his boogie woogie songs,[1] which has a medium bright boogie tempo. It was written for the Will Bradley Orchestra, who recorded it in 1940, but the song was destined to become a rock and roll standard, recorded by The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Foghat, Amos Milburn, Harry Gibson, and countless others.[1] In 1940, he wrote the lyrics for the patriotic song "This Is My Country".[1]

In 1985, Don Raye was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[2]

History

[edit]

Raye started his career as a dancer, going on to win the "Virginia State Dancing Championship."[1] He started work in vaudeville as a song and dance man often writing his own songs for his act.[1] In 1935, he started work as a songwriter, collaborating with composers Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin, and bandleader-saxophonist Jimmie Lunceford.[1]

His great success with "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (co-written with Bradley's drummer Ray McKinley) led Raye to write follow-up songs, in collaboration with Hughie Prince: "Scrub Me Mama, with a Boogie Beat" and "Bounce Me Brother, with a Solid Four." Raye and Prince were signed by Universal Pictures to score musical comedies with The Andrews Sisters, The Ritz Brothers, and Abbott and Costello; the Andrews trio recorded some of the Raye-Prince compositions for Decca Records.[1] Raye and Prince also penned a risqué, best-selling novelty hit, "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor."

Raye joined the United States Army in 1941, and served in World War II.[1] Upon his return he resumed songwriting in Hollywood and worked alongside Gene de Paul at Universal Studios, penning the Dinah Shore hit "Daddy-O, I'm Gonna Teach You Some Blues." Their biggest hit was "I'll Remember April." He and de Paul wrote three original songs for Walt Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad as well as A Song is Born.[1] Raye and de Paul also wrote "Beware the Jabberwock," a song for Disney's Alice in Wonderland, which was not included in the final version of the film. A demo was recorded, and is included on the 2004 and 2010 DVD releases of the Disney movie.

Raye co-wrote "The Ballad of Thunder Road" with its script writer and star, Robert Mitchum. The Robert Mitchum version of the song did not appear in the 1958 movie Thunder Road, but was released by Capitol Records.

He co-wrote "The House of Blue Lights" in 1946 with Freddie Slack, a song which was recorded originally by Freddie Slack with Ella Mae Morse on vocals, by The Andrews Sisters, Merrill Moore (1952), Chuck Miller (1955), Chuck Berry, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Asleep at the Wheel, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Publications

[edit]

In 1971, the Charles E. Tuttle Company published Raye's Like Haiku, a collection of poems. He called them "not haiku in the true sense. They are 'like' haiku. An Occidental songwriter's haiku. I have merely used that stringent form to frame my own pictures of wonder, my moments of awareness of those things which have made me feel."[citation needed]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Don Raye

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Don Raye (March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was an American vaudevillian, lyricist, and songwriter, best known for his contributions to swing and jazz standards in the 1930s and 1940s, including hits like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and collaborations with composers such as Gene de Paul and Hughie Prince. Born Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr., in Washington, D.C., he began his career as a performer and dancer, achieving early success by winning the Virginia state championships in the Charleston and Black Bottom categories as a teenager. After graduating from , Raye adopted his stage name and pursued , touring the and before organizing a in New York in 1935. In 1940, he relocated to Hollywood under a contract with a , where he wrote for the patriotic tune "This Is My Country" and began producing chart-topping songs for big bands and artists like . His partnership with Hughie Prince yielded the 1941 Oscar-nominated "," a morale-boosting hit popularized during . Raye's most enduring collaboration was with , resulting in jazz standards such as "Cow Cow Boogie (Caw Caw Caw)," "I'll Remember April," and "You Don't Know What Love Is," as well as contributions to film soundtracks. For Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951), he provided lyrics for songs including "'Twas Brillig," performed by the . During , Raye served in the U.S. Army starting in 1941, continuing his songwriting post-war until the 1950s. He was a member of ASCAP and, in 1985, the year of his death in Encino, , was inducted into the .

Early Life

Birth and Family

Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., who later adopted the professional name Don Raye, was born on March 16, 1909, in Raye's family background was steeped in musical sentimentality, with his father, Donald MacRae Wilhoite Sr., serving as a notable for the popular "Mother," a classic example of early 20th-century sentimental ballads. The household in , provided Raye with early exposure to music through his father's compositional work, creating an environment that nurtured his innate artistic inclinations from a young age.

Education and Initial Interests

Raye's early interests in were shaped by his family's musical heritage, as his father composed the sentimental song "" Growing up in , he began pursuing in his youth, demonstrating talent by winning the Virginia State Dancing Championship in the Charleston and Black Bottom categories as a teenager. This accomplishment highlighted his burgeoning passion for performance. Raye relocated to to attend , from which he graduated in his mid-twenties. During his and early adulthood, these experiences fostered a deep interest in music and entertainment, blending his dance skills with an appreciation for the stage's rhythmic and lyrical elements.

Professional Career

Vaudeville and Dance Beginnings

Following his graduation from , Don Raye launched his professional career in during the late 1920s, initially performing as a dancer and comedian on circuits across the . His act emphasized energetic dance numbers, drawing on foundational skills honed earlier through teenage victories in the State Dancing Championship for the Charleston and Black Bottom styles. These routines, adapted for the stage with rapid footwork and rhythmic flair characteristic of the era's jazz-influenced performances, positioned Raye as a "song and dance man" who captivated audiences in theaters from the East Coast westward. By the early 1930s, Raye expanded his reach through extensive travel, joining a dance troupe for international tours that included Europe, where he continued to showcase adapted Charleston and Black Bottom sequences alongside light comedic interludes. This period involved rigorous ensemble work, with Raye collaborating in group acts that required synchronized movements and on-the-fly adjustments to varying venue demands, all while navigating the grueling schedules of vaudeville circuits. The era's economic pressures and the rise of motion pictures posed significant challenges, as vaudeville's popularity waned, leading to inconsistent bookings and the physical toll of constant travel by train and ship. Raye's early forays into , often woven into his routines through humorous and exaggerated gestures, subtly revealed his emerging lyrical sensibilities, foreshadowing a pivot away from pure performance. Despite modest earnings typical of mid-tier vaudevillians—often supplemented by appearances—these years immersed him in the industry's collaborative dynamics and honed his stage presence amid the form's decline.

Transition to Songwriting

In 1935, at the age of 26, Don Raye shifted his career focus from performing as a dancer and artist to full-time songwriting, recognizing his stronger aptitude for crafting lyrics over stage performance. This transition was facilitated by his prior experience, which provided insight into audience preferences for rhythmic and engaging material. Settling in New York, Raye joined a music publishing house, where he began producing original compositions tailored to the burgeoning swing and scenes. Raye's initial efforts yielded modest successes within the competitive New York music publishing environment, including his first notable releases. Among these early works were "I'm Just an Ordinary Human" in 1935 and "Please Believe Me" in 1936, both co-written with Larry Yoell, which gained traction through local performances and limited recordings. In 1936, he achieved a with "Swing Me a ," recorded by Connie Boswell with Bob Crosby's orchestra, marking one of his first commercial hits and highlighting his emerging presence in the market. Raye's early songwriting style drew heavily from the energetic and swing idioms prevalent in New York, emphasizing upbeat tempos and rhythmic lyrics that captured the era's lively dancehall spirit. These compositions featured clever, syncopated phrasing designed to complement arrangements, reflecting his intuitive grasp of musical propulsion without relying on complex structures. This approach laid the groundwork for his later acclaim, as his pre-major-hit releases began circulating in form and attracting attention from performers in the swing circuit.

Key Collaborations

Partnerships with Composers

Don Raye began his professional songwriting career in the mid-1930s by forming collaborations with fellow lyricists and composers, marking a shift from his early solo efforts in vaudeville-inspired tunes. In 1935, he teamed up with and Saul Chaplin, both emerging talents in New York's music scene, to develop songs that blended rhythmic elements with clever wordplay. Their joint work often involved shared lyric responsibilities, as seen in credits where Raye and Cahn handled the words while Chaplin and bandleader contributed the music, allowing for a collaborative refinement of ideas tailored to swing band arrangements. This trio's process emphasized iterative development, where initial rhythmic motifs from the composers were adapted to fit Raye's energetic, syncopated lyric style, fostering a dynamic exchange that produced material for and early radio performances. By the late 1930s and into the of the early 1940s, Raye partnered with British composer Hughie Prince to create upbeat, danceable numbers that captured the era's enthusiasm. Their collaboration focused on integrating Prince's melodic structures with Raye's punchy, rhythmic lyrics, often splitting credits evenly to reflect mutual contributions in crafting hooks suited for and film soundtracks. This partnership highlighted Raye's method of overlaying spoken-like cadences onto tunes, adapting Prince's compositions to enhance their propulsive feel without altering core harmonies. Raye's most enduring collaboration was with composer , spanning over two decades from the early 1940s through the 1950s and 1960s, yielding a prolific output of dozens of songs for Hollywood films, Universal Studios, and productions. Their working dynamic typically positioned de Paul as the primary melody creator, providing foundational tunes that Raye then shaped with emphasizing rhythmic drive and emotional depth, resulting in credit splits that attributed music to de Paul and words to Raye. This approach allowed Raye to adapt de Paul's versatile melodies—ranging from -inflected ballads to novelty pieces—to his signature style of syncopated phrasing, ensuring the lyrics locked seamlessly with the music's pulse and contributing to their high-volume success in both popular and jazz repertoires.

Work with Performers and Studios

Raye's songwriting found significant success through placements with , for whom he crafted energetic numbers suited to their harmonious, boogie-woogie-infused style. One prominent example is "," co-written with Hughie Prince in 1941, which featured custom vocal arrangements by Vic Schoen to blend the trio's tight harmonies with swinging big-band rhythms, emphasizing the group's lively performance capabilities. This track, recorded with Schoen's orchestra, highlighted Raye's ability to tailor lyrics and structure for the sisters' upbeat delivery, integrating boogie elements that amplified their appeal in live and recorded settings. At , Raye contributed to scoring several musical comedies, often pitching original songs directly to production teams for integration into comedic sequences. He collaborated on films featuring the , such as Argentine Nights (1940), where his lyrics for "Hit the Road" were performed by the brothers alongside , adapting the material to their vaudeville-inspired antics and rhythmic patter. Similarly, in (1941), Raye's "" was incorporated into scenes with , requiring revisions to fit the duo's timing and the film's wartime morale-boosting tone, as Universal sought versatile numbers to enhance the comedy-musical format. These studio efforts involved iterative feedback loops, where Raye adjusted phrasing and tempo to align with performers' rehearsal dynamics and directorial visions. Raye's compositions also adapted seamlessly to big-band recordings, showcasing his versatility in supplying material that leveraged orchestral swing and . With Jimmie Lunceford's , he co-wrote "Rhythm in My Nursery Rhymes" in 1935, which became a hit through Lunceford's hot ensemble, featuring call-and-response patterns and rhythmic drive tailored for the band's energetic brass and reed sections. For Will Bradley's group, Raye's "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (1940) was a boogie-woogie staple, recorded with vocalist Ray McKinley, where the arrangement emphasized piano boogie bass lines and driving eight-to-the-bar rhythms to suit Bradley's modern swing sound. These adaptations often involved Raye collaborating with arrangers to ensure the songs' hooks translated into full-band excitement, prioritizing danceable grooves over complex solos. In studio sessions with vocalists like , Raye navigated revision processes to refine songs for individual performers' interpretive needs. For instance, "(Nobody Knows Better Than I) He's My Guy," co-written with , was recorded by Shore in 1942 for Victor, involving adjustments to the melody and during rehearsals to match her warm, conversational phrasing and enhance emotional delivery in a band context. This pitching and tweaking exemplified broader studio dynamics of the era, where songwriters like Raye iterated based on performers' feedback to optimize recordings for radio and film playback.

Notable Works

Pre-War and War-Time Songs

Don Raye's songwriting during the late and early 1940s captured the energetic spirit of the while incorporating the infectious rhythms of , a style characterized by its driving "eight-to-the-bar" bass patterns derived from traditions. These compositions often featured playful, slang-filled lyrics that reflected the lively culture of the time, contributing to the genre's popularity amid economic recovery and pre-war optimism. Raye's collaborations, particularly with Hughie Prince, produced novelty hits that blended humor with rhythmic propulsion, helping to bridge and mainstream pop appeal. One of Raye's breakthrough pre-war songs, "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (1940, co-written with Hughie Prince and Ray McKinley), exemplified the structure through its lyrics depicting a skilled in a jazz club, urging the band to "beat me daddy, eight to the bar" in a call-and-response format that mimicked live jam sessions. The song originated from the burgeoning craze in urban nightclubs, where pianists like those in and New York clubs popularized the style's repetitive left-hand rhythm, which Raye adapted into accessible big-band arrangements. Recorded by Will Bradley's orchestra, it became a chart-topping hit, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's sales chart and introducing the genre's syncopated swing to wider audiences, influencing subsequent and rhythm-and-blues developments. Similarly, "Scrub Me Mama, with a Boogie Beat" (1940) showcased Raye's rhythmic innovations by applying boogie-woogie's pulsating bass lines to a whimsical domestic , encouraging a lively routine infused with swing-era energy. Emerging in the cultural context of pre-war America's escapist , the song reflected the era's fascination with novelty tunes that transformed everyday activities into rhythmic celebrations, often performed in ballrooms and on radio broadcasts. ' version reached No. 10 on the , highlighting how Raye's integrated alliterative and boogie phrasing to enhance the genre's appeal in segregated swing scenes, where such songs bridged white and musical influences without direct attribution. As international tensions escalated toward U.S. involvement in , Raye penned the patriotic anthem "This Is My Country" (1940, music by Al Jacobs), with lyrics proclaiming national unity—"What difference if I hail from North or South / Or from the East or West?"—evoking a sense of shared heritage and resolve amid the looming global conflict. Composed during a period of isolationist debate and rising European threats, the song's initial reception was bolstered by Guy Lombardo's recording, but it gained widespread traction after and His Pennsylvanians' 1942 Decca version, which aligned with the post-Pearl Harbor surge in morale-boosting music. Its verses emphasized immigrant and regional pride, resonating as an early WWII-era call to defend democratic ideals. Raye's war-time output peaked with "" (1941, with Hughie Prince), inspired by the adaptation of boogie-woogie's lively piano rhythms to military bugle calls for , transforming the traditional wake-up signal into an upbeat morale booster for troops. The narrate a player's draft into the , where he "blows it hot" for Company B, capturing the era's blend of and swing vitality. Introduced by in the film , the recording sold over 1.4 million copies in 1941, topping charts at No. 6 and becoming an iconic USO staple that symbolized American resilience during the war. Another wartime collaboration with , "Cow Cow Boogie (Caw Caw Caw)" (1942), fused rhythms with Western-themed lyrics about a singing to his horse, reflecting the era's escapist blend of swing and novelty. Performed by with in the film Pardon My Sarong, the song topped the for four weeks and sold over a million copies, serving as a lighthearted morale booster amid global conflict. Complementing this, "Bounce Me Brother, with a Solid Four" (1941, with Hughie Prince) extended Raye's innovations by emphasizing a "solid four" beat—a steady, emphatic swing rhythm—in lyrics that evoked communal dancing and band exhortations, premiered alongside "" in . In the cultural milieu of wartime mobilization, the song's rhythmic drive mirrored the era's need for unifying, high-energy entertainment, with ' rendition as the B-side reinforcing boogie-woogie's role in sustaining public spirit through its infectious, dance-oriented pulse.

Post-War and Film Contributions

Following , Don Raye returned to Hollywood and resumed his prolific songwriting career at Universal Studios, contributing to approximately 47 films and evolving his style toward romantic s and -infused standards that contrasted with the upbeat of the wartime era. This period saw Raye collaborate closely with composer on pieces that gained lasting popularity through post-war revivals and recordings. "I'll Remember April," originally penned in 1942 with de Paul and Patricia Johnston for the film Ride 'Em Cowboy, transitioned into a quintessential , with notable revivals including Charlie Parker's 1945 instrumental version and Anita O'Day's 1955 vocal rendition, highlighting its sophisticated harmonic structure and emotional depth. Raye's post-war output also included lively nightclub anthems that built on his earlier rhythmic foundations but adapted to peacetime . "The House of Blue Lights," co-written with pianist Freddie Slack in 1941, achieved its breakthrough as a 1946 hit when Slack and vocalist recorded it for , peaking at No. 9 on the and evoking the vibrant atmosphere of late-night venues with its piano and swinging lyrics. Similarly, "Down the Road a Piece," a 1940 composition, experienced renewed success in 1947 through Amos Milburn's R&B adaptation on Records, which reached No. 8 on the R&B chart and influenced the emerging scene. "You Don’t Know What Love Is," another 1941 collaboration with de Paul, solidified its status as a post-war , with influential recordings by in 1944 and later by in 1956, emphasizing introspective themes of longing through its melancholic melody. In his film work during this era, Raye integrated songs with comedic flair into Universal's musical comedies, enhancing narrative humor and light-hearted escapism. Tracks like "Just for a Thrill," co-written with and popularized by in the early s, appeared in revue-style productions, showcasing playful romantic tension. Likewise, the novelty tune "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor," a with Hughie Prince and a hit for , was repurposed in films for its witty, exaggerated storyline of mishap and glamour, adding comedic dialogue and visual gags in sequences. These integrations underscored Raye's versatility in blending music with cinematic , prioritizing humor to entertain audiences in the optimistic years.

Later Years and Legacy

Military Service and Post-War Projects

In 1941, at the peak of his early songwriting success, Don Raye enlisted in the United States and served throughout until his discharge in 1945. His military duty interrupted his burgeoning Hollywood career, during which he contributed no documented entertainment-specific roles but fulfilled standard service obligations amid the global conflict. Following his return to civilian life in 1945, Raye rejoined Universal Studios in Hollywood, adapting to the industry's post-war shifts, including evolving musical comedy formats and a renewed focus on feature films. He quickly resumed prolific output. A representative example is "The House of Blue Lights," co-written with Freddie Slack in 1946, which became a hit single. By the late 1940s, Raye resumed his partnership with composer , which had begun in 1941 and led to their initial engagements with Studios. This collaboration started with contributions to the 1948 live-action/animated hybrid , where they provided original songs blending folk and whimsical elements, followed by work on the 1949 anthology , including the narrative-driven "The Headless Horseman." These projects marked Raye's entry into Disney's animated features, leveraging his lyrical expertise for storytelling in family-oriented productions.

Awards and Lasting Influence

Don Raye died on January 29, 1985, in Encino, California, at the age of 75. Later that year, he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside his frequent collaborator Gene de Paul, recognizing his contributions to American popular music, including hits like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Raye's work earned additional honors during his career, such as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for in 1941, which boosted wartime morale through its association with . His patriotic compositions, including the lyrics for "This Is My Country" in 1940, contributed to WWII-era cultural efforts, though specific acknowledgments for these were limited to their widespread use in morale-boosting contexts. Raye's enduring influence is evident in the revival of boogie-woogie as a , shaped by his energetic compositions that popularized the style through hits performed by big bands and vocal groups in the . Songs like "The House of Blue Lights" have been preserved as jazz standards, with ongoing covers by artists including , whose 1972 recording of "" topped the chart. His catalog continues to generate royalties through licensing for films, recordings, and performances, managed by his estate to sustain his legacy in .

References

  1. https://www.songhall.org/profiles/don-raye
  2. https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/refer/140603
  3. https://www.jazzstandards.com/biographies/biography_94.htm
  4. https://savethemusic.com/artist/don-raye/
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043274/soundtrack/
  6. https://www.loc.gov/collections/patriotic-melodies/articles-and-essays/this-is-my-country/
  7. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/cahn-sammy-samuel-cohen
  8. https://music.apple.com/us/artist/don-raye/366702
  9. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032218/soundtrack/
  10. https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/106090/Raye_Don
  11. https://www.pianistmagazine.com/blogs/the-roots-of-boogie-woogie/
  12. https://is.muni.cz/th/xjurf/BLACK_JAZZ_AND_THE_SILVER_SCREEN_--_FINAL.pdf
  13. https://rateyourmusic.com/list/bayard/1940-singles-my-top-rated-records/
  14. https://thesongbook.org/about/news-media/the-songbook-blog-items/songs-of-the-second-world-war/
  15. https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=musicalofferings
  16. https://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-0/cowcowboogie.htm
  17. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/The-Big-Bands-Simon-3rd-Edition-1974.pdf
  18. https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-so-dear-to-my-heart-1948-on-records/
  19. https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-ichabod-or-the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-on-records/
  20. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713098/
  21. https://www.songhall.org/shof-gala/1985-award-and-induction-ceremony
  22. http://www.smileformetoys.com/don-raye-gene-de-paul.html
  23. https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/3975
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