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Claude Gray was born in Henderson, Texas,
January 26, 1932. He did a stint in the Navy, mostly
aboard the USS Cacapon AO-52, which spent most of the
time in the Far East and the South Pacific. The Cacapon
refueled ships that were operating off the coast of
Korea during the Korean War.
After his discharge
from the Navy, Claude sold cars and played honky tonks
for a living, finally taking a job with a radio station
as a DeeJay in Meridian, Mississippi. In the early
sixties Willie Nelson gave Claude a song to record,
“Family Bible,” and it became Claude’s first hit record.
The song has become a classic.
Mercury Records
signed Claude to a 5 year contract and his first
release, “I’ll Have Another Cup Of Coffee, Then I’ll Go”
became a million seller. Other hits followed, “My Ears
Burn When Fools Are Talked About,” “Too Many Rivers To
Cross,” I Never Had The One I Wanted” and “How Fast Them
Trucks Can Go.” All were Top Ten Billboard hits and have
now become standards in the industry.
After living in
Nashville, Tennessee, California and Las Vegas, Claude
moved back to his native home state of Texas in 1978,
where he currently lives. He continues to do personal
appearances and stays busy.
Once, Claude was
asked by a reporter, “What do you think about
non-country acts performing at the Opry?” This was his
reply, “Well...
they can do whatever they want; it’s their Opry. I doubt
I would ever listen to it; I like professional country
singers. I don’t like refugees from rock & roll, or
somebody who grew up liking rock & roll, deciding they
want to be a country singer. There’s a girl singer who’s
been Entertainer of the Year who said her idol was some
rock singer, and that tells me everything I need to know
right there. I want to hear a singer whose roots are
back with Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, you
know, the greats. That don’t mean I don’t like some rock
& roll, I do. I love Rod Stewart, I like Neil Diamond, I
like Celine Dione. I think Barbra Streisand is probably
the number one woman singer in the world.”
After reading that quote by Claude Gray,
I realized why I liked the man and his singing so much,
‘cause I’ve been a fan of his ever since I bought one of
his first Mercury albums back in 1961!
Happy birthday Claude Gray!
Dusty Owens
TCM Radio News
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