Song:Are You Jimmy Ray?
Album:Jimmy Ray
Are You Jimmy Ray? was a top 20 hit in 1998. But British singer Jimmy Ray quickly faded and now he's the subject of Whatever Happened To profiles. He only recorded one album. I think the problem was Ray had a retro rockabilly look but his music didn't reflect that. He was born Oct. 3, 1970 in London, England. He claimed to be influenced by Elvis Presley and other 50s singers. But when Ray began his music career in 1994, it was as part of a techno pop duo called AV with DJ Graham Drinnan. AV signed with Sony's S2 label but they split up before any music was released. S2 had success with Des'Ree and Jamiroquai. Ray remained with S2 and Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller became his manager. The album Jimmy Ray was released in 1998. Ray wrote and produced the album with Con Fitzpatrick. Are You Jimmy Ray? reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. And I think most fans will remember the video as it was in heavy rotation on MTV. Subsequent singles did not do well and Ray only recorded one album which is available as a budget CD. Ray did a US tour with The Backstreet Boys. So what happened To Jimmy Ray? It looks like there was disagreement with Fuller and Sony over creative direction. Maybe Ray didn't want to be a pop star. He hasn't done much since then. He claimed to be part of a production team working with a girl group. But nothing came of it. And last year he claimed to be working on a comeback record. So it looks like Jimmy Ray could be a one hit wonder. Here's the video for Are You Jimmy Ray? by Jimmy Ray.
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