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Dobie Gray

Biography

Most widely known for his 1973 smash “Drift Away,” Dobie Grey was a versatile vocalist who all could handle spirit, nation, and pop, not forgetting musical movie theater. Gray’s roots are relatively ill-defined; different resources alternately list his delivery name as Leonard Victor Ainsworth or Laurence Darrow Dark brown, and his Tx birthplace as Brookshire or Simonton. His most likely birth date is certainly July 26, 1940 (while some resources list 1942 or 1943). In any case, Grey was raised in a family group of sharecroppers, and uncovered gospel music through his grandfather, a Baptist minister. He also assimilated the R&B and nation music of his environment, and in the first ’60s he transferred to LA to get his lot of money. Before implementing the name Dobie Grey, he documented several singles beneath the brands Leonard Ainsworth, Larry Curtis, and Larry Dennis. His seventh one, “Take a look at Me,” became his initial chart strike in 1963, but his accurate breakout was a 1965 documenting of “The ‘In’ Audience,” whose Motown-style jump recognized it from jazzman Ramsey Lewis’ celebrated edition. Grey strike the very best 20 with “The ‘In’ Audience” and in addition had some achievement using the follow-up, “Observe You in the Go-Go”; this era — spent mainly on the tiny, badly distributed Cordak, Charger, and White colored Whale brands — was probably the most soul-oriented of his profession. It might be a while before Grey returned towards the charts; for the time being, he pursued a concurrent performing profession, ultimately spending two . 5 years using the Los Angeles creation of Locks. During his Locks years, Grey also sang using the music group Pollution, which documented two albums on Prophecy from 1971. In 1972, Grey resurfaced like a single designer on MCA, with maker/songwriter Coach Williams in his camp. Grey promptly scored the largest strike of his profession using the Williams-penned “Drift Away,” which strike the very best Five in early 1973 and continues to be an oldies-radio staple today. The next “Loving Hands,” compiled by Tom Jans, grew right into a much-covered repertory item, documented by singers from your realms of rock and roll, nation, and R&B. Gray’s very own sound was moving more toward nation as well, so when he transferred to Capricorn in 1975, he documented in Nashville with brand-new songwriting collaborator Troy Seals (he ultimately relocated there completely). Gray’s reputation in European countries and Africa was developing progressively, and he were able to chat South African specialists into enabling him to try out to integrated viewers through the apartheid period. Gray’s tenure in Nashville was proclaimed by a industrial downturn, but his elevated activity like a songwriter — mainly in a nation vein — led to covers by famous brands Don Williams, Charley Satisfaction, George Jones, and John Denver, amongst others. The disco-flavored “YOU ARE ABLE TO DO It” became his last Top 40 strike in 1978, exactly the same yr he documented the to begin two LPs for Infinity. When Infinity proceeded to go bankrupt, Grey concentrated specifically on songwriting for a couple years, after that re-emerged on Capitol within the mid-’80s like a full-fledged nation artist. He produced the lower gets to of the united states graphs with singles like “That’s Someone to Grow On” and “From Where I Stand,” but discovered it difficult to break to a wider nation audience, and once again faded from look at after two albums. In 1997, Grey released Diamond Slashes, a variety of new tracks and re-recorded previous hits.

Quick Facts


Full Name Dobie Gray
Died December 6, 2011, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Profession Singer, Music Producer, Songwriter
Nationality American
Parents Jane P. Spencel, Jethro Clifton Brown
Music Songs Drift Away, Loving Arms, The "In" Crowd, Out on the Floor, From Where I Stand, See You at the Go Go, Good Old Song, If Love Must Go, Lovin' the Easy Way, If I Ever Needed You, That's One to Grow On, Now That I'm Without You, Sweet Lovin' Woman, Hey Dixie, Mississippi Rolling Stone, Soul Days, Who's Loving You, We Had It All, Got My Heart Set on You, There's a Honky Tonk Angel, I Never Had It So Good, Roll on Sweet Mississippi, I’m Only Speaking My Heart, Reachin' for the Feeling, Honey You Can't Take It Back, Caddo Queen, Slow Rain, A New Ray of Sunshine, The Music's Real, No Room to Cry, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Monkey Jerk
Albums Midnight Diamond, Loving Arms, Drift Away And Other Classics, Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go Go", New Ray of Sunshine, Hey Dixie, Drift Away, Love's Talkin', Dobie Gray, Best of Dobie Gray, The Soulful Sound of Dobie Gray, Dobie Gray - His Very Best, Drift Away - His Very Best, Dobie Gray/Silver Collection 2, The Essential Dobie Gray, Best Of The Best, Echoes of Time, When a Man Loves a Woman, Ultimate Collection
Movies Mean Mother, Soulful Sixties


  • Facts
  • Filmography
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  • Salaries
  • Quotes
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#Fact
1 Had two birth names listed, Leonard Victor Ainsworth and Laurence Darrow Brown.
2 He recorded the original version of "Drift Away" in 1974, 29 years after the original, he re-recorded the song with Uncle Kracker for Uncle Kracker's CD "No Stranger To Shame".


Soundtrack

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Vinyl 2016 TV Series performer - 1 episode
SoulBoy 2010 performer: "The In Crowd"
Noble Things 2008 performer: "Bring Me Downtown"
The Office 2007 TV Series writer - 1 episode
Invincible 2006 performer: "Drift Away"
Wonderland 2003 performer: "Drift Away" 1973
Casino 1995 performer: "The 'In' Crowd"
Back of Beyond 1995 performer: "Drift Away"
Heartbreak Hotel 1988 performer: "Drift Away"
The In Crowd 1988 performer: "The 'In' Crowd" / producer: "The 'In' Crowd"
Casey's Shadow 1978 performer: "JUST LET ME GO TILL I'M GONE"
Uptown Saturday Night 1974 performer: "Uptown Saturday Night"
Out of Sight 1966 performer: " Out of Sight Out on the Floor"
Shindig! TV Series performer - 2 episodes, 1965 writer - 1 episode, 1965
Hollywood a Go Go TV Series performer - 4 episodes, 1965 writer - 1 episode, 1965
Bus Riley's Back in Town 1965 performer: "I Want You To Know", "Got a Surfboard Ten Feet Long"

Actor

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Video Murders 1988 Video as Clifton Brown
Mean Mother 1974 Beauregard Jones (as Clifton Brown)

Composer

Composer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Commitment 1976

Thanks

Thanks

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2012 TV Movie in memoriam

Self

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
My Music: The 70s 2007 TV Movie Himself
Soulful Sixties 2004 Video Himself
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 2003 TV Series Himself
An All Star Salute to Country Music 1990 TV Movie Himself
The Mike Douglas Show 1977 TV Series Himself - Singer / Songwriter
The Old Grey Whistle Test 1974 TV Series Himself - Performer
Rock Concert 1974 TV Series Himself
In Session 1974 TV Series Himself
New American Bandstand 1965 1965-1973 TV Series Himself - Musical Guest / Himself / Himself - Performer
Out of Sight 1966 Himself
9th Street West 1965 TV Series Himself
Shindig! 1965 TV Series Himself - Singer
Hollywood a Go Go 1965 TV Series Himself - Singer / Himself
Where the Action Is 1965 TV Series Himself
Shivaree 1965 TV Series Himself
Hullabaloo 1965 TV Series Himself

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#Quote
1 My goal is to create the kind of music that makes memories for my audience -- music that they will want to revisit time and again. Songs from the heart!


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