JOHNNIE RAY - LITTLE WHITE CLOUD THAT CRIED

LITTLE WHITE CLOUD THAT CRIED

JOHNNIE RAY & THE FOUR LADS

SONGWRITER: JOHNNIE RAY

COUNTRY: U.S.A.

ALBUM: THE LITTLE WHITE CLOUD THAT CRIED

LABEL: COLUMBIA

GENRE: JAZZ

YEAR: 1964

John Alvin "Johnnie" Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Extremely popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality. Tony Bennett credits Ray as being the true father of rock and roll.

British Hit Singles & Albums noted that Ray was "a sensation in the 1950s, the heart-wrenching vocal delivery of 'Cry' ... influenced many acts including Elvis and was the prime target for teen hysteria in the pre-Presley days."

In 1952, Ray rose very quickly from obscurity to stardom in the United States. He became a major star in the United Kingdom by performing and releasing recordings there in 1953 and shared billing there with many acts including Frank Holder. He matched these achievements in Australia the following year. His career in his native United States began to decline in the late 1950s, and his American record label dropped him in 1960. He never regained a strong following there and very rarely appeared on American television after 1973. His fan base in other countries, however, remained strong until his last year of performing, which was 1989. His recordings never stopped selling outside the United States.

I went walkin' down by the river

Feeling very sad inside

When all at once I saw in the sky

The little white cloud that cried

He told me he was very lonesome

And no one cared if he lived or died

And said sometimes the thunder and lightning

Make all little clouds hide

He said "Have faith in all kinds of weather"

"For the sun will always shine"

"Do your best and always remember"

"The dark clouds pass with time"

He asked if I'd tell all my world

Just how hard those little clouds try

That's how I know I'll always remember

The little white cloud that sat right down and cried

(The little white cloud that cried).