Eddie Ray Email & Phone Number

Kannapolis Nc

Bio about my life from being the grandson of a former slave, I take you from the rural foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains to the top executive suites of the burgeoning music industry of the 1950s and 1960s. You’ll get a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the music business and how I became a formidable force in helping shape that dynamic industry. This is a highly rated book about my life. It's available on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Against-All-Odds-Remarkable-Story/dp/1478213477

Kannapolis

In January 2009, I became Vice Chairman of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame (NCMHOF) and Operation Director of its Hall of Fame Museum in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The NCMHOF is a non-profit organization and museum that was created to honor musicians, composers, and artists with ties to North Carolina that have made a significant impact in the music industry. Ray was instrumental in reopening the museum and moving it from its original home in Thomasville, North Carolina to its present location in Kannapolis.In October 2009, I was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame as a non-performing artist, originally from the State of North Carolina.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

In October 1981, Ray was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, and confirmed by the US Senate, to serve as a US Commissioner on the US Copyright Royalty Tribunal (CRT).The CRT’s primary responsibilities was (1) to set the Statutory Rates for certain sections of the Compulsory Licensing provisions of the US Copyright Act; and (2) to conduct Distribution Hearings to distribute Statutory Royalty funds that were deposited directly to the US Copyright Office by copyright users to be distributed to the appropriate copyright owners.[21]

Greater Memphis Area

Joined Cream/Hi Records as executive vice president and general manager. I was also responsible for the management of Cream/HI Records’ music publishing company, East Memphis Music, a former Stax Record music publishing company. Hi Records was a successful R&B Independent record label. Some of HI Records artists were Hall of Fame and Grammy award artist & songwriter Al Green, Ann Peebles, Ace Cannon, and the Bill Black Combo.Cream/Hi Records was well known for the numerous valuable music copyrights they owned which included songs such as “In The Midnight Hour”, “Knock On Wood”, “Green Onions”, “Hold On I’m Coming”, “Respect”, “Soul Man”, “Lets Stay Together” and many others.

Greater Memphis Area

Moved to Memphis, Tennessee and became executive vice president and part owner of Sounds of Memphis Recording Studio and Record Production Company (SOM). Before I joined the company SOM had produced a couple of national hit records, one of which was the iconic record “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham & Pharaohs that was distributed by MGM Records.While at SOM, I terminated and negotiated new foreign music publishing and performance rights agreements for SOM’s music publishing companies; terminated and negotiated new SOM artists distribution agreements; and expanded SOM’s Recording Studio’s custom service business. Some of the artists represented by me while at SOM were Solomon Burke, Jazz organist Jimmy Smith, the Ovations, Barbara and the Browns, hit songwriter/artist George Jackson and others.Also, while still at SOM, I established my own company, Eddie Ray Music Enterprises that among its other activities, established a vocational commercial music school named, The Tennessee College of Recording Arts and Sciences. I operated the school for two years and then assisted in incorporating the school’s commercial music program curricula into a degree program offered by Memphis State University’s (presently known as the University of Memphis) College of Fine Arts & Communications.

Greater Los Angeles Area

Joined MGM Records in Hollywood, California as Senior Vice President of A&R Administration. As head of A&R Administration at MGM, Ray was responsible for the administration of MGM's Recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee; MGM’s Copyright Clearance & Licensing Departments; MGM Artist's recording contract fulfillment requirements; Musician Union negotiations; recording session schedules & musician payments; record release pre-preparation; and the preparations of multimillion-dollar recording budgets.Some of the artists with whom Ray worked while at MGM were the Osmonds, Donnie & Marie, Lou Rawls, Sammy Davis, Jr.., Hank Williams, Jr., Richie Havens, and The Sylvers.MGM was sold to Polygram in 1973 but Ray was unwilling to move to the new MGM/Polydor/Polygram headquarters in New York City and negotiated his resignation from his MGM employment agreement.

Greater Los Angeles Area

Jjoined Coburt Television Production in Beverly Hills, California as executive vice president of COBURT’s newly created Record Music Division. COBURT was an independent television production company owned by Pierre Cossette, a successful Hollywood entertainment agent and subsequently, an exclusive television producer of the Grammy Awards telecast for thirty four years and Burt Sugarman, a successful Beverly Hills business and investment financier, who subsequently produced Midnight Special TV musical series.Some of Ray’s most important accomplishments while with Coburt were his establishment of BMI & ASCAP music publishing firms for the Coburt Music Division; the successful negotiation of a Coburt/MGM Records label distribution agreement; and his production of a Chevrolet merchandising album featuring Glen Campbell, Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach that sold over a million units.

Greater Los Angeles Area

Joined Capitol Records, in Hollywood, California as Artists and Repertoire (A&R) Director of Tower Records, Capitol Records’ newly created, wholly owned subsidiary. Subsequently, Ray became Vice President of A&R for Capitol/Tower Records becoming the first African American executive of a major U.S. record company.During my five years as A&R chief for Capitol/Tower Records he acquired scores of successful selling EMI English and U.S. independently produced artists such as Freddie & The Dreamers, The Standells, Ian Whitcomb, The Arrows, the Sunrays, Harry Nilsson are some of the artists that had singles and/or albums that attained national chart positions during Ray’s tenure there.In addition, two of my most important acquisitions for Capitol/Tower Records were American International Pictures (AIP) successful movie soundtrack albums, including The Wild Angels and several others, produced by independent producer, Mike Curb, and the acquisition of the EMI rock group Pink Floyd.

Greater Los Angeles Area

In February 1955, I joined Imperial Records in Hollywood, California, a major, independent record company, as National Director of Promotion and Sales. During the nine years that I was with Imperial Records he was responsible for all the national promotion and sales for all Imperial/Minit recording artists, including, recording artists Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson, Slim Whitman, Sandy Nelson, Johnny Rivers, Ernie Freeman, Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Ernie K-Doe, Smiley Lewis, Billy J. Kramer and many others.In addition to my responsibilities as director of national promotion and sales for Imperial, I also produced national chart hit single records by Sandy Nelson ( "Let There Be Drums"), Ernie Freeman ("Raunchy"), Irma Thomas ("Wish Someone Would Care" / "Time Is On My Side" / "Break Away") and several national charted albums by Sandy Nelson and Ernie Freeman.