In the late 1940s and early 1950s there was a type of singer who bridged the gap between swing era crooners and the pop vocalists who would come along later. They were guys who'd probably come up through the club route rather than as big band vocalists, and often had a sound that was a little different. For example, some - although white - were heard on the radio and assumed at first to be black R&B singers. Frankie Laine was one, and another was a guy who for a while was about the biggest thing around — Johnnie Ray.
At least one music historian has described Johnnie Ray as a cross between Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, and he was a huge star, but I'd be willing to bet that modern music lovers barely recognize his name. Nevertheless, he was a true phenom, and his biggest hit, "Cry", was at the top of the pop charts for three months. Quite an accomplishment for a singer who'd been deaf in one ear since childhood and eventually lost most of the hearing in his other ear too.
He grew up in rural Oregon, but as an aspiring young singer his path led him to Detroit, where he began working in R&B clubs — sometimes as the only white singer. He began to get noticed, and his distinctive style that foreshadowed rock and roll helped him get a recording contract with R&B label Okeh Records.
Success eluded him at first, but in 1951 he recorded "Cry", his own composition, backed by the Four Lads. It was a song that was a little less R&B and a little more mainstream, and it became a monster hit. He followed it with "The Little White Cloud That Cried", which he'd also written, and continued for the next few years to record hit after hit. Some notable songs included "Walkin' My Baby Back Home", "Please Mr. Sun", and "Such A Night".
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