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Don Raye

Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was an American songwriter, best known for his songs for The Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", "The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Thrill" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The latter was co-written with Hughie Prince.

While known for such wordy novelty numbers, he also wrote the lyrics to "You Don't Know What Love Is," a simple, poetic lament of unusual power. He also composed the song "(That Place) Down the Road a Piece," one of his boogie woogie songs, which has a medium bright boogie tempo. It was written for the Will Bradley Orchestra, who recorded it in 1940, but the song was destined to become a rock and roll standard, recorded by The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Foghat, Amos Milburn, Harry Gibson, and countless others. In 1940, he wrote the lyrics for the patriotic song "This Is My Country".

In 1985, Don Raye was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 16, 1909 (Washington, D.C.), Died January 29, 1985

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-55 of 55 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 67616 10-in. 4/23/1940 Serenade to the stars Vic Schoen Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 67617 10-in. 4/23/1940 Of maestro and men Vic Schoen Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 67618 10-in. 4/23/1940 Arabian nights Vic Schoen Orchestra vocalist  
Decca DLA 2470 10-in. 6/27/1941 Pig foot Pete Freddie Slack and his Eight Beats vocalist  
Decca DLA 2471 10-in. 6/27/1941 That place down the road a-piece Freddie Slack and his Eight Beats vocalist  
(Results 51-55 of 55 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Raye, Don," accessed May 2, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106090.

Raye, Don. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106090.

"Raye, Don." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106090

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