♥
Update January 16, 2013: Well the one word that comes to mind right now is "Priceless." Ray Price was priceless and now so is this world. He passed away at home this afternoon at 4:43 Central time and there will never be another Ray Price. I'm convinced there will never be another voice as perfect as his.
Yes, I've been crying all evening. Over someone I didn't really know. And I'm not ashamed or apologetic. There are few people in this life who will ever touch a person as deeply as "that one" person everyone has in one form or another in their lives and he was "that one" for me.
"Touch my heart, feel the hurt, the pain and misery..."
Touch My Heart
But I hope Ray knows that he didn't he did "not live his life in vain..."
In Vain
R.I.P. Ray. ♥
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October 12, 2013
Original Post:
People You Think You Know
This post doesn't fall under Polish or Pets so I guess it's one of those Pointless Ponderings?
I've never been the "groupie" type - going all "fangirl" over a singer or celebrity of any kind. I mean not like the caliber of Beatles fans or Elvis fans. I wouldn't faint at the site of the Brad Pitts of the world and to be honest, I've never really understood what overtakes people. I don't judge them, I just don't really understand. You know the type I mean...
The closest I've ever come in my lifetime I guess is maybe Sean Connery or Ray Price. And I've never met Sean Connery. I've met Ray Price countless times - driven many miles to see him perform. Anything he ever did that's still available I own in one form or another. Closest I've ever come to being anyone's "groupie" I guess. Although I promise I've never tossed him my skivvies.
Do I know Ray Price? Of course not. But when he has been a constant in my life for over 35 years, sometimes it feels like I do.
I've been thinking a lot about Ray Price lately. He's been in the hospital for about a month now and this year has been really rough for him. He's now 87 and he can still hit the high notes and the lowest low notes. The man's vocal range is unsurpassed. And it sort of feels like my "best friend" is sick.
His voice has been with me through really happy times and the saddest times in my life. He has been the one constant. My mom wasn't in my life for that long. My husband wasn't in my life for that long. My brother wasn't in my life for that long. Now don't get me wrong here - I loved them more than I can say and having a voice on the radio or your stereo of someone you don't know doesn't compare, obviously. But just making a point that I've "known" him for longer than I've "known" anyone else in my life except for my best girlfriend since kindergarten. I've lost a lot of loved ones and his voice helped me through all of it. A constant. Never leaving.
If you missed my post about how music affects people - me in particular, check it out here. It's a very strong, emotional thing. And there's science to back that stuff up, too! It touches something so deep within us.
His voice soothed me through love and loss and death of family and pets and celebrated with me in love and happiness and excitement. His voice has made me laugh and cry and question and think...and FEEL. And while he had his own ups and downs in life for sure, the times I met him, he was the nicest, most genuine "good ol' boy from Texas" you'd ever want to meet. Just hearing stories from his wife Janie confirms everything I've ever thought he might be like if you were his friend.
The man has been through hellish times, I'm sure, but he's also been SO blessed. He has a wonderful wife, Janie, who never leaves his side. He was blessed by GOD with, in my opinion, the best voice in the history of this planet. And I'm pretty sure he has no idea how many peoples' lives have been impacted by that voice.
I mean really - listen to how perfect...
You expected that to be For the Good Times, didn't you? Well he's performed (perfectly, I might add) blues, pop, big band, gospel, Spanish love songs IN Spanish, in addition to the classic country most people remember. I wouldn't bet money that if he'd been born into an opera-loving family in Italy, he wouldn't have become a great opera singer as well. That is how great his voice is.
I've been crying off and on for weeks now it seems. Yes. Crying over someone I don't even KNOW. I know I've always been sort of an oddball, but is that really all that odd? Have you ever cried over someone like that? I mean it's not affecting whether I can function or anything that pathetic. But I hear The Voice and a tear will silently slide down my cheek.
And that's my question to you. Who in your life - someone you don't really know - do you feel like you know? Who is YOUR "Ray Price?"
If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!
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I listened to the video. His voice is so calming. He is one of the singer my dad used to listen to when he put on music. Listening to this reminds me of him, and makes me sad.. :(
ReplyDeleteThough I don't know Ray Price, I'm so sorry to hear he's not doing well. Though it's a part of life as we age, it always brings sadness when people's health start to fail.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a Ray Price. I do get sad when I see people not as vibrant as they used to be though, like Sidney Poitier. I love his movies. Or when I hear that they're no longer with us.
I don't think this is weird at all. I think most, if not all, of us relate to people that we "hear" or "see" all the time. I relate a lot to the some of the actors from The Young and the Restless (go ahead and laugh). I grew up watching that show with my mom and when you see these people every day you start to feel like they are family. And now, with all of the various social media outlets, you can actually interact with many of them and feel like you know the REAL people, not just the characters they play. I have gotten reply tweets from two of my favorite actors and a Facebook reply directly to me from one of the show's top actresses - that made me feel so special! But one of my favorite and most constant people was Jeanie Cooper who played Katherine Chancellor. She always reminded me so much of my grandma and after my grandma passed away I felt an even stronger "bond" (obviously not a real one but still) with her. She passed away in May and I have cried for her a lot - before her passing while she was sick and in the hospital, and after her passing. So I don't think you're odd at all. Well, at least not in this case. ;) Hehe Love you! ♥
ReplyDeleteAw man, I feel you. I've always been rather acutely aware that I form connections with - not even always real people/celebrities but fictional characters - "people" I don't even know. More so lately I'm aware of actors, singers, etc I feel like I "know" but how well do we really know celebrities? They take great care to keep their unsavory characteristics private (or not) so how do we know, if I actually met them, if I'd like them as a person? It's strange, especially with actors or people you're used to seeing hide themselves in a role or persona.
ReplyDeleteThe person I feel most connected to that I hardly even know is George Harrison. I feel like I get him because I get his art, which is such an honest part of a person usually, and in general he always seems very genuine, like he wasn't hiding behind a celebrity persona even as "himself" you know? I was 10 when he died in 2001, and I remember knowing who that was and being kind of sad. I've since gotten to be so much a fan of his, and occasionally I have to shed a few tears because I'll never get to meet him, or even though I'm sure he went peacefully and he contributed so much art to the world, just that he's gone makes me sad. I'm still kind of aware that you can't know someone from afar, or even through their art, as completely as you know people you can physically talk to and be around, but at the same time, art is sometimes a more intimate look at someone than what they would show to their friends. I do believe you can see a lot of a person through their art or their voice!
I'm sure Ray Price can appreciate the people who love him, even if he didn't know all of them personally. :) I hope he gets better - I really do! He sounds like an amazing person, and yeah, I can relate.
Music is a huuuuuge part of my life and soul. But the person that came to mind when reading this post was actually an author, Robert B. Parker, who died in January 2010. He's one of my Dad's favorite authors and I grew up reading, re-reading and collecting my own hardcover collection of the Spenser series. My extended family loves his novels as well, and we'd often discuss the latest one during family gatherings. As an adult, I was always on the lookout for any chance to meet RBP on a book tour, with the intention of finding a way for my Dad to come along as well, which unfortunately never materialized. And then Parker passed away and I was pretty surprised at how upsetting it was to me....and still is, in a way. So I understand your sadness about Ray Price's health struggles, I understand completely.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't comment on posts as much as I should... but this is Beautiful. I've been in the position of having that one singer who gets me through it all, and for me it's Demi Lovato. She's helped me at my lowest of lows, and of course my highs. Before I was diagnosed with IBS, when I got sick at school, I'd sit in the nurses office (she had a room you could lay down in) and I'd pop my earbuds in, and listen to her music, and it would calm me down, and relieve my pain (well...I think I was just concentrating on the music, not the pain). People called me crazy, but fast forward 6 years, and it's still the same way. She's still that one comfort measure I know I'll always have... it's funny because she's saved my life, and has helped me through the hard times, but she doesn't even know who I am. (Except... I think she may remember me... she sent me a Christmas Card in 2008, that I'm still baffled as to how she actually got my address... around the same time I had sent her a letter, and was told that it could take 5-6 months for a response, and to add a SASE if I wanted something in return, so of course I did. About a month later I received the Christmas Card in a different envelope... one I surely didn't send, because my name was written on it. Then 2 months later, I received my SASE, with some more autographed pictures, from the same exact address I had got the card from, which was her address on set [verified, as it was in a Teen magazine]. Very neat... needless to say I have it framed up.. :))
ReplyDeleteI never understood this until MCA of the Beastie Boys passed away. They were the music of my growing up, I saw them multiple times and on one memorable occasion scored backstage passes. So I feel ya.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. How you're feeling makes a lot of sense. Music impacts me in a very strong way. Even though I never met him, the death of Glee's Cory Monteith really affected me. Even though I'm not your average "Gleek" (I'm 43, wife and mom), Glee has really meant alot to me--and "Finn" was part of that. I haven't been able to watch the tribute episode yet (on my DVR) because I know I'm going to cry my heart out.
ReplyDeleteThe other "celebrity" who passed away that really affected me was Mr. Rogers. I'd watch reruns of him with my kids. And part of my childhood ended when he died.
I'm so sorry honey. Sending you love and hugs. xoxo
Sorry to hear about Mr Price. He does have a beautiful voice. :(
ReplyDeleteI was a record company brat, so I grew up having tickets to any concert I wanted etc. I actually didn't like concerts, probably because my dad dragged me to so many as part of his job. But when I was in my early 20s I had a co-worker who loved a certain band. I kinda liked them too, so I got us tix and backstage. Another co-worker had a GF who was wild about the band too, so I invited them too. I had no idea how much GF loved band until we got backstage. She started crying when she saw one of the band members and couldn't even talk to him. I was mortified.
Someone I feel like I know (or would like to know) is the Dalai Lama. I'm not Buddhist, but the man rocks the house.
Famous people who passed away and it really affected me: John Candy and Mr Dressup (the latter will be well known to any Canadian who grew up in the 70s and 80s).
Nothing I say will help so I will just send more love and hugs. ♥ ♥ ♥
ReplyDelete*tender hugs* I'm so sorry for your loss. And I do get it, really. I was in shock when Michael Jackson died, when Whitney Houston passed away, and when Glee's Corey Monteith died--I bawled for days (and the tribute show....I cried until I was sick). But I have to say that to me, the big ones would be Billy Joel and Hugh Laurie. There are more. But yes, music really touches us in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteTake good care of yourself xoxo
Hugs welcomed and reciprocated! And I love Hugh Laurie too - he's very talented.
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