James Ray (singer)

The Caprice label folded in early 1963, and Ray was signed to the Congress label, a subsidiary of Kapp Records. The label released four singles by Ray, two written by Clark and all produced by Davie, but they were unsuccessful. Ray died from a drug overdose, probably in early 1963. In an interview published in 2020, Gerry Granahan recalled that he was asked to formally identify Ray's body when it was discovered, about ten months after his LP had been released.

Using the name James Ray, his first recording was of Clark's song, "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", arranged by Hutch Davie. The record was a hit on both the pop and R&B charts. The single was issued in the UK in 1962 as well, and the song was performed by the Beatles before being discovered by Freddie and the Dreamers, who took it into the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart the year after. In the United States, Ray's single was followed in July 1962 by an eponymous album that contained the follow-up single "Itty Bitty Pieces", which reached No. 41 on the Billboard pop chart, as well as "Got My Mind Set on You", also written by Clark. An edited version was released later in the year as a single on the Dynamic Sound label.

James Ray (born James Jay Raymond, 1941 – c. May 1963) was an American R&B singer of the early 1960s best known for the hit single "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", which went to number 10 on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. He also recorded the original version of "Got My Mind Set on You", later a number-one hit for George Harrison.

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1941, an African-American, Ray attended McKinley High School. By 1959 he had relocated to New York City. He stood just 5' tall and first recorded as Little Jimmy Ray, releasing "Make Her Mine" on the Galliant label in 1959. It was unsuccessful and by 1961 he was destitute and living on a rooftop, though still performing in clubs. Songwriter Rudy Clark befriended him, and when Gerry Granahan of Caprice Records heard him rehearsing one of Clark's songs, signed him.