Bill Ray

Bill Ray (1936–2020) was an American photojournalist whose long career included twelve years of work for Life magazine spanning the 1960s. He was responsible for extensive photo essays and issue covers. His subjects ranged broadly from celebrities to international conflicts, social upheavals, and fads of the moment and he became known for the persistence and ingenuity he put into obtaining photos that possessed both immediacy and lasting artistic value. At the time of his death some of his best known work did not appear in publications but was shown in gallery exhibitions. Examples include a photo of Marilyn Monroe singing the happy birthday song to John F. Kennedy in Madison Square Garden, an extensive shoot of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang (1965), Ray Charles at Carnegie Hall (1966), and both on- and off-field photos of the first Super Bowl (1967).

Early life

Ray was born in Columbus, Nebraska, and grew up in the neighboring village of Shelby, where he was educated in local public schools.