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DonRay

1942 – 2019

French musician

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About DonRay

Lived 1942 – 2019 (aged 76). DonRay was a German and French composer, record producer, musician, music arranger and conductor.

Raymond Donnez (September 9, 1942 – March 7, 2019), or Don Ray, was a French disco producer, arranger and performer. Early life

A cult hero among fans of Eurodisco, Don Ray played keyboards on Cerrone's records "Love in C Minor", "IV", "VI", and "VIII" and released one solo album, Garden of Love, which featured his successful single "Got to Have Loving", cowritten with Cerrone, who drummed on the track. He also produced Santa Esmeralda's hit cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and their second LP, "The House of the Rising Sun". His single "Got To Have Loving" had cross-over success on pop radio, and reached #44 in the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1978.

Also, was conductor in the Eurovision Song Contest in three years, 1974 (for the Monegasque entry "Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va"), 1976 (for the Monegasque entry "Toi, la musique et moi") and 1977 (the winner of this year, the French "L'oiseau et l'enfant").

Don Ray was a musician with Alec Costandinos and his name appears on many of Alec's albums and jazz-funk classic singles "Standing in the Rain" and the slower "My Desire". He also conducted and arranged music hits by Euro disco group Love & Kisses in the late 1970s including Thank God It's Friday (Love & Kisses song). The disco stomper "Midnight Madness" is only available on UK 12inch.

Donnez died at the age of 76 on 7 March, 2019.

Albums The Garden Of Love (1978)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Positions held
Eurovision Song Contest conductor
Also known as
Raymond Donnez, Don Ray

People in DonRay's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped DonRay's

Frequently asked questions

Who was DonRay?

French musician (1942–2019)

When was DonRay born?

DonRay was born on 9 September 1942 in Aulnay-sous-Bois.

When did DonRay die?

DonRay died on 7 March 2019 in 14th arrondissement of Paris.

What was DonRay's occupation?

DonRay was a composer, record producer, musician, music arranger and conductor.

What nationality was DonRay?

DonRay was German and French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: DonRay

· Wikidata: Q2011899

· DBpedia: Raymond Donnez

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). DonRay. https://biography.guide/donray/

MLA: "DonRay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/donray/.

Chicago: "DonRay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/donray/.

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