Ray Conniff

Joseph Raymond Conniff (November 6, 1916 – October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s. He developed a unique sound taking advantage of stereo LP recording combining wordless chorus with brass and woodwinds reinterpreting American standards. The recorded sounds shifted the balance of instruments in a way that could not be heard in live performance, for example balancing a harp or rhythm guitar against a full brass ensemble.

Biography Conniff was born November 6, 1916, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, United States, and learned to play the trombone from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.

Early career After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II (where he worked under Walter Schumann), he joined the Artie Shaw big band and wrote many arrangements for him.

Later years Conniff recorded in New York from 1955 to 1961, and mainly in Los Angeles from 1962 through 2000. Later in the 1960s he produced an average of one vocal and two instrumental albums a year.

In 1979, Conniff was hired to re-arrange and record a new version of "Those Were The Days" and "Remembering You", the opening and closing themes to All in the Family for Carroll O'Connor's new spin-off, Archie Bunker's Place on CBS with a small ensemble, trombone solo, and honky-tonk piano. Conniff sold about 70 million albums worldwide, and continued recording and performing until his death in 2002.

Death Ray Conniff died October 12, 2002, in Escondido, California after falling and hitting his head on a sink. He is buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California with his grave marker bearing a musical score with the first four notes of "Somewhere My Love". Conniff was survived by his wife Vera (April 7, 1944 - January 7, 2018, buried in the same plot as Ray), daughter Tamara Conniff, son Jimmy Conniff (died 2015), and three grandchildren.

Legacy In 2004, a memorial two-CD compilation set, The Essential Ray Conniff, was released, featuring many rare and previously unreleased tracks. The Singles Collection, Vol. 1 was released on the Collectables label in 2005, The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 in 2007, and Vol. 3 was released in 2009. These collections feature rare singles and previously unissued tracks. His music is also featured prominently in the movie There's Something About Mary.

In 2022, "Bah Bah Conniff Sprach (Zarathustra)", from Conniff's 1973 album You Are the Sunshine of My Life, was featured in a Salesforce television commercial starring Matthew McConaughey.

Ray Conniff Singers membership In 1959, Conniff started The Ray Conniff Singers (12 women and 13 men).

From 1962 through 2001, membership in the Ray Conniff Singers included:

Original albums discography The list below shows his studio albums only. Ray Conniff was one of the most successful easy listening artists on the Billboard magazine album chart, placing 30 albums on their Billboard Hot 200 chart up to 1973, and many of the albums charted internationally as well. Ray Conniff went on to record over 90 albums.

'S Wonderful! (1956) Dance the Bop! (1957) 'S Marvelous (1957, gold album) 'S Awful Nice (1958) Concert in Rhythm, Vol.1 (1958, No. 9 Hot 200, gold album) Broadway in Rhythm (1958) No. 10 Hot 200 Hollywood in Rhythm (1958) No. 29 Hot 200 It's the Talk of the Town (1959) No. 8 Hot 200, No. 15 UK Conniff Meets Butterfield (1959), with Billy Butterfield Christmas with Conniff (1959, platinum album) Concert in Rhythm, Vol.2 (1959) No. 13 Hot 200 Young at Heart (1960) Say It with Music (A Touch of Latin) (1960) Memories Are Made of This (1960, gold album) Somebody Loves Me (1961) No. 14 Hot 200 'S Continental (1962) So Much in Love (1962, gold album) Rhapsody in Rhythm (1962) No. 28 Hot 200 We Wish You a Merry Christmas (1962, platinum album) The Happy Beat of Ray Conniff, His Orchestra and Chorus (1962) No. 20 Hot 200 Just Kiddin' Around (1962), with Billy Butterfield No. 85 Hot 200 You Make Me Feel So Young (1963) No. 73 Hot 200 Speak to Me of Love (1963) No. 50 Hot 200 Friendly Persuasion (1964) No. 141 Hot 200 Invisible Tears (1964) No. 23 Hot 200 Love Affair (1965) No. 54 Hot 200 Music From 'Mary Poppins', 'The Sound of Music', 'My Fair Lady' & Other Great Movie Themes (1965) No. 34 Hot 200 Here We Come A-Caroling (1965, platinum album) Happiness Is (1965) No. 80 Hot 200 Somewhere My Love and Other Great Hits (1966, platinum album) No. 3 Hot 200, No. 34 UK Ray Conniff's World of Hits (1966) No. 78 Hot 200 En Español (The Ray Conniff Singers Sing It in Spanish) (1966) No. 180 Hot 200 This Is My Song (1967) No. 30 Hot 200 Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album (1967) No. 39 Hot 200 It Must Be Him (1967, gold album) No. 25 Hot 200 Honey (1968, gold album) No. 22 Hot 200 Turn Around Look at Me (1968) No. 69 Hot 200 I Love How You Love Me (1969) No. 101 Hot 200 Ray Conniff's Greatest Hits (1969) No. 158 Hot 200 Live Europa Tournee 1969/Concert in Stereo (1969) Jean (1969) No. 103 Hot 200 Concert In Stereo: Live at 'The Sahara Tahoe (1969) No. 177 Hot 200 Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) No. 47 Hot 200, No. 30 UK We've Only Just Begun (1970) No. 120 Hot 200 Love Story (1970) No. 98 Hot 200, No. 34 UK Great Contemporary Instrumental Hits (1971) No. 177 Hot 200 I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1971) No. 138 Hot 200, No. 17 UK

Love Theme from 'The Godfather (1972) No. 114 Hot 200 Alone Again (Naturally) (1972) No. 180 Hot 200 I Can See Clearly Now (aka Clair) (1973) No. 165 Hot 200, No. 39 UK Ray Conniff in Britain (1973) You Are the Sunshine of My Life (1973) No. 176 Hot 200, No. 41 AUS Harmony (1973) No. 194 Hot 200, No. 61 AUS The Way We Were (1973) Ray Conniff Plays Carpenters (1974) The Happy Sound of Ray Conniff (1974) Ray Conniff in Moscow (1974) Laughter in the Rain (1975) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (1975) Love Will Keep Us Together (1975) Ray Conniff Plays The Beatles (1975) I Write the Songs (1975) Live in Japan (1975) Send in the Clowns (1976) Theme from 'SWAT' and Other TV Themes (1976) After the Lovin (1976) Exitos Latinos (1977) Ray Conniff Plays the Bee Gees and Other Great Hits (1978) I Will Survive (1979) The Perfect '10' Classics (1980) Exclusivamente Latino (1980) Siempre Latino (1981) The Nashville Connection (1982) Musik für Millionen (partly produced for a German TV show in 1982) Amor Amor (1982) Fantastico (1983) Supersonico (1984) Christmas Caroling (1984) Campeones (1985) Say You Say Me (1986) 30th Anniversary Edition (1986) Always in My Heart (1987) Interpreta 16 Exitos De Manuel Alejandro (1988) Ray Conniff Plays Broadway (1990)S Always Conniff (1991) Latinisimo (1993) 40th Anniversary (1995) Live in Rio (aka Mi Historia) (1997) I Love Movies (1997) My Way (1998)S Country (1999)S Christmas (1999) Do Ray Para O Rei (2000)

Spinoffs A special version of the song "Happiness Is" was recorded for use in a TV commercial for Kent cigarettes, prior to the ban on TV advertising of tobacco products.

Songs composed by Conniff "I Don't Love Nobody but You" (1956) "Unwanted Heart" (1956) "A Girl Without a Fella" (1956) "Please Write While I'm Away" (1956) "Love Her in the Morning" (1956) "No Wedding Today" (1956; under pseudonym, "Engberg") "There's a Place Called Heaven" (1956; under pseudonym, "Engberg") "Three Way Love" (1957) "Walkin' and Whistlin" (1957) "Grown Up Tears" (1957) "Steel Guitar Rock" (1957) LP Dance the Bop! (1957; all titles) "Ann's Theme" (1957; under pseudonym, "Engberg") "(If 'n' You Don't) Somebody Else Will" (1957) "Just a Beginner in Love" (1957) "Window Shopping" (1957) "Soliloquy of a Fool" (1957; co-written) "When We're All Through School" (1957) "Make It Baby" (1957/58) "Let's Walk" (1957/58) "Lonely for a Letter" (1958) "Early Evening (Theme from the Ray Conniff Suite)" (1958) "Let's Be Grown Up Too" (1958) "Pacific Sunset" (1958) "A Love is Born" (1959) "Stay" (1959; co-written) "Will You Love Me" (1959; co-written) "African Safari" (1961) "To my Love" (1962) "Just Kiddin' Around" (1963; composed in the 1930s) "Scarlet" (1963) "Love Has No Rules" (1963) "The Real Meaning of Christmas" (1965) "Midsummer in Sweden" (1966) "The Power of Love" (1969) "Everybody Knows" (1970) "Someone" (1970) "With Every Beat of My Heart" (1971) "A Man Without a Vision" (1972; co-written with Robert Pickett and Fred Sadoff) "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" (1973) "Frost Festival" (1973) "Ecstasy" (1974) "Ray Conniff in Moscow" (1974) "I Need You Baby" (1975) "Love Theme from an X-Rated Movie", also titled "Duck Walk" and "Love Dance" (1975) "Vera's Theme" (1976) "Dama Latina" (1977) "The 23rd Psalm" (1979) "Exclusivamente Latino" (1980) "Fantastico" (1983; co-written) "Supersonico" (1984) "Campeones" ("The Champions") (1985) "I Can Do All Things (Through Christ Which Strengthenth Me)" (1986) "Tamara's Boogie" (1996) "Turn to the Right" (1996)