Wednesday, March 14, 2012

New Oldies - Elvira by The Skunks

http://musicmasteroldies.com/2012/03/14/new-oldies-elvira-by-the-skunks/
Posted by joeknapp at 11:13 PM

2 comments:

  1. TimmyFebruary 24, 2013 at 10:31 PM

    I don't know if it's the same Baby Ray, but I think he is. There was a Baby Ray & The Ferns that had some association with Frank Zappa & recorded a song or two by him in the early 60's.

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    1. joeknappFebruary 26, 2013 at 8:59 PM

      Not the same guy. Baby Ray And The Ferns was a fake name made up by Frank Zappa. The name Ray referred to Ray Collins from Los Angeles. He grew up in Pomona. The son of a police officer, Ray sang in his school choir. He quit high school to get married. He sang falsetto backing vocals for various doo wop groups around Los Angeles in the 1950's and 1960's, including Little Julian Herrera And The Tigers. Ray Collins formed a band called the Soul Giants featuring Jimmy Carl Black on drums, Roy Estrada on bass, Dave Coronado on sax, and Ray Hunt on guitar. Ray Hunt left the group and was replaced by Frank Zappa! Ray was the lead vocalist on the Mothers Of Invention's early albums, including Freak Out!, Free And Cruising With Ruben And The Jets, and Absolutely Free. The Soul Giants essentially turned into the Mothers Of Invention under Frank Zappa's leadership. Ray Collins lived in Claremont, California until his death just a few months ago. He died on 24 December 2012 at age 76.

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