The Same Old Me

Buck Norris sings "The Same Old Me" by Ray Price.
Price moved to Nashville to pursue a major-label record contract in 1951. After auditioning and failing several times, Ray finally signed to Columbia Records, after A&R representative Troy Martin convinced the label's chief executive, Don Law, that Decca was prepared to give the singer a contract. Previously, Law was uninterested in Price -- he turned him down 20 times and threatened Martin never to mention his name again -- but he was unprepared to give a rival company a chance at the vocalist. Just before "Talk to Your Heart" became a number three hit for Price in the spring of 1952, Ray met his idol, Hank Williams, who immediately became a close friend. Over the next year, Hank performed a number of favors for Price, including giving him "Weary Blues" to record and helping him join the Grand Ole Opry. Ray also became the permanent substitute for Hank whenever he was missing or too drunk to perform. Following Williams' death in 1953, Price inherited the Drifting Cowboys.

Following the success of "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" in the fall of 1952, Price was quiet for much of 1953. It wasn't until 1954 that he returned to the charts with "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)," a number two hit that kicked off a successful year for Price that also included the Top Ten singles "Release Me" and "If You Don't, Somebody Else Will." Instead of capitalizing on that success, he disappeared from the charts during 1955, as he spent the year forming the Cherokee Cowboys. Over the course of the past two years, he had realized that performing with the Drifting Cowboys had made him sound too similar to Hank Williams, so he decided to form his own group. Originally, most of the members were lifted from Lefty Frizzell's Western Cherokees, but over the years a number of gifted musicians began their careers in this band, including Roger Miller, Johnny Paycheck, Buddy Emmons, Johnny Bush, and Willie Nelson.

Ray returned to the charts in 1956, first with "Run Boy" and then with "Crazy Arms," a driving honky tonk number that immediately became a country classic. The song was one of the first country records to be recorded with a drum kit, which gave it a relentless, pulsating rhythm. Until Price, most country artists were reluctant to use drums and the instrument was even banned from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Spending an astonishing 20 weeks at the top of the country charts, "Crazy Arms" not only crossed over into the lower reaches of the pop charts, but it also established Price as a star. After the success of the single, he remained at or near the top of the charts for the next ten years, racking up 23 Top Ten singles between the 1956 and 1966. During this time, he recorded a remarkable number of country classics, including "I've Got a New Heartache" (number two, 1956), "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" (number one, 1957), "Make the World Go Away" (number two, 1963), and "City Lights," which spent 13 weeks at the top of the charts in 1958.

Category:

Music

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• Buck
• Norris
• Ray
• Price

[JoshWMusic1]

Great job, although I don't think I should have been eating pizza while I was watching the slideshow.

[bucknorrismusic]

@JoshWMusic1 Ah your tough, you can take it after all you live in New Jersey! :)

[ROYS5166]

Where did you find that picture of me for the opening clip.  Thanks for a great rendition of this classic. Keep up the good work.

[bucknorrismusic]

@ROYS5166 LMAO ROTF! That is my uncle! LOL

[jtls8]

Terrific job Buck*****

[bucknorrismusic]

@jtls8 Thank you.

[guylline]

Well done Buck ! Some friends you got there ! (band members ??? LOL)

Rene

[JoshWMusic1]

@bucknorrismusic

No, no, no..... that's New Yorkers. We're wimps. LOL

[JeremyK3094]

How'd you get a picture of me at the beginning? Lol good job

[bucknorrismusic]

@941jes Thanks so much make my day when you listen.

[classican]

Sounds great Buck!!! Great pictures!!!!

[CountryWesternGal]

Hello Buck....

Great Upload .....

Very Well Sung My Friend

Two Thumbs Up

~Love & Hugs From Patricia~