Don Raye
| Don Raye | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr. |
| Born | March 16, 1909 |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Died | January 29, 1985 (aged 75) |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
Don Raye (March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985), born Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr., in Washington, D.C., was an American vaudevillian and songwriter, best known for his songs for the Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", "The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Thrill" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The latter was co-written with Hughie Prince.
While known for such wordy novelty numbers, he also wrote the lyrics to "You Don't Know What Love Is," a simple, poetic lament of unusual power. He also composed the song "(That Place) Down the Road a Piece," one of his boogie woogie songs, which has a medium bright boogie tempo. It was written for the Will Bradley Orchestra, who recorded it in 1940, but the song was destined to become a rock and roll standard, recorded by The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Foghat, Amos Milburn, Harry Gibson, and countless others. In 1940 he wrote the lyrics for the patriotic song "This Is My Country".
In 1985, Don Raye was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Raye started his career as a dancer, going on to win the "Virginia State Dancing Championship." He started work in vaudeville as a "song and dance man" often writing his own songs for his act. In 1935 he started work as a songwriter, collaborating with composers Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin, and bandleader-saxophonist Jimmie Lunceford.
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