Ray Dorset
| Ray Dorset | |
|---|---|
Dorset in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Edward Dorset |
| Born |
21 March 1946 Ashford, Middlesex, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, harmonica, kazoo, keyboards |
| Associated acts | Mungo Jerry |
| Website | Official Mungo Jerry Site |
Raymond Edward "Ray" Dorset (born 21 March 1946, Ashford, Middlesex) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and founder of Mungo Jerry. He composed most of the songs for the band, including the hit singles "In the Summertime", "Mighty Man", "Baby Jump", "Lady Rose", "You Don't Have to Be in the Army to Fight in the War", "Long Legged Woman Dressed in Black", and "Hello Nadine".
Dorset attended Stanwell Road School (which was renamed Abbotsford County Secondary School) and Southall Grammar Technical School from the age of 13 after passing an exam and as a teenager he formed The Blue Moon Skiffle Group. After leaving the school without qualifications he worked as an apprentice hairdresser for nine months and then for a firm in Hounslow called Radio Control Specialists that manufactured electro mechanical components. He also studied for a City and Guilds qualification at Twickenham Technical College.
In 1968 Dorset formed the group Good Earth, which also included Colin Earl on keyboards, Dave Hutchins on bass, and Ray Bowerman on drums. They recorded the album It's Hard Rock And All That on the Saga record label, before Hutchins and Bowerman left. Joe Rush joined on washboard and the group adopted a more acoustic-based skiffle style. In 1970, with further line-up changes, the group became Mungo Jerry with hits to follow such as "In the Summertime". The song took Dorset only ten minutes to compose on a second-hand while he was taking time off work from his regular job, working in a laboratory for Timex.
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