Ray Perry

Ray Perry (February 25, 1915 – 1950) was an American jazz violinist and saxophonist.

Perry was born in 1915 to a musical family and began playing the violin at a young age, while his brothers Joe and Bay became a baritonist and drummer, respectively. Perry sang during his violin solos, inspiring Slam Stewart to continue the practice on bass. He performed more frequently on alto saxophone.

He worked bread and butter gigs with the best in the business, including Dean Earl (1935), Clarence Carter (1937–39, not the R&B singer), Blanche Calloway (1940), and Lionel Hampton (1940–43). Despite his short career, Ray Perry worked with many jazz artists, including:

Many of his records failed to gain a prominent following, but he was very successful until poor health prevented him from touring. Two of Perry's albums remain popular - Jumpin' Jacquet and 50 Sublimes Chanteurs de Jazz. Some of his more famous songs are Flyin' Home, How High the Moon, Love is the Thing, Boog It, and I Want a Little Girl.

Ray Perry (baseball)

Raymond Lawrence Perry (December 23, 1919 – May 3, 1973) was an American professional baseball player, manager and scout. He was born in San Francisco.

A third baseman and second baseman, Perry played in the minors from 1940–1954, missing 1943–1945 due to service in World War II. He put up good numbers in the minors (despite being listed at 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg), he hit 348 home runs lifetime and batted .323) but a broken leg and the service in the war hurt his chances to advance.

He was a player-manager as his career wound down and remained a minor league manager through 1961, when he became a scout for the Chicago Cubs. He was with the Cubs from 1961–1967, then was a scout for the New York Yankees from 1968–1969 and Los Angeles Dodgers (1970–1973).

Managing career

References