"I've Got My Mind Set On You" - James Ray
Dynamic Sound 503 - 1963

The story of James Ray is one of the sadder ones in R&B history. Blessed with a voice that was uncannily similar to Little Willie John's, James Ray made his first record in 1959 for the Gallant label ("Make Her Mine", under the name Little Jimmy Ray). However, the record flopped, and by 1962 James Ray was homeless, singing in the street for pennies and nickels. Gerry Granahan of Caprice Records heard him and brought him to a New York studio to record "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody", which became a huge hit. He recorded several other records (including the original version of "Got My Mind Set On You", which George Harrison had a hit with 25 years later), but none were as big as his first hit. James Ray found success tough to handle, and he died from an overdose in 1964. He was 23 years old.