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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZRUSSELL, Carline Ray(Carline Ray Russell, b 21 April 1925, New York City, d 18 July 2013) Vocalist, second wife of the great Harlem bandleader Luis Russell. Carline was the daughter of Elisha Manassey Ray, who had toured Europe on tuba with James Reese Europe's band during WWI, and had attended Juilliard when Walter Damrosch was the band teacher there; Damrosch offered him a job in the New York Philharmonic, but he preferred the post office where the money was steady. Carline obtained a degree in composition at Juilliard and in voice at the Manhattan School of Music; she was a later member of The International Sweehearts of Rhythm, playing bass in shows with the likes of Moms Mabley and entertaining troops in Europe, and went from there to the Erskine Hawkins band on vocals (she also played 'After Hours' on the piano because she loved it, and so did the dancers at the Savoy). She worked with Ellis Larkins (a classmate at Juilliard), and Mary Lou Williams, helping Williams with her Mass, rounding up singers who could sight-read and taking part in the recording of the Mass, which led to work with Alvin Ailey and Leonard Bernstein: she was a concert chorister for 50 years. She received a National Endowment grant and used it to study bass with Major Holly in the 1980s, and played for Mercer Ellington in the Duke Ellington ghost band. She finally made her first own album, Carline Ray: Vocal Sides, released on CarlCat in 2013. Carline's album was co-produced by her daughter, Catherine Russell. |