Ray Pillow moved to Nashville in 1961 and was destined to become one of the biggest stars in country music. He had a warm rich baritone voice, good looks, personality and Nashville contacts. His stage presence was graceful and professional and he immediately gained a captive audience. Although Ray had the substance, determination, abilities and contacts, he never reached national fame. Like Ray, several other singers endured ill-fated careers; including Johnny Russell, Cal Smith and Dick Curless.

Ray Pillow was born on July 4, 1937 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Determined to become an entertainer from an early age, he entered and won a contest sponsored by Pet Milk. In his twenties, he toured with the Martha White Show. By 1961, Pillow had moved to Nashville and frequently appeared on such programs as the Porter Wagoner Show, Wilburn Brothers Show and the Bobby Lord Show. Pillow impressed industry executives and he was signed to a recording contract with Capitol records in 1965. Soon after his debut album was issued, he charted with Take Your Hands Off My Heart. The following year, Ray was on the charts with his biggest single I’ll Take the Dog, a duet he made with Jean Shepard.

During the 70s and 80s, Ray continued to record and chart singles with such labels as ABC, Mega and First Generation. While under contract with First Generation in 1981, he recorded an album entitled Ray Pillow. Ray was backed by some of Nashville’s finest musicians, including Hargus “Pig” Robbins (piano), Bob Moore (bass), Pete Drake (steel), Pete Wade (guitar), Buddy Spicher (fiddle) and the famous Jordainaires on backup vocals. The album was reissued on compact disc (CD) in 1998. It contains ten sides, including One Too many Memories, One Man In a Two Sided Bed and a great version of If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will). This is the only CD available on Ray Pillow and is just a small sampling of Ray’s fantastic talent.

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Ray Pillow is currently available at

Career Highlights

Birth Place - Lynchburg, Virginia

Career record label - Capitol

First Top 10 - I'll Take the Dog (1966)

Biggest Hit - I'll Take the Dog (1966)

Chart Run -1965 - 1981

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