Ray Lawrence (record producer)

Ray Lawrence
Lawrence in the early 2000s
Born	Ray Skrepich
Occupation(s)	bandleader, record company executive, record producer, personal manager
Years active	1950's - present

Ray Lawrence (August 19, 1927) was a bandleader, record company executive, record producer and personal manager.

Biography

He was born in Lorain, Ohio. He joined the US Navy before finishing high school and served on the USS Point Cruz. He was a plank owner of the USS Point Cruz. After returning from the Navy he finished high school and then went to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. In 1948 while at Ohio University he started his own big band. He was born Ray Skrepich, but when it came time to name his band he thought his name was too hard to remember and pronounce, so his father suggested he use his mother’s maiden name of Lawrence. As a result the band was named "Ray Lawrence and his Orchestra". After his band he travelled on the road for a few years with other musical combos as a drummer.

In the spring of 1953 Ray stopped performing and went to work for a theatrical booking agency in Cleveland, Ohio, booking musical combos and some variety acts across the United States and Canada. In the fall of 1960 Ray joined Cosnat Distributing, a record distributor, in Cleveland, Ohio as a salesman. Cosnat was a “leader in its field on the Eastern Seaboard “. In the fall of 1961 he moved to Los Angeles, California and was instrumental in setting up Cosnat’s West Coast operations.

In the fall of 1962 Ray became the general sales manager for Colpix Records and Dimension Records, which were divisions of Columbia Pictures, in New York, New York. After a year Ray was promoted to General Manager of Colpix Records and worked directly for Don Kirshner. While at Colpix Records he signed and produced Woody Allen’s first comedy album and also signed John Davidson and Davy Jones before he became a member of “The Monkees”.

In April of 1965 Ray started his own business, Ray Lawrence, Ltd. to specialize in promoting phonograph records and servicing rack jobbers, one stops and retail record outlets. Some of his clients included Johnny Mathis, Robert Goulet, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Barbara Streisand, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Floyd Cramer, Three Dog Night, Steppenwolf and others.

In the late 1970's he started Dobre Records, a jazz record label. He produced and released over 50 albums of jazz musicians including Milcho Leviev, Cannonball Adderly, Ruth Brown and others. Most of the sessions were recorded at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, California. Five of the albums were nominated for Grammy awards.

In May 1980, because of changes in the record industry business model Ray stopped promoting phonograph records and started acting as a personal manager for musical artists and variety acts.

Ray is retired and currently lives in Studio City, California.

Discography

Some albums that Ray has produced.

Dobre Number	Artist	Title
1000	Laurindo Almeida	Latin Guitar
1001	Chuck Flores Quintet	Flores Azules
1003	Elliott Fisher	Land of Make Believe
1004	Bobby Hackett Quartet	Thanks Bobby
1005	Tommy Vig Orchestra	Somebody Loves Me
1006	Stanley Behrens Trio	Jazz Harmonica De Luxe
1007	Mundell Lowe Trio	Guitar Player
1008	Cannonball Adderly Quintet	Volume 1 of III
1009	Della Griffin with Trio	Sings
1010	H. Ray Crawford Quartet	It’s About Time
1011	Harry Bluestone Duo	Artistry in Jazz
1012	Bobby Forrester Trio	Organist
1013	Floyd Huddleston with Mundell Lowe Quartet	Happy Birthday Jesus
1014	Anita O’Day with Trio	Anita O’Day
1015	Tommy Vig Quintet	Tommy Vig 1978
1016	Sonny Til and The Orioles	Sonny Til and The Orioles Today
1017	Johnny Guarnieri Trio	Makin’ Whopee
1018	Mundell Lowe Trio	The Incomparable Mundell Lowe
1019	Ray Cooper & Group	Everybody’s Cup of Tea
1020	Les Demerle	Transfusion
1021	H. Ray Crawford Quartet	Piano Lesson
1022	John Tiribasso Quintet	Diamond Cufflinks and Mink
1023	Pete Candoli Quartet	From the Top
1024	Laurindo Almeida Trio	Laurindo Almeida Trio
1025	Milcho Leviev Quartet	Piano Lesson
1026	Sonny Til with Band	Back to the Chapel
1027	Roger Kellaway	Solo Piano
1028	Billy Perkins	Sings for Jesus
1029	Anita O’Day with Trio	There’s Only One
1030	Jay Orlando Quartet	In a Mello-Tone
1031	Mel Henke Trio	Love Touch
1032	Farley Parkenfarker	Plays Elvis
1033	Nat McCoy with Group	Soul
1034	Bill Farrell with Trio	Lush Life
1035	Dave & Larry Koonse Quartet	Father & Son Jazz Guitar
1036	Smokey Stover and the Magnificient 7	Anyone for Country Hoe-Down
1037	Joe Conley & Eric Scott	Of the Waltons
1038	Page Cavanaugh Trio	Is Alive
1039	Milcho Leviev Quartet	Blue Levis
1040	Jay Orlando Quartet	Jay Orlando Loves Earl Bostic
1041	Ruth Brown with Trio	You Don’t Know Me
1042	Lou Levy Trio	A Touch of Class
1043	Frankie Ortega Trio	Smokin’
1044	Edie Miller Quartet	Legend
1045	Roger Kellaway	Say That Again
1046	Page Cavanaugh Trio	Next Page
1047	Herb Jeffries with Trio	I Remember the Bing
1048	Dave & Larry Koonse Quartet	Son of Jazz Guitar
1049	Linda Guymon with Quartet	Steve Allen Presents Linda Guymon
1050	Pete & Conte Candoli Sextet	Candoli Brothers
1051	Abe Most Quartet	The Most-Abe Most That Is
1052	Laurie Loman with Orchestra	Country Weepers
1053	Laurindo Almeida and Herb Jeffries	Play and Sing the Duke
1054	Gene Townsel	Time Wounds All Heels
1055	Mike Warren	Survival Kit
1056	Eddie Joe Downs	Hard Times
1057	Monty Budwig	Dig
1058	George Russell with Orchestra	George Russell in London
1059	Herb Jeffries with Trio	The King and Me
1060	Don Randi & Quest	Bermuda Triangle
1061	George Smith	Harmonica Blues King
1062	Dick Whittinghill	The Romance of Helen Trump
1063	Jay Orlando	Horn Aplenty
1064	Bill Farrell	Maybe this Time
1065	Bill Farrell	Sings Favorite Concertos