Corki Ray

 

If you are into rockabilly music, you have already heard Corki Ray, without perhaps knowing it. She played bass guitar alongside her then-husband, Al Casey on numerous Phoenix, Arizona recording sessions such as The Fool (Sandford Clark), Cool Cat (Joe Montgomery), I’m Gone Mama (Jim Murphy) or Long John’s Flagpole Rock ( Lonesome Long John Roller).

Born Vivian J. Ray in 1936, Corki Ray rose to fame in the 1950s as the only female in a group of rising rockers in Phoenix, Arizona. She worked with songwriter and producer Lee Hazelwood and in 1957, began collaborating with Duane Eddy, playing on songs like Rebel Rouser and Ramrod, before joining his band the Rebels.

She recorded a solo single, 1963's "Whirlwind" backed with "Once It Was Mine," as Corki Ray. That same year, she and Eddy's first wife, Carol Roberts, had a doo-wop-flavored girl-group single out as Sugar & the Spices, the contagious "Bye Bye Baby."

Corki Ray, by all accounts, a nice person, died in 2017.

Further reading here

Her vocal recordings (1963-1964) are on this compilation.

1 - Corki Ray - Whirlwind (Brent 7044)                             
2 - Corki Ray - Once It Was Mine (Brent 7044)                       
3 - Sugar & The Spices - Do The Dog (Stacy 968)                     
4 - Sugar & The Spices- Bye Bye Baby (Stacy 968)                    
5 - Sugar And The Spices - Boys Can Be Mean (Vee-Jay 607)            
6 - Sugar And The Spices - Come On Over To My House (Vee-Jay 607)   
7 - The Raintree County Singers  - Long Black Trains (Time LP)

Note 1 : "Long Black Trains" is apparently the only Corki Ray vocals on the Raintree County Singers album,  [Corki Ray's timbre is husky,and her voice is an excellent contrast to Carol's](Carol Roberts).

Note 2 : The Sugar and Spices on Swan is a different group.