NEWS FROM RAY – 6/1/24: “I just thought I’d put a little news together. I am still in Germany trying to get a bit healthier before returning to Bournemouth.
Dave Mitchell – Fan photo.
“Firstly I wish with great sadness to report that Dave Mitchell, the guitarist that performed in my band during the early to mid eighties, and played many gigs and TV shows with me, passed away on December 22nd, 2023. R.I.P.
“I hope that all you folks had a good Christmas break, and I wish you all a very healthy and happy 2024.
“The Alright Alright Alright limited edition 7 inch mono vinyl which is now in stock will shortly be available to order.
“The limited edition 12 inch album Mungo Jerry Ten Grooves in Mono unexpectedly sold out on the first pressing and another run has been ordered.
“I am involved with several other recording projects at the moment, but the priority is to complete the current album project which is taking a lot longer than originally envisaged.
“Work continue on my autobiography with the help of Alan Taylor, Mick O Hanlon, and Derek Wadeson, and also wish to thank John Van der Kiste, Stuart Turner, along with Juergen Keuneke, Jean Jacques Bedrossian, and Juergen Wanda.
“I also wish to thank John Kenneth Hornhaver for searching out so many of the MJ videos and cover versions that have been posted on YouTube, in addition to all of the info on retro recording equipment, and techniques.
“Derek, Alan & co have been working on a review of every recording that I have ever made, including demos. This is absolutely wonderful. It reminds me of forgotten gems that I hope I will be able to introduce to the market place.
“Despite what is said by many, I maintain that there is more music out in the world to be enjoyed all over. It’s good to move away from the familiar genres that one listens to and explore others.
“There is a tendency for more music physical product to be sold, this is definitely a good trend as far as I am concerned.
“I work together with a very good company that takes care of exploiting, via streaming and digital downloads, (the aggregator), the master recordings that I own, this includes all of the tracks that I recorded during my time with Polydor.”
(20/9/23):
Ray told us, “The next album, Indefinable is a work in progress with several numbers recorded. There will probably be ten tracks on the album, maybe twelve, the stereo version of 500 Miles will be included as well as I’m So In Love With You, which will be the track chosen as a single and another destined for Mike Read’s Heritage Chart.
“I have been asked to make an appearance at the Regent Theatre, Christchurch, on Saturday 15th Oct as part of the Talking Pictures TV roadshow with Mike Read and others.
“A crew is coming to Bournemouth on Oct 1st and will stay until the 6th, I will be interviewed with the guy that founded and put on the 1970 Holland Pop Festival in 1970 which is still the biggest festival that was ever held in Holland. This is proposed for a movie documentary.“
(08/04/22)
It’s a murky April day here in Cologne. Yesterday I worked on some green screen stuff in my son’s multi media studio in the City.
The footage will be used for an update to the That’s the Colour of Love track for YouTube. The recording will be used to promote the Somelight album which is set for release on May 26th. Footage was also shot which will be included on a promo video for Happy to Be, which is another track on the album, and is set to be the follow up single.
I’m looking forward to get back to the UK and beginning work on more recording projects, but in the meantime, priority must go to completing my autobiography which is long overdue. My very good friend Mick O’Hanlon is assisting, and of course Alan Taylor, and Derek Wadeson continue to put up many ideas of what to include in the book.
To me, “the chase” is more interesting than “the catch”. So I may be dwelling on too many experiences that led up to me getting involved with music, and writing and recording In the Summertime, a song, that despite being unleashed on the public over fifty years ago, continues to gain momentum throughout the world.
Only just recently, a new Ti West movie, which is set to become a cult classic, features In the Summertime in the opening sequence. The title of the movie is “X”, and judging by the rave reviews that I have read, it has been inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Bye for now, and if you’ve got any questions that you would like me to answer, then just fire them over and I’ll do my best to reply.
Look out for the next edition of ‘Ray’s News’ COMING SOON!
(02/04/22)
Hi Folks
This is the first of what I hope to be a regular, though knowing me, it may be irregular – ‘Ray’s news’ from me.
It’s been a pretty weird last couple of years, and I thank all of you for being interested in all of the Mungo stuff that has been going on.
Photo by Miguel Dorset, 2019.
In particular, all of the support, encouragement, and work that has gone on in the background by Mr Alan Taylor, and Mr Derek Wadeson, in putting this wonderful Mungo Jerry World website together.
Other folks that I must say a big thank you to, and in no particular order of merit, are Mr Mick O Hanlon, who has painstakingly been working on my long overdue autobiography.
Mr John Van der Kiste, Mr Stuart Turner, Mr Rob Kamphues, Mr Jean Jacques Bedrossian, Herr Juergen Wanda, Herr Juergen Keuneke, Mr Roel Van Ekeris, Mr Marc Viscel and Mr John Kenneth Hornhaver.
The Covid 19 pandemic put a halt to the live shows that were in the planning stage for 2020, and then I unexpectedly had to have some pretty serious open heart surgery that put a halt to the recording studio, and video documentary that was in the planning stage.
Nevertheless, the Somelight album was completed, and will be released in May 2022. So far, all of the reviews that the album has received have been very good indeed.
Despite over fifty years on, In the Summertime continues to gather momentum. It features in the opening sequence of X a new “slash” movie made by Ti West. It’s been receiving rave reviews and could well become a cult classic.
Another of the UK No 1 songs that I wrote, Feels Like I’m in Love by Kelly Marie, features in the Channel 4 award winning series It’s a Sin, expected to be on Netflix and out in the USA.
Hopefully I’ll be getting stuck into the stuff that’s on the back burner and completing it all in the near future.
That’s enough for now, but if you folks have got any questions, just send them on and I’ll do my best to answer them.
If you folks are not already doing so, please follow me on the social network platforms, especially TWITTER, and if you have any questions that you would like me to answer, then do not hesitate to contact me via a Tweet, I’ll do my utmost to get back to you ASAP.
The footage will be used for an update to the That’s the Colour of Love track for YouTube. The recording will be used to promote the Somelight album which is set for release on May 26th. Footage was also shot which will be included on a promo video for Happy to Be, which is another track on the album, and is set to be the follow up single.
