Ray Anderson

Chillicothe / Washington Court House, 1940s - 1970s

Ray Anderson had a stake in every aspect of the sourthen Ohio country music scene. He was a singer, recording artist, promoter, disc jockey, radio station manager, and recording studio owner. He was also a church pastor.

The earliest mention we could find about him was a perfomance in September, 1949, billed as Ray Anderson and his Tennessee Mountaineers from WHOK in Lancaster. He seemed to be living in Chillicothe in the early 1950s, before moving to Washington Court House about 1955 where he was managing radio station WCHO, in addition to having on-air shows. He also ran an event called the Hometown Frolic.

His recording career is a little hard to track at first. His first records were two 78s on the Jamboree label. They were claimed to have been recorded in West Virginia, as a internet source has him living there, although the 1949 ad from Lancaster would place him there. He had a one off 45 for the Cozy label where he is co-credited with Cliff Allen. He recorded some songs for the Big 4 budget label which was part of the Queen City/Gateway/Rite operation. Some of the songs were covers of standards while others appear to be originals or brought in by outside writers as part of an early song-poem process. Around the same time, in 1953, he recorded a couple records for the Kentucky label which was another QC related label. One of Kentucky records was his original song "Stalin Kicked The Bucket", which sounds just like the title!

There's a few mentions of him performing locally as seen in the ad above.

He took his radio show to WWVA in Wheeling, WV, and recorded some more 45s, three for Starday, and one for the Admiral label outof Wheeling. He reintroduced the anti-Soviet Union theme with the classic "Sputniks and Mutniks", probably his most sought after 45, for it's theme and it's driving proto-rockabilly sound. He recorded four 45s on the Mountaineer label, which appears to be his own label as it has a Washington Court House box address. The Mountaineer 45s are all Gospel. According to some of the same sources referenced regarding the Jamboree label records, he moved to West Virginia for awhile, probably in the late 1950s. The Mountaineer 45s have some involvement from the Osborne brothers (Sonny and Bobby). He likely met them during the Gateway sessions, as the brothers also recorded there and were based out of Dayton at the time.

There isn't much in details about his life over the next few years and he didn't make any more records. A newspaper story from 1963 says he was working at WCHI in Chillicothe and resigned from the station in March of that year. He made one 45 sometime about 1962, a gospel 45 on the Faith label, a one-off King custom with the address of 1022 Eastern Ave in Chillicothe. 

Forward to 1967, Ray became an ordained pastor at the Church of God in Richmond Dale, southeast of Chillicothe. He opened his recording studio in RD, the Gospel Recording Service, which provided the name of the studio record label. The first record done there was Ray's biggest 'hit', a song about the Silver Bridge collapse on December 15, 1967. The record has a QCA pressing date of the same month so Ray must have written and recorded it in a few days. The record sold a good number of copies for a private pressing record and became one of several records about the tragedy that killed 46 and created a cult around the Mothman (look it up if you want to know more).

Ray recorded a few more 45s and a couple LPs on the Gospel Recording Service and that seems to be the end of his recording career. There are two records credited to Ray Anderson released on the Love Bug label, that is a different Ray Anderson (actually Reynold Jta Anschuetz, or Reynold Jay as he is known professionally).

Discography:
You're The Two Timing Kind / You'd Better Hold Your Tongue - Jamboree 504, 1950 (78 only)
Draft Board Blues / I'm Lonely Because - Dixie Jamboree 513, 1950 (78 only)
Cliff Allen and Ray Anderson - I'm A Gonna Leave You / I'm Lonesome And Blue - Cozy 282/3, 1951 (Ray is credited on the A side only)
Death Is Only A Dream ; Building On The Sand / (by Jim Fair)  Take My Hand Precious Lord ; He Knows - Big 4 Hits 4-31, 1953?
Take These Chains From My Heart ; Ramblin' Man / (by Jim Fair) Mexican Joe ; Knothole - Big 4 Hits 4-38, 1953?
Building On The Sand (one of 6 songs, different artists on the other five) - Big 6 509, 1953
What Would The Profit Be, Death Is Only A Dream (one of 6 songs, different artists on the other 4) - Big 6 522, 1953
When The Saints Go Marching In / What Would The Profit Be? - Kentucky 568 and Alcar 568, 1953 (45 and 78)
(I Finally Found) The Girl Of My Dreams / Stalin Kicked The Bucket - Kentucky 573, 1953 (45 and 78)
Living Too Fast / At Last - Admiral 1005, 1957 (45 and 78)
Don't Wait No Longer (Poor Sinner) / Forgotten Grave - Mounatineer 260/1, 1956
These Old Hands / Once Sweethearts - Mountainer 645, 1956
Near The Cross / Nothing But The Blood - Mountaineer 646, 1957
Hold To God's Unchanging Hand / No Drunkard Can Enter - Mounatineer 647, 1957
Sputniks and Mutniks / Dreaming - Startday 342, 1957
Give Me The Flowers Now ; My Old Clay House / The City Of Shut Ins ; Old Time Church - Starday 354
You Can't Break A Heart (That's Been Broken) / Cryin' A River - Starday 728
The Middle Cross / He'll Be There - Faith 920, 1963?
LP - Ray Anderson and Maxine Anderson - We're Almost Home - Gospel Recording Service no # (QCA master 71204)
The Silver Bridge Disaster / They Crucified The Rose - Gospel Recording Service no # (QCA master 71266) Dec 1967 (issued with red and white labels)
Pray For Them (Our Servicemen) / A New Lease On Life (picture sleeve) - Gospel Recording Service no # (QCA 80316), March 1968
I'm Gonna Walk Out Of This Vally (sic) ; I'm Going Home With Jesus / No Segregation In Heaven ; You May Be The Only Bible - Gospel Recording Service no # (QCA master 80463), April 1968
LP - Silver Bridge Disaster Memorial Album - Gospel Recording Service no # (QCA 80314) March 1968
Man On The Moon / Man Can Change The World - Victory no # (QCA master 90772) July 1969
LP - Roar Family Singers with Rev. Ray Anderson - Victory no # (Artists master 691012) Oct 1969
LP - Ray Anderson Gospel Trio - GRS Victory no # (Musicol 1473/4) April 1970
LP - The Ray Anderson Gospel Trio - Signs Country with Nashville's Top Country Band! - Patriot no # (Musicol 101177/8) 1972 (number 12345 on cover but not record label)