Eighteen years ago they moved into a house on Lake Catherine in Malvern. They honeymooned briefly at an oceanfront hotel - Ray had to be in church to lead music that Sunday morning.Īfter living for 30 years in Oxford, Miss., where Ray became a professor at the University of Mississippi, teaching piano and composition, they fell in love with the Hot Springs area. 25, 1960, in the Church by the Sea in Fort Lauderdale. They exchanged their vows on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. He was at the top of the draft board list then, but he became exempt from the draft after he got a job as minister of music with the Second Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and they decided to marry. Ruth and Ray dated for four years, until after Ruth graduated with a bachelor's degree and Ray completed a master's. on weekends and girls were not allowed to wear pants while walking across the campus. "I wasn't allowed to cross the state line," she explains, adding that curfews for girls were set at 10:30 p.m. They had bookings just across the Georgia line, too, but as a co-ed, Ruth was not permitted to go to those. The dance band played big band era songs as well as the music popular in their day, in venues around the area. "Neither one of us had to make up excuses because it was almost time for this or that and very soon we were spending lots of time together and having great, great fun getting through our college years together."
#Accompanist t shirt movie
The timing was always perfect for them to run over to the Soda Shop or to catch a movie when they were done. Practices got longer, and we would say, well, it's almost dinnertime or it's almost lunch time."
"Of course, we had to practice, and I'm not sure either of us practiced so hard outside but we found lots of time to practice her voice music together, I tell you.
"Therefore, we were together lots," Ray says. He started playing piano for her voice lessons, and for the many recitals and performances she took part in throughout the year. "He could change keys instantly to any key I wanted." I'll just go to your key when it's time for your solo,'" Ruth says of Ray. "I found out what a fantastic pianist he was because we would be playing these arrangements for the band and they would be in the wrong key for me to sing and he would say 'That's OK. Ruth was a vocals major and she needed an accompanist. "I walked in and there was this cute gal vocalist that he had found and suddenly this band looked a whole bunch better to me," he says. Ray, who was a reluctant participant in the band up to that point, was suddenly grateful to the guy who put it together. "But the third rehearsal, he walked in absolutely filthy, dressed in khakis and a T-shirt, straight from playing ragtag football and I took one look at him and I said, 'Oh my God, if he looks that good dirty he's bound to look gorgeous cleaned up.'" "The first rehearsal was pretty bad because the piano player was just awful and the second rehearsal wasn't much better," Ruth says. Ray missed the first two rehearsals because he was playing ragtag football - tackle football without pads. The fellow who invited them to join the band had no music or gear and they were dubious about his ability to get them, but he came through with all the equipment and started scheduling rehearsals. "It was an unusual circumstance in that the guy wasn't very popular but it turned out he was a wonderful band director." "We met in a dance band that many of us did not want to be in," Ray says. But do more than your share without expecting help, because if you both do that, then it’s got to be cool.” She says: “Find the right one to start with. Well, guess who forgot? The mother and father of the bride had to bum a ride to the reception. All I had to do was remember to leave the keys to our car so that her mom and dad could get to the reception. He says: “Ruth’s mother and father let us borrow their beautiful 1960 Cadillac and the best man drove us from the church to the reception. She says: “I was delighted and couldn’t wait.”
#Accompanist t shirt full
She was as pretty as any girl I had ever seen and so full of life and energy - and man, could she sing, too. I said, ‘Cary Grant, eat your heart out.’”
0 kommentar(er)
