Ray Peterson: "Corrine Corrina" EP, 1960. London Records. + "Wonder of You" 1959

	£		39
	$		51

Ray Peterson: Corrine Corrina E.P.

London Records RE-X 1293, 1960.

Plus The Wonder Of You b/w I'm Gone. RCA, 1959

Ray Peterson (1939 – 2005) was a much better than average country-influenced, rock’n’roller who arrived on the American scene just at the point that rock’n’roll began to lose its initial edge. From around 1959 onwards, the music became a bit less aggressive and young male singers became a bit more “boy-next-door”. Nevertheless Ray had a fine voice and

After several unsuccessful releases in the USA, his version of the standard, The Wonder Of You, made the lower reaches of the Top Thirty in the both US and the UK in 1959. It was Ray’s 1960 single, Tell Laura I Love Her, arguably the best “teenage death song” of the period, that gave him major success though, reaching number 7 in the US charts. Tell Laura I Love Her was not released in the UK because his British record company thought it in poor taste. Additionally, at that time, the BBC had a policy of not playing songs about death. Despite all this the song was covered by British pop singer Ricky Valance. It made number one in the UK charts on the strength of airplay on Radio Luxembourg!

This listing is of Ray Peterson’s 1960 UK E.P. Corrine Corrina (aka Corrina Corrina). If Ray Peterson is reminiscent of anyone on the four tracks here, it is his fellow Texan, Buddy Holly. The title track, a poppy, upbeat version of the country blues standard, had reached the US Top Ten and made number 41 in the UK when released as a single. The first track on side two Sweet Little Kathy was also a single but was unsuccessful on both sides of the Atlantic. The other two tracks on the EP are Be My Girl and You Didn’t Care. All these tracks incidentally, were recorded for Ray Peterson’s self-owned label, Dunes, which he set up in 1960.

Because Ray Peterson was never a big star in the UK, this is now a very scarce E.P. Discogs lists only one copy from a British dealer and that one has an asking price of £45.00. This example is not in the very best of condition. It has lots of surface marks and plays with light crackling audible in the quieter passages. It has no significant loud clicks or pops though, and plays cleanly all the way through on both sides. The labels are nice and clean. The sleeve it intact and complete but is a little grubby and has a crease to the top right corner.

Also included as a kind of freebie, is a copy of The Wonder Of You. The condition of this example is similar to the EP. It is a spare copy I happen to have, so I thought I might as well include it with the sale. The B-side, I’m Gone, has a real rockabilly vibe and is the most upbeat of the six songs in these two records.

UK Postage and packing:  £2.80

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All postage prices quoted (UK and international) are maximum charges.  If postage and packing costs less than these estimates, I will refund the difference after posting (subject to the difference being £1.00 or more. Unless otherwise indicated, the postage prices I give in the listing are for a tracked and signed-for service, as required by eBay. If however, winning buyers would prefer cheaper options, I am always happy to help with that if I can. Please contact me for a quote.

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Vintage records collectable record doo-wop rock and roll