Was Johnnie Ray Deaf?

At age thirteen, Ray became deaf in his left ear following a mishap that occurred during a Boy Scout ritual called a “blanket toss.” In later years, Ray performed wearing a hearing aid. Surgery performed in 1958 left him almost completely deaf in both ears, although hearing aids helped his condition.

What happened Johnnie Ray?

Johnnie Ray, a singer whose emotionally uninhibited hit recordings in the early 1950's anticipated the rock-and-roll era, died of liver failure on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 63 years old. Mr. ... 16 and had been in a coma for several days, died at 4 P.M., said a hospital spokesman, Ron Wise.

What did Johnny Ray do in 1949?

He became a self-taught pianist who sang at church and at school. He came to Hollywood in 1949 to act in films but found only odd jobs as a bartender and piano player in clubs. He went to New York and then to Detroit, where he found work at the Flame Showbar.