Dobie Gray
b. Leonard Victor Ainsworth, 26 July 1942, Brookshire, Texas, USA. Although Gray had already been recording for a number of years, the anthem-like The In Crowd (1965) was his first major hit. This compulsive, if boastful, single was followed by See You At The Go-Go (1965), but it was eight years before the singer would secure another chart entry. In the interval Gray worked as an actor, appearing in productions of Hair and the controversial play THE BEARD. In the early '70s Gray sang lead for a hard rock group, Pollution; they recorded three albums that were well-received, but were commercial failures. He also recorded several demos for songwriter Paul Williams, whose brother Mentor, a producer, was responsible for relaunching Dobie's singing career. The superbly-crafted Drift Away (a US Top 5 in 1973), provided an artistic and commercial success which the singer followed with further examples of progressive southern rock/soul. However, despite minor successes for the Capricorn and Infinity labels, Gray was unable to find a distinctive direction and his newfound promise was left unfulfilled.