Text in this post originally in Swedish and courtesy of Rocknytt
It has been over 30 years since RAY GILLEN left this world, only 34 years old. In that short time he managed to make a name for himself by participating in legendary acts such as BLACK SABBATH and PHENOMENA. He probably became best known for his longest-lasting collaboration with JAKE E. LEE in the band BADLANDS.
Despite this, information about Ray has been of the more spartan kind and rumors have been numerous about his disposition and tragic death. With us as companions in this tribute column, we have none other than JAKE E. LEE who, together with Rocknytt's Sven Mörén, tries to give you readers a little deeper insight into RAY GILLEN's life and what was his unique feature as an established rock singer.Where is the line drawn to become a titled legend? It is actually a question that the author of this article has asked himself many times. But the basic criteria for gaining legend status are probably agreed upon by most people: that one has done something style-forming, as in this case in the art of music where a large group of individuals take it all to heart, something that leaves deep footprints and that will live on for decades. Then there are the mythical legends who have not necessarily achieved anything revolutionary in the musical world but have subconsciously or consciously created a mystique around their personality/image and have therefore become titled legends.
Today is twenty years since RAY GILLEN left this world, while I note that tomorrow (December 4) will be twenty years since FRANK ZAPPA passed away. The latter artist is a legend in every sense of the word, as with around fifty studio albums released, he went against the grain in everything he created, which made Zappa impossible to categorize and hence his uniqueness. The following year, NIRVANA frontman KURT COBAIN was found dead after having put the grunge wave on the world map. The whole thing was presented as a suicide, a theory that would come to be questioned and still does, - and voila, another legend was created.
But the big question remains: what is it that makes many consider RAY GILLEN a legend when he did not release any groundbreaking records and when his only really solid platform during his all-too-short career was the band BADLANDS, which managed to release two full-length albums before deciding to throw in the towel? These two albums were certainly high class, but not close to appearing as something style-forming within the tangled history of rock. It is true that after the day of his death, rumors began to spread that he was not dead. Demo tapes with newly recorded material from BADLANDS began to abound and it was said that a third album was imminent. It later turned out to be material the band had recorded shortly before the breakup and which was then released in the form of a third album called DUSK, which only saw the light of day as late as 1998 and with that this reputation was erased.
If I were to go into my own reflections on the question of what is the main reason, we end up in his time as frontman of BLACK SABBATH. It should be a pretty obvious reason that you automatically make a big name for yourself when you get the honor of shouldering the mantle as frontman of hard rock's most influential band of all time. In Ray's situation, the situation was anything but grateful when he was named as the band's new vocalist.
In 1986, BLACK SABBATH found themselves in their undoubtedly most confusing period when many thought the band's existence had been shelved. But on January 28, 1986, SEVENTH STAR saw the light of day with TONY IOMMI as the only original member, something that created rage and frustration among many fans. Behind the microphone on the aforementioned record was none other than the legend from DEEP PURPLE, GLENN HUGHES, who had jumped on board in good faith that it was all about TONY IOMMI's solo project, which it was all originally intended for.
But the plans changed drastically shortly before the release. Overnight, BLACK SABBATH was once again a fact and a tour was started in the States. Only five shows into the tour, GLENN HUGHES's departure was a fact when it became clear that the legend's health was on the verge of ruin and that his voice had been a minor disaster on the few appearances he made with the band. It was at this stage that Ray came into the picture. TONY IOMMI had heard about him in former RAINBOW drummer BOBBY RONDINELLI's short-lived project RONDINELLI, which released the album WARDANCE in 1985.
Rather immediately, the rumor about the then young unknown American with the strong voice began to flourish. So did the European media. I must admit that I frowned a little on the whole thing before the first bootleg recording began to appear on European soil. But when I got to hear the first audio recordings, I was completely converted. Already in the first bars of the verse to MOB RULES, he made me get up from the armchair at my friend's house who had acquired the aforementioned recording on double vinyl. But What then made Ray's voice and personality unique? When I call JAKE E. LEE to ask him the same question, it turns out that our theories are largely the same.
It's a JAKE E. LEE in a great mood who answers the phone when I call and he seems more than willing to give his story about his former bandmate. But when I mention that it's exactly one week until the day Ray left us twenty years ago, he lets out a deep sigh and a certain sadness mixed with a little sadness appears in his voice.
"Oh my god! Is it twenty years ago! It's completely unbelievable because it's exactly the same number of years ago that I left the music industry. The years have gone by so fast, I must say.”
We'll get into the reason why he chose to leave the industry as abruptly as he did, but we'll leave that for now as this interview will be published in its entirety in January. jake-e-lee-01Instead, we return to the question of what was the key to RAY GILLEN's uniqueness during his short career."He was without a doubt the best vocalist I had the honor of working with. In my opinion, we might be talking about the best singer who has ever appeared on our planet. You could say he was a child prodigy among other legends like RONNIE JAMES DIO, IAN GILLAN, OZZY OSBOURNE and ROBERT PLANT. That alone makes him unique. He had the ability to make other people's songs his own because his unique approach to phrasing lyrics and vocal melodies merged into something unified and watertight.”
TONY IOMMI is said to have said in recent days that RAY GILLEN is the only singer who has appeared in BLACK SABBATH who has managed to perfectly and relevantly embrace the right elements of both Ozzy and Dio's songs, which may very well be true as both Dio and Gillan had their weaknesses when it came to embracing their predecessors' numbers. Not to mention the aforementioned GLENN HUGHES' brief but oh so disastrous entry.
Jake continues: "He joined one of the most influential bands in the history of rock at just twenty-five years old and gave the songs new life. You just have to listen to his versions of CHILDREN OF THE SEA and BLACK SABBATH. The two strongest landmarks from two legendary eras in BLACK SABBATH's history. Then you understand Ray's uniqueness as a vocalist." But to reach legendary status, it takes more than just a good scratch in the voice. Jake continues. "His colorful personality occupied an entire room. He loved to be seen and he always tried to create a spectacular aura around himself wherever he was. He never showed any fear of anything but took on any kind of challenge. Again, watch his performances that are filmed with him during his time in BLACK SABBATH and you will understand what I am talking about. If he had stayed in the band and not chosen to quit, I am convinced that BLACK SABBATH would have achieved even greater commercial success than they did with TONY MARTIN. The girls flocked to Ray and he in turn loved to mingle with them, maybe a little too much as that was probably his downfall”.
There were a lot of rumors that he was gay when it was revealed that he died of AIDS, but according to Jake, this rumor was completely false. “I heard these rumors abound, but I can confirm that that was not the case as I only saw him surrounded by a whole bunch of chicks (laughs).”
Jake explains that if you have to find any flaws in Ray, it would have to be his far too frivolous view of life. He believed that you lived in the here and now and therefore you just had to keep going as long as you could. But what was he really like to work with?
“That’s where we get to his other greatness as a person. His ability to separate work and private life became something fully fledged. If he saw everyday life in a somewhat light-hearted way, it was the exact opposite when it came to work. Integrity was probably his strongest point,” says Jake. “This was something he really proved in BLACK SABBATH and that’s why he chose to drop out.” He continues: “Ray ended up in the same situation that I ended up in during the creation of BARK AT THE MOON with OZZY OSBOURNE. During the creation of ETERNAL IDOL, he was incredibly creative and wrote most of the lyrics. He had just added vocals to all the songs when the management called him to a meeting where they announced that he would not receive credit for his efforts as a lyricist, but that he would be happy and satisfied that he was allowed to be a part of BLACK SABABTH at all. This resulted in him banging his fist on the table and announcing his departure from the band as he could not agree to work under such humiliating circumstances. There he really showed a test of his enormous integrity, an integrity that I was nowhere near able to show when I was in the same situation during the creation of BARK AT THE MOON (laughs). But working with Ray was a joy as it constantly generated something nting creative and relevant.”
But something happened in the gap between the years 1992 and -93, an event that would be decisive for Ray and Jake's future as collaborators.
“We were in full swing writing songs for a third album and everything was going in the same genuine lull since day one of our collaboration, when Ray suddenly blurted out: “Jake! We have to deliver some more hit-oriented songs for the upcoming album. I've had a conversation with DESMOND CHILD to see if he would consider writing some songs for the album!” I stood there like an idiot and didn't understand anything. Everything he had missed and the genuineness he had held so tightly to was blown away. I asked Ray what this turnaround was? At the same time, I had begun to notice during the creative process on the upcoming album that his health was deteriorating significantly and no one, including Ray himself, knew at the time that he had been infected with HIV.”
Jake thinks for a moment and adds: “I think that during the last time in BADLANDS, Ray felt that time was running out for him as his health deteriorated extremely quickly. I got the feeling that he was panicking, that he felt that a lot was undone. That the full-scale breakthrough was slipping out of his hands and therefore that he wanted to bring in outside songwriters to get that hit that would eventually make him the perfect rock star.”This was the end of the collaboration between JAKE E. LEE and RAY GILLEN. After leaving BADLANDS, Ray managed to make a couple of guest appearances on GEORGE LYNCH’s album SACRED GROOVE and on ATSUSHI YOKOZEKI PROJECT’s album HEARTBREAK. In the same year (1993) he would form a new band again, this time again with BOBBY RONDINELLI on drums, MIKE STARR on bass and AL B ROMANO on guitar. The band barely managed to complete the self-titled debut SUN RED SUN before Ray's health made it impossible for him to continue working in the music industry. It was not until two years after his death that SUN RED SUN saw the light of day behind the record labels without achieving any major success.
There have been many speculations about whether December 1st or 3rd is the date of his passing. But Jake is pretty convinced that it is the 3rd that RAY GILLEN'S death was recorded.
I asked Jake if he and Ray kept in touch until the very end?
"No! I ran into him by chance at best and I remember him looking emaciated and tired. Then he died shortly after."
Name your funniest memory from your time with Ray.
“Then I would probably mention my very first meeting with Ray! It was three years before we formed BADLANDS. I think he had just joined BLACK SABBATH. I walk into a relatively empty bar in London and the first thing I see is a really pretty girl sitting in the front room. I focus my gaze on her. Only after a minute or so do I notice a man walking towards me from the other room. I thought there was going to be a fight because I had been sitting and flirting with someone else’s bride. But it turned out to be Ray who stepped up to me with determined steps and introduced himself by name and said almost verbatim. Hi! My name is Ray and I’m really good at singing. I think you’re a great guitarist and you and I will work together one day. (Laughs). That was Ray in a nutshell (laughs). I said to myself: “Now you’re talking in your nightcap, man. We'll probably never collaborate in the future.” I had neither heard him sing nor heard his name before so I really wondered what kind of “guy” was standing opposite me and charting our future as collaborators (laughs). Anyway, we exchanged numbers and three years later and after some fun conversations with his mother who was a stubborn old woman who assured me that her son could sing the shit out of most people, Ray called me up and asked if I wanted to form a band with him. This was the starting point for what would become BADLANDS.”
Twenty years have passed. For many, RAY GILLEN is still a relatively unknown name. But for those of us who were there, who got to experience his short time in BLACK SABBATH, for those of us who sat and drank beers and enjoyed the bluesy twang that BADLANDS delivered with a touch of the hair metal genre of the time, for us he is and remains a legend with a voice that will never die. For me personally, he is, along with RONNIE JAMES DIO, the most unique rock vocalist our planet has ever seen. His love for singing could be felt in every note he took and in every line of lyrics he phrased. Coming into a torn BLACK SABBATH as an unknown card where during his short time he managed to lay the foundation for the band's continued acceptance and success story only makes RAY GILLEN the legend he deserves to be.
Questions and wonder about what his career would have looked like if he had been alive are a constant question that appears to the author of this article, questions that I will never get answered. Maybe it's for the best. Either way, he will always remain an ETERNAL IDOL for me as long as I live.
Footnote: Rocknytt has tried to get hold of Phenomena's Tom Galley to get his picture of Ray Gillen but without any results