don't call me madam
the life and work of ray bourbon
Current News
Ray
Bourbon short found
Jonathan Sanders discovered this website about Ray and forwarded
me a disc containing "Hip Zip Hooray!" a 1934 RKO comedy short featuring
Ray. It may be one of the series of comedy shorts Ray refers to in
his autobiography. Jonathan recorded the short off of BBC television in
the 1980s; RKO's shorts aren't very well documented, so this is a
lucky find! (February 2008)
Susan
Bell filmscript on Ray
In 2002, Susan Bell, who is related to the lawyer that defended Ray
during the murder trial, was a semifinalist in the prestigious Chesterfield
Screenwriting competition with a screenplay based on Ray's last days.
She is currently an MFA student in film at Florida State University. Her
web site is at http://www.seebunny.com/(Jan
2005)
Bart
Howard passes
The New York Times reported on Feb 23rd, 2004 reported the passing
of Bart Howard, composer of "Fly Me to the Moon" and mainstay
on the New York cabaret scene. Howard was an accompanist for Ray Bourbon
in the mid-1930's. (February 2004)
More
on the Ray Bourbon Sandwich
Steve Puckett and Steve Harris owners of Steves' Market and Deli in Brownwood,
Texas reported that they named a sandwich after Ray in their restaurant.
In honor of Ray's place in the local town's history, they have put together
the Ray Bourbon Club, consisting of toasted focaccia, sliced ham, swiss
cheese, bacon, and a charred pineapple bourbon sauce. Of course, it would
have to include ham ... (October 2001) Update: Steve and Steve
sent along two photos (here and
here) showing the front of their
restaurant, featuring a smiling Ray, welcoming customers to the establishment.
Article
on Ray Nominated for Canadian Award
An article on Ray from the Nov 21, 2002 edition of Toronto's Fab magazine
has been nominated for a National Magazine Award, a top Canadian journalism
prize. Congratulations (and good luck!) to John Bently Mays. (February
2003)
Article
on Ray in Fab magazine (Toronto)
John Bentley Mays discusses Ray's life and career and reviews
the CD collection in the Nov. 21, 2002 edition
of Fab magazine. (January 2003).
New
Conference Papers on Ray
Don Romesburg sent news
of two other conference presentations he has made on Ray. “Ray Bourbon:
Queer and Loathing in Texas,” was presented at the Western Historical
Association 40th Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX, October 2000. “To
Hell with the Range: Ray Bourbon and Queer Dread of Wide-Open Spaces,
1930-1970,” was presented at the American Society for Environmental
History Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, March 2002. (August 2002).
Ray
Bourbon's Autobiography Unearthed
I have been contacted by the current owner of Ray's long-lost autobiographical
manuscript, written while Ray was in prison shortly before his death.
I have contracted with the owner of the manuscript to edit the material
for possible publication. For more information, see The
Autobiography section of the web site. (November 2001)
"Golddiggers of 1937" on Turner Classic Movies in January
In his autobiography, Ray mentions that he has a part in the musical "Golddigers
of 1937", about half-way through the film. In the book, he talks
about going to see the film with his accompanist, Duke. This rarely seen
movie will be shown on Turner Classic Movies on Tuesday, January 30th
at 6:00 am. (December 2001).
Ray
Mentioned on Brownwood, Texas Website
Brownwood, Texas, the small town where Ray spent the last few months of
his life in prison as he wrote his autobiography, has put up a web
site about the town. The site includes some notes on local history
and refers to Ray as the town's "most famous" resident. The
prison where Ray died is now the town's historial museum. (December 2001)
Unreleased
live recordings, 1961, Chicago (Roslyn Records)
Ray was booked for ten weeks beginning in October, 1961 at "The Talk
of the Town" in Chicago. The owner of the club, D.W. Summers, arranged
to have several of Ray's shows recorded for release on Summer's record
lable, Roslyn. T.C. Jones was also booked during this time under a similar
arrangment. Shortly after making the recordings of Ray and T.C., Williams
exposed the "Payola" scandals in a radio interview. He was profiled
in "Time" magazine and called before Congress to testify. But,
his record label went under and the live recordings of Ray and T.C. were
put aside. He contacted me recently indicating that he has unearthed the
recordings and is arranging for their release on compact disc in 2002.
(November 2001)
Another
New Bourbon Recording Documented
Ethan Minovitz verifies the existence of another New Bourbon release
on 78 listed as number 102. This one features a recording of "Irma's
Week End". (October 2001)
UTC
Box Set Found
JD Doyle sent a scan of a flyer for the first six UTC LP releases by Ray
and an item not previously seen -- a box set containing all six of the
first UTC releases. A
collector has forwarded a scan of the cover
of the only known copy of the set, personnaly signed by Ray. (June
2000)
Passing
of Ray's Friend, Avery Willard
I just found a web
page that noted the passing of Avery Willard, a friend of Ray's who
photographed Ray and other female impersonators in the 1960's. (January
2000)
Another
New Live Recording Reported
Charles C. Cage has unearthed
Ray's last recording,
an impromtu performance recorded at a party in New Orleans in 1965.
Charles has graciously provided a copy of this fascinating tape to the
project. (August, 1999)
New
Live Recording Reported
Dr. Demento, after seeing these
pages on Ray Bourbon, reports another live LP by Ray, a curious pressing
on the New Bourbon Records
label pressed in red vinyl. (July, 1999)
New
Publications on Ray
Elin Woodger has completed a biography of composers George "Chet" Forrest
and Robert Wright that will include a chapter on Ray's friendship with
the songwriting team. More information on publication of the book
will be posted here when it is available.
Don Romesburg, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, presented the paper "I Was the Bitch That Pulled the Switch": Reading Ray/e Bourbon and the Formation of Western Regional and National Homosexual Identity, 1930-60 at the Lambda Rising Queer Studies Conference in April, 1999.
Research Contacts
If you have any information on Ray that might be useful for this web resource -- perhaps you saw him perform, have seen a local newspaper or magazine article that we may have missed, or have recordings or photos and memorabilia that are undocumented -- please send an email to the webmaster, Randy A. Riddle.
Researchers interested in the venues in which Ray and other female impersonators performed and their impact on the Queer community before Stonewall can contact Don Romesburg. Don is researching a thesis on Ray at the University of Colorado. Charles C. Cage is working on a stage play based on Ray's life and is also interested in hearing from other researchers or individuals interested in his efforts with the play.
2.15.08/rand@coolcatdaddy.com