By Rix Quinn
I’m jealous of people who find their life’s work early. For some, the
discovery starts in elementary school.
Ray was a very likeable, outgoing guy. He got along well with
everybody, including the teachers.
The rest of us tried to stay under a teacher’s radar, praying they would
not call on us. We never raised our hands unless we wanted a trip to the
restroom.
In music class we were required to sing solos. The girls would sing
something sweet and lyrical. But guys would pick simple tunes that
required little vocal range.
We each stood up, bellowed something resembling a moose call, and
sat down. If the entire song was just three or four notes, we were fine with
that.
But Ray would stand, and he’d say something like “I’d like to sing one
of my Broadway favorites.” Then he’d launch, acapella. This amazed the
girls and horrified the guys.
Around sixth grade Ray’s voice changed to low baritone, and he
occasionally gave school announcements. By high school, this guy started
working part-time in local top 40 radio, writing humor segments and making
actual money.
By college he had his own talk-music show, and then he hit the big
time. He was hired by larger and larger radio stations, and then for decades
he had his own morning show in a major market.
Today he owns a company that records both his and other professional
voices. I still hear him in commercials.
I ran into him at a grocery store not long ago. He greeted me and
started talking.
But I couldn’t help feeling like that voice was coming out a radio.