A lifetime in the music business has given RayMan Ramsay plenty to write about.
The now-retired South Surrey resident has authored two books about his days as a 乌鸦传媒淧romo Monkey乌鸦传媒� who helped sell records, starting in the late-1960s.
The series offers a wide selection of real-life stories and hands-on working experiences documenting Ramsay乌鸦传媒檚 decades with Quality Records/TPC Distribution and, later, the RCA/BMG record labels, in the B.C. market.
He also includes anecdotal stories and his thoughts of some of the world乌鸦传媒檚 most famous musicians, including Elton John, KISS, David Bowie, Dolly Parton and others, along with Vancouver-area music-biz insiders.
Full of puns Ramsay is known for in conversation, the two 乌鸦传媒淧romo Monkey乌鸦传媒� books are subtitled 乌鸦传媒淢onkey See, Monkey Two: Personas & Prima Donnas乌鸦传媒� and 乌鸦传媒淢y Life as a Bellhop in the Waldorf Hysteria: Friends & Enemas.乌鸦传媒�
Self-published by Friesen Press, the books kept Ramsay busy during the COVID pandemic, and in the years before that, too.
乌鸦传媒淭he reason there乌鸦传媒檚 two books is because they乌鸦传媒檙e written in different styles, and I just couldn乌鸦传媒檛 mix them,乌鸦传媒� Ramsay said over a cup of coffee.
乌鸦传媒淚 kind of miss the job (as record company promo rep/manager), but writing the book is something I乌鸦传媒檇 wanted to do,乌鸦传媒� he continued. 乌鸦传媒淚n 2013 I realized it was my 45th anniversary in the music business so I wrote a little thing about that and sent it to all my friends. Well, they all came back wanting more 乌鸦传媒� give us more! So OK, that went on for years, and that乌鸦传媒檚 where I got the idea to turn these thoughts of mine into a book, or books now. They were enjoying it and I wanted to enjoy something too, before my orbit goes to obit.乌鸦传媒�
A couple of years go Ramsay and his longtime wife, Lynne, moved from Ladner to a place in South Surrey.
As a young man Ramsay got into the commercial fishing business, following in family footsteps, but eventually put his passion for music to work, as a guy with a creative mind and a way with words and ideas.
On April 1, 1968, Ramsay got his start in the music business when he was hired as a 19-year-old to work as a warehouse 乌鸦传媒渉ump乌鸦传媒� for Quality/TPC, and the April Fool乌鸦传媒檚 joke is not lost on the author.
Later, another landmark day was Aug. 16, 1977, when Elvis Presley died. 乌鸦传媒淎nother good start,乌鸦传媒� Ramsay deadpanned about his very first day with RCA, which was Presley乌鸦传媒檚 record label.
乌鸦传媒淚 was driving home from signing the deal to work there, and on the radio comes the news that Elvis died,乌鸦传媒� Ramsay recalled. 乌鸦传媒淩ecord sales went through the roof, of course.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚 did meet Colonel Parker at an Elvis convention centre in Vegas,乌鸦传媒� continued Ramsay, talking about The King乌鸦传媒檚 notorious manager. 乌鸦传媒淗e was sitting there counting stuff, and Ricky Nelson, his latest victim, was sitting next to him. Years later we found out about Parker乌鸦传媒檚 treatment of Elvis and I thought, you son-of-a-bitch, why didn乌鸦传媒檛 you look after him?乌鸦传媒� Taking 50 per cent of what he made was outrageous. I haven乌鸦传媒檛 seen the movie (Baz Luhrmann乌鸦传媒檚 biopic, released last summer), and it kind of angers me to see Elvis being used that way. I understand this business is all about money, but look after people.乌鸦传媒�
Similar tales are told on Ramsay乌鸦传媒檚 Facebook page, dubbed 乌鸦传媒淢onkey House: the Written Werd,乌鸦传媒� and on the website he calls 乌鸦传媒淎 Lad in Ladner乌鸦传媒� (aladinladner.simplesite.com).
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
One story involves the night he had some fun with American country artist Charley Pride at Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 old Newton Inn in the late-1970s.
乌鸦传媒淗e had a night off and wanted to go to a country club, and I knew that was the one at the time,乌鸦传媒� Ramsay recalled. 乌鸦传媒淭he club sent a limo for him, which was cool, he walks in and everyone乌鸦传媒檚 jaw drops.乌鸦传媒�
Pride didn乌鸦传媒檛 perform at the Newton Inn that night, but Ramsay said Kenny Rogers did on another night there.
乌鸦传媒淚t was just when 乌鸦传媒楾he Gambler乌鸦传媒� was coming out and blowing up really big,乌鸦传媒� Ramsay said. 乌鸦传媒淚t was called a routing date, and he had an open night, to keep the calendar filled. Kitty Wells played there, too.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒� RELATED: .
Ramsay乌鸦传媒檚 sense of humour was shaped by 乌鸦传媒淢onty Python乌鸦传媒檚 Flying Circus,乌鸦传媒� the British comedy show.
乌鸦传媒淚 worked with Monty Python in the 乌鸦传媒�70s when they were coming through Vancouver,乌鸦传媒� he said with a smile. 乌鸦传媒淭he tickets weren乌鸦传媒檛 selling (for the show), which blew my mind, because who wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 go see these loons? So I suggested they get a flatbed truck, build a cage and put all the Monty Python signage on it, for the concert, and pay a guy to drive around in rush-hour. The guy putting on the concert, Hugh Pickett, said at that time, it then set a box-office record for sales, because that was outside the box, and different people react to different things.乌鸦传媒�
For the record labels, Ramsay乌鸦传媒檚 job involved getting albums noticed and sold.
乌鸦传媒淚 remember we had The Eurythmics, and Annie (Lennox) had the mask on for that album (乌鸦传媒淭ouch乌鸦传媒�), and we were at A&B Sound. For the ad I said, 乌鸦传媒榃e乌鸦传媒檙e going to put this album in upside-down.乌鸦传媒� The buyer, we got into it screaming and yelling, he says, 乌鸦传媒楾hat乌鸦传媒檚 stupid.乌鸦传媒� But it was our ad, and he didn乌鸦传媒檛 get the concept of people reading the Province on the bus and there乌鸦传媒檚 this upside-down ad, and how people would then get into a conversation going about that.乌鸦传媒�
In the record business today, digital marketing dominates the streaming world, and there are few CDs, vinyl albums and cassettes to sell.
乌鸦传媒淏ack then we had to get creative sometimes,乌鸦传媒� Ramsay said. 乌鸦传媒淚 really enjoyed the work I did because I was absolutely thrilled by the feeling that I could create an idea and move the thing forward.
乌鸦传媒淪ome people didn乌鸦传媒檛 bother, and believe me, I don乌鸦传媒檛 think I ever did anything special that someone else couldn乌鸦传媒檛 have done, I just did it because I saw an opportunity and moved with it.乌鸦传媒�
Ramsay says partial proceeds from sales of his two books will be donated to Wigs for Kids and BC Children乌鸦传媒檚 Hospital.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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