Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Victor Ainsworth, July 26, 1940) is an African American musician/singer. He is best known for his cover of "Drift Away", which was one of the biggest hits of 1973, sold over one million copies, and still remains a staple of radio airplay. Gray is a versatile vocalist who could handle soul, country, pop and musical theater.
Gray was born in Texas, probably in Simonton or Brookshire. There is some disagreement about his bi...
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Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Victor Ainsworth, July 26, 1940) is an African American musician/singer. He is best known for his cover of "Drift Away", which was one of the biggest hits of 1973, sold over one million copies, and still remains a staple of radio airplay. Gray is a versatile vocalist who could handle soul, country, pop and musical theater.
Gray was born in Texas, probably in Simonton or Brookshire. There is some disagreement about his birthdate, but it is generally placed in the early 1940s. His birth name is also disputed, being variously listed as 'Leonard Victor Ainsworth' or 'Laurence Darrow Brown.' However, Gray is listed in the Fort Bend County Birth Records in Texas, as being born on July 26, 1940, to Jane P. Spencel and Jethro Clifton Brown.
Gray grew up in a family of sharecroppers, and discovered gospel music through his grandfather, a Baptist minister. Gray moved from Texas to Los Angeles, California in the 1960s, where he was mentored by Sonny Bono, and later...
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