The Resume

(November 6, 1916-October 12, 2002)
Born in Attleboro, Massachusetts
Birth name was Joseph Raymond Conniff
Trombone player, bandleader and arranger for the Ray Conniff Singers
Recorded nearly 100 albums - had 28 albums on Billboard's Top 40 Albums chart between 1957-68
Worked with vocalists Rosemary Clooney, Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell and Johnnie Ray
Died of a stroke in Escondido, California at age 85

Why he might be annoying:

Though he named his singers after himself, their singing specialty was 'wordless lyrics.'
While he helped others achieve Top 40 Singles success, he only had two Top 40 hits himself (both in 1965).
He composed a special version of the song 'Happiness Is' for use in a TV ad for Kent cigarettes.
He didn't marry until age 52 and didn't have his first (and only) child until age 56.
Trying to stay hip he recorded the 1978 album 'Ray Conniff Plays the Bee Gees and Other Great Hits' during the height of the disco craze.
One of his last gigs was to perform 'Somewhere My Love' at the March 2002 doomed to failure marriage of Liza Minnelli and David Gest.

Why he might not be annoying:

He came from a musical family - his father was a trombonist and mother a pianist.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He wrote some arrangements for Artie Shaw.
He was the music director for Tony Bennett's 1957 album 'Tony.'
When he played his 'big band with a small choir' repertoire for bandleader and Columbia Records bigwig Mitch Miller, he was astounded by the sound and immediately offered a record deal.
He recorded a version of 'Lara's Theme' (aka 'Somewhere My Love') from the 1965 film 'Doctor Zhivago,' which reached Billboard's Top 10, sold over a million copies and earned him a Grammy.
His music is featured prominently in the 1998 Farrelly Brothers hit movie 'There's Something About Mary.'
Known as a leader in the 'Easy Listening' genre, he sold nearly 70 million albums in his lifetime.

Credit: Scar Tactics

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Butter Faces [Male]
• Celebrities who Served in World War II [1939-45]
• Cigarette Advertisers
• I am a New Englander
• I Covered ‘Killing Me Softly (With His Song)’
• I Covered 'First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'
• I Covered 'The Little Drummer Boy'
• I Died in 2002 (Ranked: 85)
• I Had a Stroke [Cerebral Vascular Accident]
• I Recorded ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ (from ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’)
• I Recorded ‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia’
• I Sampled ‘Besame Mucho’
• I'm Buried at Pierce Brothers' Westwood Memorial Park [Calif]
• Known By a Middle Name
• Look at Me, I'm in the City
• Look at Me, I'm Thirsty
• Look at Me, I've Been Caught Eating
• Look at My Flowers
• My Band, My Name
• My Song Hit #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Songs Chart [1960s] (Ranked: 1966)
• Old Dads
• Oops, I Recorded a Disco Song
• Poodle Owners
• Profiles 32001-32250 (Ranked: 32024)
• Santa Claus Look-alikes
• Scar Tactics' Profiles [Series 10]
• Served in World War II
• Silver Foxes [Gray and Don't Care]
• Squinty/Beady Eyes
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 20021012)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 81.82% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 110 Votes: 46.36% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 22 Votes: 59.09% Annoying