Dobie Gray – born Lawrence Brown in Simonton, Texas on July 26, 1940 – was a soul and pop singer best known for the hits “The ‘In’ Crowd” (1965) and “Drift Away.” Growing up, he was influenced by gospel music that he heard thanks to his grandfather, who was a Baptist minister. Relocating to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career, he began singing to make extra money. Eventually, his singing talent caught the attention of several local labels, and he recorded a handful of sides under a variety of pseudonyms before finally settling on the name Dobie Gray. After releasing numerous singles, he scored a hit with 1963’s “Look at Me,” which climbed to number 91 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart. Dobie Gray came to commercial prominence in 1965 when the single “The ‘In’ Crowd” became an international hit, climbing to number 13 in the US, number 8 in Canada, and number 25 in the UK. Several other singles were released although only “Rose Garden” (1969) charted. Dobie Gray continued to record for several labels and spent time fronting psychedelic soul band Pollution, who released two albums: Pollution (1971) and Pollution 2 (1972). Dobie Gray returned to a solo career in 1972 and worked with acclaimed singer / songwriter Paul Williams and his brother Mentor Williams, who penned his next hit single, “Drift Away” (1973). The single reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also charted in Canada. His next single, “Loving Arms,” was another hit in the US and Canada. However, he only had minor success with singles such as “Watch Out for Lucy” (1974), “Roll on Sweet Mississippi” (1975), “Out on the Floor” (a 1966 recording that charted in the UK in ’75), and “Find ‘Em, Fool ‘Em, and Forget ‘Em” (1976). Dobie Gray entered the Top 40 in the US with 1979’s “You Can Do It,” which hit number 37. He then focused on the country music market in the 1980s and had charting hits with three hits from 1986 - “That’s One to Grown On,” “The Dark Side of Town,” and “From Where I Stand” – and one more from 1987: “Take It Real Easy.” When the genre Northern soul became popular in the UK in the 2000s, Dobie Gray hits like “The ‘In Crowd” and “Out on the Floor” became popular in clubs again. In 2003, Uncle Kracker invited Dobie Gray to collaborate on a new version of “Drift Away,” which became a big hit again, climbing into the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100. Suffering from cancer, Dobie Gray died on December 6, 2011, of complications after surgery. He was 71.
