A: The only "official" video that has been released is 'S Always Conniff, released only in Brazil on VHS tape (NTSC). It is currently out of print.

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A: Sadly, no. Sony Music holds the rights to nearly Ray's entire catalog (recordings from 1955-1995) and aggressively protects them, as do the music publishers.

Fortunately, most of Ray's music has been reissued on CD. Amazon is a good source for CDs. GEMM and eBay are good sources for other formats.

A: Ray Conniff Presents were two 2-Lp sets manufactured in the USA by Columbia House (Columbia Record Club). They were compilations that featured several recordings not available on other Ray Conniff albums or singles.

These are among the rarest Ray Conniff Lps. In more than 25 years of collecting Ray Conniff records, I have never come across copies. Mine and all the copies I know about came from Ray himself. I suspect that the albums were never released to the public.

A: That's an ambiguous question. The answer varies depending on whether you are referring to simply an Lp title or a particular issue of it (pressing or country). For example, Dance The Bop is not rare; it was released worldwide and has been reissued on CD. However, the USA Lp reissue on Harmony HL 1004 is rather rare.

Certain albums may have had a pressing of just a few hundred copies in some smaller countries while hundreds of thousands of copies were pressed in others. Columbia/CBS/Sony has not made sales figures available so it is impossible to say which album is the rarest.

A: Probably not much. Ray was one of the most popular recording artists of the 20th century and his records sold millions. Albums pressed in the USA typically have little value unless they are early pressings in mint condition or the album covers are still sealed in the manufacturer's shrink wrap. Compilation albums are generally worth very little.

Certain original titles that were never released in the USA tend to be valued a bit higher. Albums such as Ray Conniff In Moscow, Ray Conniff In Britain, Ray Conniff Live In Japan and Ray Conniff Plays The Beatles can usually fetch a few dollars more.

I recommend letting the market set the price. List your album on eBay at the minimum price you are willing to accept. If it is worth more to collectors, they will drive up the price.

A: Some years back, Ray performed some analysis to try to determine how many albums had been sold. The estimate is around 65 million.

One reason why it is so difficult to arrive at a number is that Ray's music has appeared on hundreds of various artists compilations around the world. In my opinion, if Somewhere My Love appears on a compilation that sells 120,000 copies, we should add about 10,000 albums to Ray's total (give Ray 1/12th the credit for every album sold). Likewise, I'd count every 6 sales of a two-sided single as an album.

No matter how the calculation is made, it is a lot of albums! Relatively few recording artists have enjoyed the sales or career longevity of Ray Conniff.

A: We have compiled a complete list of albums, singles and previously unissued tracks which have yet to be released on CD (still under construction)

A: Ray was very gracious with fans. He allowed us to give out his mailing address to those who wished to contact him. He personally responded to fan letters and provided autographs and photos to those who asked for them.

Since Ray's death, we wish to respect the privacy of Ray's family and no longer give out address, phone numbers or email information.

A: This question has come up several times and I always assure fans that it's not an attempt to profit from Ray. In fact, Ray and I had a long discussion about it.

This site is used to promote Ray's music. Amazon does provide a 4% commission which typically provides between $15 and $25 per quarter, which I then use to buy CDs so that I can post the details here. The cost of maintaining this site has always far exceeded commissions received.

If you get to Amazon using our links, regardless of what you purchase, you are helping support this site. I receive no personal information about who made purchases, simply a list of items sold at the end of each quarter.

A: Acetates are relatively rare; few were made of any given single or Lp. They were used primarily as a reference disc to test the sound. The engineers, recording artists or producers determined whether adjustments needed to be made before the vinyl pressing.

The labels on acetates may have a Columbia logo but frequently did not. The artist name and song titles may be hand written or typed. They never included an album cover or picture sleeve. The acetates can be one or two sided.

Despite their rarity, Conniff acetates don't hold any special value. Acetates by artists with major followings (such as The Beatles) are treasured but unless they feature unissued recordings, the average Conniff fan has no need for them. They shouldn't be played and since they have no visual appeal, they remain on the shelf or in boxes.

I'm willing to pay just a few dollars for acetates in good condition. eBay may generate better results.

A: A dozen of Ray's Lps were mixed for Quadraphonic sound: Love Story, Love Theme From The Godfather, Alone Again (Naturally), Harmony, The Way We Were, The Happy Sound Of Ray Conniff, Laughter In The Rain, Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong, Love Will Keep Us Together, I Write The Songs, Send In The Clowns and TV Themes. They were available on Quad Lp and 8-Track.

Some of the quad mixes were very good (my favorite is TV Themes). They deserve to be reissued on SACD or DVD.

Quadraphonic Lps were a bit of a fraud. They sounded a bit different (kind of a simulated surround sound) but not four discrete channels. Quad 8-Tracks did isolate each channel and are probably the only Ray Conniff 8-tracks that have any value. On a stereo record player, the stereo mixes sound better to me so the quad albums get no play. Of course, I no longer play records since I've converted to iTunes :-)

The later albums (starting with Laughter) are probably worth a bit more since they were on the shelves for less time before the format died. Ray also made a special 8-track for Southwind motor homes which is quite rare and very collectible. Generally, USA pressings are more desirable than foreign issues. Again, use eBay to let the market set the price.

A: Usually the question refers to a specific tape format but the answer is still the same: no. I don't pay much attention to tapes, only vinyl and CDs. Here are a few facts taken from old emails:

8-tracks: The Columbia Record Club continued to manufacture them through the mid 1980s. I believe the last Ray Conniff 8-track was 30th Anniversary Edition, available exclusively through the record club.

4-track cartridges: A predecessor and early competitor to the 8-track, it featured two programs (versus four on 8-tracks). I have no idea how many Conniff titles were available but here is one that keeps showing up on eBay.

Open Reels: These were originally available in 2-track (the entire album played on one side, in stereo) and then 4-track (2-sided stereo reels). The most desirable pre-recorded 4-track tapes were recorded at 7 1/2 ips. Quality suffered when the speed was reduced to 3 3/4 ips. The tapes declined in popularity in the early 1970s and Ray's titles became available exclusively through the Columbia Tape Club. The last one I know of was I Will Survive in 1979. There were no Conniff quadraphonic reels.

Cassettes: Most of Ray's catalog has appeared on cassette at one time or another. There were several budget priced 8-song compilations in the USA that were only available on cassette. Those are the only ones I pay attention to and I'll list them on the site in the future.

A: In the USA, the last Ray Conniff Lp was Ray Conniff Plays Broadway released by Discos CBS International in 1991.

Latinisimo was the last "original album" on Lp. As far as I know, the only Lp release was in Brazil.

A European compilation titled Greatest Hits was reissued in Brazil on Lp in 1996 and is the very last Conniff Lp pressing that I know of.

A: Caytronics was founded by the Cayre brothers: Stan (b 1940), Joe (b 1943) and Ken (b 1945). Their father, Jack Cayre, was a Syrian immigrant who taught them three valuable principles: Product, Promotion and Distribution. They lived in Miami and gained a better understanding of Latin music than most of the record labels.

Early in his career, Joe Cayre worked for Columbia Records International. The brothers began licensing Spanish music for sale on 8-track in the USA. They formed Caytronics in New York. They also formed the Mericana and SalSoul labels. They eventually sold most of their catalog to RCA for more than $100 million.

Ray recorded Exitos Latinos for CBS in 1977. The album had a worldwide release on the CBS/Columbia labels. Columbia Special Products pressed it exclusively for distribution by Caytronics. After the RCA sale, an abridged version was released by Discos CBS International in 1981.

More frequently asked questions will be added shortly...