Danny Ray was James Brown’s (1933–2006) longtime personal valet and emcee, who became an integral part of the singer’s stage show as his “cape man.”
- Died: February 2, 2021 (Who else died on February 2?)
- Details of death: Died of natural causes at the age of 85.
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Cape man
Ray and Brown met in 1960, and Brown hired ray to serve as his personal valet. Ray soon became the emcee for Brown’s stage show, introducing the singer at the beginning of each show as his band played energetic intro music to hype up the crowd. One of the most iconic moments of Brown’s stage show came when he performed “Please Please Please.” Apparently overcome with emotion and exhaustion, Brown would drop to his knees as he sang. Ray was always close by, ready to rush to Brown’s side to drape a cape over his shoulders, comforting him and helping him offstage. But before they could go far, Brown would throw the cape from his shoulders and return to sing, as Ray collected the cape and stood by in case of a repeat bout of emotion.
Ray also maintained Brown’s wardrobe and carefully chose the right cape to match Brown’s outfit at each show. He remained with the singer for 46 years, until his 2006 death. At Brown’s funeral, Ray draped a sequined cape over his body. And at a 2007 tribute to Brown at the Grammy Awards, Ray hung a cape from a microphone stand.
Ray on the origin of the cape routine
“[H]e’d just be drenched in sweat, and one thing I was supposed to do was hand him a towel. It was, like, our little joke, at first. I put the Turkish towel on him; he’d kick it off and run back in and sing it some more. Folks could see it from their seats. People started noticing and it just became a thing.” —from an interview for the book “The One: The Life and Music of James Brown”
Tributes to Danny Ray
Full obituary: Los Angeles Times
