Rolling Stone Danny Ray, James Brown’s Longtime ‘Cape Man’ and Emcee, Dead at 85
“Mr. Ray was the second-hardest working man in show business,” James Brown estate says
By Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Danny Ray, James Brown’s longtime emcee and “cape man,” has died at the age of 85.
Ray, a staple at the Godfather of Soul’s legendary live shows, died Tuesday night of natural causes, the Richmond Country coroner confirmed to the
“The James Brown estate mourns the passing of Mr. Danny Ray, the legendary emcee and cape man for James Brown.” the estate said in a statement. “Ray worked with Brown from 1960 until the music legend’s death on Christmas day 2006. He became famous for draping a cape over Brown at the end of his signature tune ‘Please, Please, Please
Like a soul music superhero, James Brown needed his cape when exhaustion overtook him onstage. Enter Danny Ray, charged with reviving the stricken frontman.
James Brown s Legendary Cape Man Danny Ray Dead at 85
Published Feb 03, 2021Danny Ray the man best known as James Brown s cape man and emcee has died. News broke today that Ray passed way on Tuesday night (February 2) of natural causes. He was 85. The James Brown estate mourns the passing of Mr. Danny Ray, the legendary emcee and cape man for James Brown. the estate said in a statement. Ray worked with Brown from 1960 until the music legend s death on Christmas day 2006. He became famous for draping a cape over Brown at the end of his signature tune Please, Please, Please. Mr. Ray was the second-hardest working man in show business.
James Brown’s cape man, Birmingham native Danny Ray, dead at 85
Updated Feb 04, 2021;
Posted Feb 03, 2021
Danny Ray, the man who had the responsibility for James Brown s cape through the years, holds up his cape in honor of Brown during the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)AP
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By Randall Roberts Los Angeles Times (TNS) and Tribune Media Services
The greatest showmen can’t do it alone. They need someone like cape handler Danny Ray, who died Tuesday at age 85, to tend to their mortal needs.
Who takes charge during an onstage emotional breakdown when, for example, soul singer James Brown collapses in a cold sweat and needs his cape? Who picks up the blazer and brushes it off when life overwhelms Brown a second time, then a third?
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The greatest showmen can’t do it alone. They need someone like cape handler Danny Ray, who died Tuesday at age 85, to tend to their mortal needs.
Who takes charge during an onstage emotional breakdown when, for example, soul singer James Brown collapses in a cold sweat and needs his cape? Who picks up the blazer and brushes it off when life overwhelms Brown a second time, then a third?
For more than 45 years, valet Ray rushed to help the Godfather of Soul during that climactic moment, in the process playing a crucial costarring role in Brown’s magnetic stage show. Whenever Brown collapsed with feigned grief during the song “Please, Please, Please,” Ray was there to comfort Brown (just in case he fainted from desperation).