Parade grand marshal named

KANNAPOLIS — Eddie Ray, a recording-industry legend and curator of the N.C. Music Hall of Fame in downtown Kannapolis, will serve as grand marshal for the Kannapolis Christmas Parade.

Ray is a music industry pioneer and recent inductee into the Hall of Fame. The parade starts at 4 p.m. Dec. 5.

Ray was the first African-American appointed as a vice president of a major recording label. He signed Pink Floyd to the group's first major recording contract and served as chairman of the U.S. Copyright Tribunal after being appointed as a commissioner by President Reagan in 1980.

A native of Franklin, N.C., Ray joined Central Record Sales Distributing Co., the major independent distributor for rhythm and blues records in Southern California, in the early 1950s. There, he worked with John Lee Hooker, Howling Wolf, Ruth Brown, The Drifters, Clyde McPhatter, B.B. King, Jesse Belvin, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, Joe Turner and LaVern Baker.

Ray joined Capitol Records as director of new talent for Tower Records, where he signed Pink Floyd. A year after joining Tower, Ray became the first African-American vice president of a major record label.

In 1969, Mike Curb became president of MGM Records and hired Ray as senior vice president of new talent. Curb and Ray worked together until 1974 when MGM was sold to Polygram.

Upon leaving MGM, Ray moved to Memphis and became vice president of Cream Hi Records and Stax Publishing, working with Al Green, Rufus Thomas and Ann Peebles.

Ray established the Tennessee College for Recording Arts and Science, which later became part of the University of Memphis Music Business Program.

After the Kannapolis parade, the city will hold the annual tree lighting, followed at 7 p.m. by with fireworks in Village Park. Activities will begin at 6:30.

For more information about the parade visit http://christmasparade.wordpress.com or call 704-920-4343.