{{Infobox musical artist
|Img=Replace this image male.svg <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see WP:NONFREE --> |
| Name                = Collin Raye
| | Background          = solo_singer
| Birth_name          = Floyd Collin Wray
| Born                = August 22, 1959 or 1960 (disputed)<!--DO NOT CHANGE-->
| Origin              = De Queen, USA
| Instrument          = Vocals
| Genre               = Country
| Years_active        = 1990-present
| Label               = Epic<br />Aspirion<br />Country Roads<br />Starpointe
| Associated_acts     = Susan Ashton<br />Jim Brickman
| URL                 = http://www.collinraye.com
}}
'''Collin Raye''' (born '''Floyd Collin Wray''', De Queen, USA<ref name="allmusic"/>) is an American country music singer. He made his debut on the American country music scene in 1991 with the release of his debut album ''All I Can Be'', which produced his first Number One hit in "Love, Me". ''All I Can Be'' was the first of four consecutive albums released by Raye to achieve RIAA platinum certification in the United States for sales of one million copies each.<ref name="allmusic"></ref> 

Throughout the 1990s, Collin continued to produce Top Ten singles on the country music charts. By the end of the decade, however, his momentum had slowed; 2001's ''Can't Back Down'' was his first album that did not produce a Top 40 country hit, and he was dropped by his record label soon afterward.<ref name="allmusic"/> He did not record another studio album until 2005's ''Twenty Years and Change'', released on an independent label.

Between 1991 and the present, Raye has charted thirty singles on the U.S. country charts; he has also charted twice on the Adult Contemporary format as a duet partner on two EP titled ''Selected Hits'', was released in 2007.

==Early years==
Floyd Collin Wray was born in De Queen, Arkansas on August 22, 1959 or 1960.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="guide"/> His mother, Lois Wray, was a local musician; in the 1950s, she served as an opening act for several Sun Records artists, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.<ref name="guide"></ref><ref name="cmt"></ref> Later, she became a solo musician in her own right; she would occasionally bring both Floyd and his brother Scott onstage to sing harmony vocals.<ref name="allmusic"/> By the 1980s, the two brothers began a country-rock band called the Wray Brothers Band, in which Collin assumed the stage name Bubba Wray.<ref name="allmusic"/> The Wray Brothers Band performed primarily in the state of Texas, and later in Reno, Nevada, eventually releasing singles on independent labels. By 1986, the band (which had shortened its name to The Wrays) signed to Mercury Records, with two singles being released on that label.<ref name="cmt"/> After the singles failed to chart, the Wrays disbanded.<ref name="allmusic"/>

==Solo career==
===Beginnings===
By the end of the 1980s, Collin had considered leaving his music career and finding work at a factory to support his family; however, he changed his mind and continued pursuing a musical career. After altering the spelling of his last name to Raye, Collin was signed to a record deal with Epic Records in 1990.<ref name="allmusic"/> His debut single, "All I Can Be (Is a Sweet Memory)", entered the charts in 1991, reaching a peak of #29 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Raye's first album, also titled ''All I Can Be'', was released soon afterward.

The followup single, a ballad co-written by Skip Ewing and titled "Love, Me", quickly climbed to Number One on the country music charts in early 1992, holding the peak position for three weeks; in addition, the single received a Song of the Year nomination from the Country Music Association.<ref name="guide"/> Spurred by the success of "Love, Me", ''All I Can Be'' was certified platinum by the RIAA for U.S. sales of one million copies.<ref name="guide"/>

===''In This Life'' and ''Extremes''===
Raye's second album, titled ''In This Life'', was released in 1992. The album's title track, which served as its lead-off single, not only went to the top of the ''Billboard'' country charts, but also became a hit on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. In late 1992, Raye made an appearance on the television drama series "Street Justice", where he gave a live performance of "In This Life".<ref></ref> The album produced three additional Top Ten country hits, and was also certified platinum.

1993 saw the release of Raye's third album. Titled ''Extremes'', it received critical acclaim for its more socially aware content, most evidently in the second single, "Little Rock", a story of a recovering alcoholic.<ref name="oldies"></ref> The song's accompanying music video also promoted Al-Anon, an international support group for friends and family of alcoholics.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="guide"/> Overall, ''Extremes'' produced five straight Top Ten hits on the country charts, including the Number One single "My Kind of Girl" in 1994; it also became Raye's third consecutive platinum album.

===''I Think About You'' and ''The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits''===
''I Think About You'' was the title of Raye's fourth album. Released in 1995, it produced six singles overall and became Raye's fourth consecutive platinum-certified album.<ref name="oldies"/> The album's title track was a Top Five hit on the country charts; in addition, its music video won a Video of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music.<ref name="dequeen"></ref>

In 1996, Raye also released a Christmas album titled ''Christmas: The Gift''. A year later, his first Greatest Hits package was issued; titled ''The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits'', it comprised several of his hit singles from the past five years, as well as four new songs, of which three released as singles. "What the Heart Wants" and "Little Red Rodeo" both reached Top Five on the country music charts, while "The Gift", a collaboration with Jim Brickman and Susan Ashton, was a Top Five hit on the Adult Contemporary charts. ''Direct Hits'' received a gold certification from the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies in the United States.

===''The Walls Came Down''===
''The Walls Came Down'' was the title of Raye's fifth studio album. Released in 1998, it produced his fourth and final ''Billboard'' Number One single in "I Can Still Feel You".<ref name="allmusic"/> "Someone You Used to Know" and the Radney Foster-penned "Anyone Else" were both Top Five hits as well; however, "Start Over Georgia", the fourth single (co-written by Raye's brother), peaked at #39. Also included on ''The Walls Came Down'' was a ballad entitled "The Eleventh Commandment", in which Raye addressed the issue of child abuse. Although not released as a single, "The Eleventh Commandment" was made into a music video, which featured a number for a child abuse hotline at the end.<ref name="eleven"></ref> ''Counting Sheep'', a special album composed of lullabies for Raye's children, was released in 2000.

'''Collin Raye''' (* 22. August 1959 als ''Floyd Collin Wray'' in DeQueen, Arizona) ist ein Country-Sänger und Songwriter.

Collin Rayes Mutter war eine erfolgreiche Musikerin, die unter anderem Auftritte mit Elvis Presley oder Johnny Cash vorweisen kann. Auch sein Vater und ein Onkel waren Musiker, und so war es fast unvermeidlich, dass Collin und sein Bruder Scott bereits als Kinder erstmalig auf der Bühne standen. Die erste Band, die '''Wray Brothers Band''' gründeten die Brüder 1976. Es wurden auch einige Singles produziert, von denen sich aber nur eine in den hinteren Bereichen der Country-Charts platzieren konnte.
 
Die Band löste sich 1987 auf, und Collin arbeitete anschließend als Sänger in Reno und Las Vegas. Seine 1980 geschlossene Ehe wurde nach schweren gesundheitlichen Problemen seiner Frau und seines zweiten Kindes geschieden. 1989 zog er nach Epic-Label einen Schallplattenvertrag. Sein Debüt-Album ''All I Can Be'' erschien 1992. Bereits seine zweite Single '''Love, Me''' erreichte Platz 1 der Country-Charts. Das nächste Album '''In This Life''' wurde mit Platin ausgezeichnet, wie auch die folgenden ''Extremes'', ''I Think About You'' und ''My Walls Came Down''. Die ausgekoppelten Singles erreichten durchweg die vorderen Hitparadenplätze, '''In This Life''' schaffte Platz 1. Mit '''I Can Still Feel You''' erreichte er 1998 erneut die Spitzenposition der Country-Charts. Seine Verkaufserfolge ließen erst 2001 mit dem Album ''Can't Back Down'' etwas nach.

=== Alben ===
* 1990 – All I Can Be
* 1992 – In This Life
* 1994 – Extremes
* 1995 – I Think About You
* 1996 – Christmas Gift
* 1997 – Best Of Collin Raye
* 1998 – My Walls Came Down
* 2000 – Counting Sheep
* 2001 – Can't Back Down
* 2004 – Live At Billy Bob's Texas
* 2005 – Twenty years and change