He is also a straight shooter and will tell you like it is. I think that is one of the reason Elvis liked Ray so much. Elvis was first introduced to the gospel group, The Jordainaires, when he was playing a show with Eddy Arnold in Memphis in 1955.
After they sang "Peace In The Valley", a very young and unknown Elvis came backstage to meet them. Elvis had just signed a deal with Sun Records at the time. His admiration for the group was so great because of listening to them for years on the Grand Ole Opry that he said, "If I ever get a recording contract with a major company, I want you guys to back me up."
True to his word, in 1956 when Elvis began recording with RCA he asked Chet Atkins to use the Jordainaires. He was the first artist to insist listing the backup singers on the labels of his records. This gave the Jordainaires a lot of notoriety.
They went on to record with Elvis for 15 years on his long string of hit records. They also appeared in some of Elvis's movies, and on many of his television appearances.
Ray Walker later joined the group in 1958. When Ray first met Elvis he put his hand out and said, "I'm Elvis Presley." Ray said, "I know who you are. I'm Ray Walker". To which Elvis replied, "And I know who you are."
