Robert Cray “Smoking Gun” charted

Smoking Gun Robert Cray

Writer(s): Robert Cray, Bruce Bomberg, Richard Cousins (see lyrics here) First Charted: November 29, 1986 Peak: 22 US, 34 CB, 28 GR, 32 RR, 2 AR, 5 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 6.6 video, 8.05 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Blues singer and guitarist Robert Cray was born in 1953 in Columbus, Georgia. He released his first album in 1980, but didn’t really catch on until his fourth album, 1986’s Strong Persuader. It went double platinum and reached #13 on the Billboard album chart, thanks largely to Cray’s only Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Smoking Gun.” The song was the biggest blues hit on the pop charts since B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” in 1969. SS Not only did “Smoking Gun” give Cray pop success, but he found a home at album rock radio where it reached #2 and gave him his first of nine entries on that chart. Cray came along “just when the blues were in desperate need of a new hero in the 1980s.” SS He didn’t fit “the world-weary, almost down-and-out aura that so many of the genre’s performers possess.” AMG He had “good looks, a soulful voice, a distinctive songwriting style, and among the best guitar chops of his generation.” SS Author Tony Russell called him “one of the most important figures” in modern blues…”He steered the music into new territory, pointing out a direction that others could follow.” SS To that end, “Smoking Gun” “ushered in the contemporary blues era with its respectful nod to blues tradition while imparting the genre with an underlying airiness.” AMG Its “arresting, up-tempo groove enliven[s] the otherwise depressing infidelity theme.” AMG It is “a totally compelling blues-rock story song about a man so consumed with jealousy and paranoia that it leads him to disaster.” SS In “the long tradition of great blues creations from the perspective of a psychologically disturbed protagonist” SS we never find out if the girlfriend is actually cheating on him. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Robert Cray AMG All Music Guide SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 142-3. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/25/2022; last updated 12/26/2022.

 

Robert Cray's Strong Persuader hit the charts

Strong Persuader Robert Cray

Charted: November 15, 1986 Peak: 13 US, 34 UK, 34 CN, 6 AU, 12 DF Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.1 UK, 2.38 world (includes US and UK) Genre: blues

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Smoking Gun (11/29/86, #22 US, #2 AR) I Guess I Showed Her (3/28/87, #28 AR) Right Next Door (Because of Me) (5/9/87, #80 US, #50 UK, #27 AR) Nothin’ But a Woman Still Around More Than I Can Stand Foul Play I Wonder Fantasized New Blood

Rating: 4.315 out of 5.00 (average of 27 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Strong Persuader, Cray’s fifth studio album, was his mainstream breakthrough, opening up blues to a wider audience than it had received in decades. The Village Voice, Robert Christgau called it “the first album to break out of the genre’s sales ghetto since B.B. King was a hot item” WK and “the best blues record in many, many years.” WK It was Cray’s “innovative expansion of the genre itself that makes this album a genuine 1980s classic.” BD In his Rolling Stone review, Jon Pareles called it “a version of blues and soul that doesn't come from any one region, building an idiom for songs that tell with conversational directness the stories of ordinary folks.” WK The album was heavily praised by Christgau for the “fervently crafted” WK “songwriting of his supporting studio team.” WK Pareles gave it props for “intriguing stories about sex and infidelity with disciplined singing, songwriting.” WK “Cray’s smoldering stance on Smoking Gun and Right Next Door rendered him the first sex symbol to emerge from the blues field in decades.” BD “Nothing but a Woman boasts an irresistible groove pushed by the Memphis Horns and some metaphorically inspired lyrics, while I Wonder and Guess I Showed Her sizzle with sensuality.” BD The Village Voice called it the third best album of the year WK and Rolling Stone named it the 42nd best album of the ‘80s. WK Notes: A 1995 reissue added a bonus live disc.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Robert Cray BD Bill Dahl, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia First posted 5/29/2008; last updated 3/18/2024.