Eddie Ray named grand marshal of Kannapolis parade

From staff reports

Published: November 24, 2009

KANNAPOLIS - Eddie Ray, recent inductee and curator of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, will be the grand marshal of the Kannapolis Christmas Parade.

The parade will be Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4 p.m., with the town Christmas tree lighting in Village Park, with fireworks, at 7 p.m.

Ray's achievements, which are many, include being appointed the first African-American vice president of a major recording label, signing Pink Floyd to their first major recording contract, and serving as chairman of the U.S. Copyright Tribunal after being appointed as a commissioner by President Reagan in 1980.

Ray, a native of Franklin, N.C., joined Central Record Sales Distributing Company, the major independent distributor for R & B records in Southern California the early 1950s. There he promoted a who's who in R&B working 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.

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