James Ray (1941 – February 1965) was an American R&B singer. He started his career in 1959 as Little Jimmy Ray, recording ’Make Her Mine’ for the Gallant label. It was unsuccessful and by 1961 he was destitute and living on a rooftop, though still performing in clubs. In 1961 he signed to Caprice, which released his best known hit single ’If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody’ in 1962. He also recorded the original version of ’Got My Mind Set on You’, later a number-one hit for George Harrison. The Caprice label folded in early 1963, and Ray was signed to the Congress label, a subsidiary of Kapp Records. The label released four singles by Ray, two written by Clark and all produced by Davie, but they were unsuccessful. Ray died of a drug overdose in February 1965.

James Ray remains a tragic footnote in the annals of R&B history