House music in New Jersey is just that little bit poorer today with the loss of Christopher McCray, who has died at the age of 55. His name is admittedly not the most instantly recognisable in house music, but his contribution to the genre over the past 30 years is downplayed at your peril.
Quite simply, he had an incredible voice. He worked in recent years with a lot of talent including Harley & Muscle – who are long-time Italian duo William Cataldo and Flavio Romaniello – Kings of Groove and by himself. Most famous, arguably, were his releases with long-time friend Kerri Chandler.
Cast your mind back to 1992 underground hit “The Shelter” by Gate-Ah. Remember it? That was a Kerri Chandler and Christopher McCray production all about infamous New York nightclub Shelter. Unsurprisingly, the song is favourably remembered at the club – but the consensus at Ears To The House is his finest hour was his 1996 release “Get It Right”, released on Kerri Chandler’s Madhouse Records. Those vocals still give us goosebumps…
Chandler posted this short but sweet tribute on Instagram…
Condolences from Ears To The House to the family and friends of Christopher McCray at this time…
