Ray Conniff, born Joseph Raymond Conniff on November 6, 1916, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, was an influential American bandleader, arranger, composer, and conductor. He is best known for his work with the Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s. Conniff's early exposure to music came from his father, a trombonist and bandleader, and his mother, a pianist. He began his musical journey playing trombone and arranging for a dance orchestra he formed in high school.

Conniff's professional career took off in the mid-1930s when he moved to New York City, studied at the Juilliard School of Music, and worked with notable big bands, including those of Bunny Berigan, Bob Crosby, Artie Shaw, and Glen Gray. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army, arranging for the Armed Forces Radio Services.

In the 1950s, Conniff joined Columbia Records as an arranger under Mitch Miller, contributing to numerous hit records. His innovative use of vocal arrangements as part of the instrumentation became a hallmark of his style. Conniff's first major success as an arranger was Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" in 1955, which sold over a million copies.

Conniff's debut album, "'S Wonderful," released in 1957, stayed in the Top 20 for nine months. He became known for his unique sound, which involved doubling female voices with trumpets and male voices with trombones. Conniff's work led to numerous hit records and gold-certified albums, with his popularity extending internationally, particularly in Latin America.

Throughout his career, Conniff recorded over 100 albums, staged the first live stereo concert, and was the first American popular artist to record in Russia. He continued to perform and record into the 2000s. Ray Conniff passed away on October 12, 2002, in Escondido, California, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneer in the easy listening genre and a beloved figure in popular music.