Ray Gómez

Band:Pop-Tops
Genres:Spanish Pop
Born:08/15/1952
Died:07/28/2026
From: Casablanca, Monaco
Musician Speciality:Guitar

Biography:

Pop Tops (or Los Pop-Tops) were a vocal/instrumental band, formed in 1967 in Madrid, Spain, with Phil Trim from Trinidad and Tobago as lead singer. Their sound was a blend of baroque pop with the soulful vocals of Trim.Members

Original set-up included

  • Phil Trim (born 5 January 1940, in Trinidad and Tobago) – lead singer
  • Julián Luis Angulo – guitar, vocals
  • Alberto Vega – saxophone, clarinet, vocals
  • Enrique Gómez – bass, trumpet
  • Ignacio Pérez – organ, piano
  • José Lipiani – drums
  • Ray Gómez (27 February 1953 – c. 9 July 2026)[1][2]– guitar

Some changes occurred in members:

  • Francisco Urbano Romero – drums (replacing José Lipani)
  • Rafael Guillermo Gertrudis – keyboards, piano (replacing Ignacio Pérez)

Hits

Their first release to gain attention was “Oh Lord, Why Lord” (1968), written by Jean Marcel Bouchety and Phil Trim.[3] It was the first pop song to incorporate the melody of Pachelbel‘s Canon in D. That single’s b-side, “The Voice of the Dying Man” (based on a Johann Sebastian Bach composition) was also recorded in Spanish as “La Voz del Hombre Caido”.

They are best known for their 1971 hit “Mamy Blue“,[4] referring to a son’s poignant song addressed to his departed mother about his childhood memories and life in general, sometimes spelled “Mommy Blue”, “Mammy Blue” or “Mummy Blue”, which was a Top 10 hit throughout much of Europe, Japan (#2), and Canada (#42), and a minor Billboard Hot 100 chart hit in the United States (#57). It was covered in the US by the Stories peaking at No. 50 in 1973. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a platinum record.[5][where?] The composer and lyricist of the French song “Mamy Blue” was Hubert Giraud.[5] English lyrics were written by Phil Trim. The Pop Tops also recorded Italian and Spanish versions, with lyrics by Gefingal.

As follow-up singles they released “Suzanne Suzanne” (early 1972) and “Hideaway” (mid 1972), which were only minor hits in some European countries.

Credits:

Wikipedia