The music of the genius
Ray Charles
The latest
Ray Charles was commissioned to perform the theme song for the 1967 movie In The Heat Of The Night. The result was the first song on the soundtrack LP, and a single was released on ABC Records as well. But fans will need both discs, for they are two completely different versions of “In The Heat Of The Night”. The Movie In The Heat Of The Night The movie starred Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. The film, a pissed-off and in-your-face exploration of race in America, won five... [read all]
Ray Charles and Ginie Line duet on the French-language "Ensemble" from 2002. It was released in France as a CD single and the duo performed it live on TV.
"A Bit Of Soul" is a Ray Charles tune recorded in 1955 and released in 1961. Split into two halves, it shows Ray's versatility with a unique arrangement.
"The Sun's Gonna Shine Again" finds Ray Charles in an unconvincingly hopeful mood. It was the A-side of an Atlantic single in 1953, his second-ever.
"Mississippi Mud" is a fun, jaunty singalong that Ray Charles covered on his first album for ABC Records, The Genius Hits The Road, in 1960.
Album of the day
After returning to the vinyl world with the 1983 album Wish You Were Here Tonight, Ray Charles bettered that LP with his second for Columbia Records, Do I Ever Cross Your Mind (FC 38990), released in July 1984. Ray’s deal with Columbia was that he would make music to appeal to the country music market – and Ray was certainly game, having become a global phenomenon in the early 1960s with recordings like “I Can’t Stop Loving You” that reworked the country music... [read all]
Song of the day
Ray Charles included two version of “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin'” on his 2-LP box set with Cleo Laine Porgy And Bess in 1976. One was an instrumental jazz version, and one was this brassy, sassy version featuring both Ray and Cleo singing. “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin'” is a celebration of having very little in ones life. Ray’s Porgy and Cleo’s Bess are poor, and exult in the lack of stress such a life can reward you with. The characters imagine themselves... [read all]