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
Would You Believe? from 1990 is Ray Charles’ first album after his 1980s Columbia contract was finished, and it was a surprising change of pace for Ray. There are virtually no traditional instruments; Would You Believe? is all breezy, computer-y synthesizers. Although nominally a Ray Charles record, Would You Believe? is really a three-man collaboration between Ray, songwriter and producer Jimmy Lewis, and writer/instrumentalist Charles Richard Cason, who arranged the synthesizers. Amid... [read all]
Song of the day
“I Don’t Want No Stranger Sleepin’ In My Bed”
Sweet and pleasant, sly and suspicious, clever and warm – “I Don’t Want No Stranger Sleepin’ In My Bed” from Ray Charles’ 1983 album Wish You Were Here Tonight is real Nashville country for the 1980s. The song, co-written by George Jones and first appearing on Jones’ 1978 Bartender’s Blues album, was the fifth and final song on Side 1 of its parent LP and was used as the B-side of a single a few months later. The conceit of the lyrics... [read all]