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
“Don’t You Think I Ought To Know”
Ray Charles included a soulful if opulent version of “Don’t You Think I Ought To Know” to his January 1966 LP Crying Time. Originally recorded by artists such as Bill Johnson and His Musical Notes (in 1947) and Ella Fitzgerald, and later The Orioles, it has an emotional melody that Ray handles beautifully. “Don’t You Think I Ought To Know” was written by Bill Johnson and Melvin Wettergreen. Wettergreen’s name was misspelled as “Wettergren”... [read all]