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Blessed with an intuitive genius that illuminated his entire career, Ray Charles sensed that country music and the blues had a common soul that he could touch with his expressive voice and natural gifts for phrasing. Having left Atlantic Records for the ABC label where he was guaranteed artistic freedom, Charles decided to step through the looking glass; in the middle of the civil rights movement he turned country music into lush, R&B-influenced 60s pop, blurring racial and artistic barriers in the process. As proof of his success, the single, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (written by white country star Don Gibson) spent five weeks at #1 on the pop charts and sixteen weeks at #1 on the R&B charts before winning the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. As fresh today as when they were recorded, no context is required to appreciate these sublime tracks, which have now been combined into a single package. Charles knew a hit song when he heard it and he convincingly transformed a well-known track like Hank Williams’ “Your Cheating Heart” into a sweet, sexy ballad that seems as right as the original. For instrumental backup, Charles used two modes: strings and vocal choir by arranger Marty Paich for ballads like “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and punchier swing band arrangements by famed composer/arranger Gerald Wilson for tracks like “Hey Good Lookin’.” While a snappy, brass-led version of Williams’ “Move it Over” is a revelation, the utterly transformative version of one of country music’s most storied touchstones, “You Are My Sunshine,” featuring Charles in full Atlantic-era R&B mode—complete with Raelettes—is spectacular. One of the finest moments in an acclaimed career, the expansive vision and charismatic vocals heard here are still breathtaking. © Robert Baird / Qobuz
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Felice Bryant, ComposerLyricist - Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Boudleaux Bryant, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Cindy Walker, ComposerLyricist - Eddy Arnold, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Curley Williams, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Floyd Tillman, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Zeke Clements, ComposerLyricist - Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Eddy Arnold, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Frankie Brown, ComposerLyricist - Ray Charles, MainArtist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Buddy Guy, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Jimmie Davis, ComposerLyricist - Floyd Tillman, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Hank Williams, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - W. C. Handy, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Don Gibson, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Hank Williams, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
DISC 2
Charles Mitchell, ComposerLyricist - Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Jimmie Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Frankie Brown, ComposerLyricist - Ray Charles, MainArtist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Jimmie S. James Hodges, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Don Gibson, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Chester Atkins, ComposerLyricist - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Boudleaux Bryant, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Don Gibson, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Hy Heath, ComposerLyricist - Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - FRED ROSE, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Hank Williams, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Hy Heath, ComposerLyricist - Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - FRED ROSE, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Lillian Schwope, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Vaughn Horton, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Sid Feller, Producer - Ray Charles, MainArtist - Steve Nelson, ComposerLyricist - FRED ROSE, ComposerLyricist - ED NELSON, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation under license to Concord Music Group
Album review
Blessed with an intuitive genius that illuminated his entire career, Ray Charles sensed that country music and the blues had a common soul that he could touch with his expressive voice and natural gifts for phrasing. Having left Atlantic Records for the ABC label where he was guaranteed artistic freedom, Charles decided to step through the looking glass; in the middle of the civil rights movement he turned country music into lush, R&B-influenced 60s pop, blurring racial and artistic barriers in the process. As proof of his success, the single, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (written by white country star Don Gibson) spent five weeks at #1 on the pop charts and sixteen weeks at #1 on the R&B charts before winning the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. As fresh today as when they were recorded, no context is required to appreciate these sublime tracks, which have now been combined into a single package. Charles knew a hit song when he heard it and he convincingly transformed a well-known track like Hank Williams’ “Your Cheating Heart” into a sweet, sexy ballad that seems as right as the original. For instrumental backup, Charles used two modes: strings and vocal choir by arranger Marty Paich for ballads like “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and punchier swing band arrangements by famed composer/arranger Gerald Wilson for tracks like “Hey Good Lookin’.” While a snappy, brass-led version of Williams’ “Move it Over” is a revelation, the utterly transformative version of one of country music’s most storied touchstones, “You Are My Sunshine,” featuring Charles in full Atlantic-era R&B mode—complete with Raelettes—is spectacular. One of the finest moments in an acclaimed career, the expansive vision and charismatic vocals heard here are still breathtaking. © Robert Baird / Qobuz
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 24 track(s)
- Total length: 01:13:38
- Main artists: Ray Charles
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Concord Records
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Soul
© 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation ℗ 2009 The Ray Charles Foundation
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