Aug 18 AOTD: Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Aug 18 AOTD: Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

1962



Here's the link to a playlist of the entire album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME9mk0OF6Bw&list=PLowQCq3Ss89i5nQZtPFsFj4kpuAzippZy


As we are still grieving Aretha Franklin's death, that great lady that influenced almost every singer that came after, I thought we should look at a black artist who opened the doors to her and other African American musicians and singers: Ray Charles, aka The Genius (and yes, that was his musical moniker bestowed upon him, just as "Queen of Soul" was given to Aretha).

Ray had been trying to make it in the business for 20 years, and actually, by 1962, he already had a number of huge hit singles like "What'd I Say?," which had been banned on several radio stations, supposedly for its sexual content. He already had invented soul (a musical epithet that had not existed until after Ray's recordings) by combining gospel, blues and jazz.  But he had yet to have a smash album, so now he set out to make a r&b, country, big band crossover, commercial hit.

ABC had recently signed Ray and had given him complete control in the studio.  He is one of the very first artists to demand to the financial rights to the master recordings of his own originals, the earnings of which were now giving him freedom to do what he had always wanted.  Since he had grown up in the South, Ray had listened to the sounds of Nashville and the Grand Ol' Opry.  Now he wanted to make an album that blended his beloved country with the then modern sound of popular music, which included big band, jazz, and orchestration.  The record company and his manager were against the idea of Ray switching to country songs (remember, you young blog-followers, country music sounded nothing then like it does now, and then Ray changed the sound even more with the lush orchestrations and swinging big band arrangements), saying he would lose fans.  Ray countered that though he may lose fans, if the company and musicians listened to him and did the arrangements right - his way - he would GAIN even more fans.  He was right.

Except for the orchestration of the songs, they was originally arranged by Ray himself, whereby he would either make a tape and then play it to the other musicians or he would talk them through the progression, chord by chord.

He did not care to make any singles on this record.  He wanted to make an album that would be listened to from beginning to end.  That makes this the perfect "album of the day."

It was the number one-selling album of 1962.  He stayed in the number-one spot on the billboard charts for 14 weeks, and the single "I Can't Stop Loving You" stayed at number one on the singles chart for five weeks.  Unheard of at that time for an artist who was blind, black and a heroin addict! Genius, indeed.