ray charles, search and destroy / classic or dud

Though, there is one annoying thing about the set. It's not his "complete" Atlantic recordings. It doesn't include his instrumental/jazz stuff (admittedly somewhat dispensible). They later put that out on a separate set. BUT, the thing is each of the three cd's in the Rhino set are like 50 minutes long! They could have put some of the other material on there to make it a better value, if nothing else.

Avoid his latter-day recordings & most instrumental records, but do go to see him live if you get the chance--instead of a greatest-hits show, he tends to play whatever he damn well feels like that night, out of a repertoire of several hundred songs.

What could be more American than that?

Kudos to RC for totally avoiding all the VHIBehindtheMusic blather about his trials and hard living etc.

I'm quite fond of Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul

My personal favourite is 'Ray Charles Live' which has got his Newport set from 1958. But make sure you get the reissue which has got several tracks from another gig as well.

I second the recommendation for 'Brother Ray' (but I thoroughly enjoyed Ritz's Marvin biog as well).

It's real cocktail bar stuff, but I like his jazz collabs w/ Milt Jackson from the MJQ.

But the first two discs are pretty much all classics. My favorite Ray Charles? I always liked "My Bonnie" and "Greenbacks" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'."

The country stuff, I don't know, there's nothing wrong with it but I find it overdone...kind of like "Busted," though. But for country, give me Faron Young...

so funky:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBv5tEFRcho

Any fans here of his 70s records? They're sad and jazzy and I'm lost in them right now, and wondered if anyone out there had any thoughts on them.

i had the same question tonight. i have a few of his '70s records, and i like all of them. any recommendations from other folks?

RAY FUCKING CHARLES

HE MIGHTY

i need to find a good "intro to the important parts of ray charles' musical contributions" source
thoughts?

You mean like a book, or just an allmusic guide to his albums, or something else?

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/the-real-ray-1.408647?mode=amp

whatever anyone has to offer! all suggestions welcome
thank you

Author Peter Guralnick has written about Charles first blending gospel stylings with pop, jazz, r’n’b, and rock on “I Got a Woman “ in 1954:

The direction Charles chose was to make records with his band. In November 1954, he called Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler to Atlanta to hear the group. "We met him at his hotel," recalls Wexter. "He took us across the street to a nightclub called the Royal Peacock -- this was in the afternoon, and his band was sitting there, all ready to play, just sitting there in their chairs, and he went to the piano and counted off and they hit into "I've Got a Woman," and that was it."

That was it. It was the fusion of all the elements that till then had simply failed to coalesee; it was the uninhibited, altogether abandoned sound of the church; it was the keening, ecstatic voicings by which the world has come to know Ray Charles best.

It is impossible to overestimate the impact of that record. Without ever making the pop charts, it exerted a profound influence on the course of American popular music. To Jerry Wexler it was the quintessence of Ray Charles and r&b.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1983/03/13/whatd-he-say/78bf1bcf-9ae1-4dd1-9066-df1b3bc45c88/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.cc8637f1d491

Peter Guralnick article

“What’d I’Say” also seems crucial

ha! those are the two songs i chose to include in my slides
this is for a very brief survey of the 1950s output of ray charles and how influential it was. at least i know i am on the right track!

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music ... isn't country, imo? What am I missing?

It’s Countrypolitan!

fucking genius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X30-0hSxvRM
Ray Charles performing “Walk the Line” & “Ring of Fire” on the Johnny Cash Show

So many great performances on that show

That "Ring of Fire" take is especially nice.

Charles scored a bunch of low '30s chart hits in the mid/late '60s, forgotten now, that are good covers and solid genre exercises.