Included in the set is "What'd I Say," perhaps the most important hit of Ray's career.
The power of the Raeletts singers, Margie Hendrix in particular, can be heard on the immortal "(Night Time Is) The Right Time." The same band joins Ray for the 1959 gig at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta, a performance captured with stunning clarity by a single microphone ("I got the chill bumps," recalls Atlantic's Jerry Wexler of hearing it for the first time). One of the great groups in jazz-based R&B, this unit features, among others, saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and Hank Crawford in arrangements layered to approximate the sound of a big band.
In Concert begins with Ray's septet appearance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. Sequenced chronologically, the performances were recorded between 19. Reflecting the growing size of Ray's bands - and the growth of his legend - the 29 tracks on this two-disc collection are gathered from five live albums: Ray Charles At Newport Ray Charles In Person Berlin, 1962 Ray Charles Live In Concert and Ray Charles Live In Japan. While we're discussing Ray, this is one of my faves (although off most radar):Īn individually numbered, limited edition of 5000 copies from Rhino Handmade.Īs Ray Charles biographer David Ritz points out in the liner notes to this release, "Ray Charles the recording artist and Ray Charles the performing artist are separate people." Ray the performing artist - the inspiration for this priceless collection - is raw Ray." With the greatest respect for the real deal, thank you, Ray Charles.Ĭo-Reissue Producer of The Complete Country And Western Recordings 1959-86 Yep, that's right - I'm a lucky so-and-so. Ray began to sing a couple verses and the chorus of "Tweedlee Dee." What can I say? It was a thrilling moment, certainly a life-long memory, underscored only by the incredible joy of watching and listening to Ray sing along.Īs I later read aloud more song titles, we came across an Atlantic “45 RPM comp” tape of Ray and other label artists grafted onto a 12-inch reel, I mentioned a song title there by LaVern Baker. Then, we were transported back in time, to a rehearsal session with Ahmet Ertegun in New York forty-six years earlier. There was a moment of silence as the leader passed over the playback head. He pulled out the tape and spooled it on a reel-to-reel machine behind him in seconds flat. Ray said, "Hand that to me." He slid down into his office chair and rolled backwards, snagging the box from me. I begin to read song titles off the tape boxes - familiar titles that we shared like a common friend we both knew and loved - when I come across a label dated 5/10/53.
Without missing a beat, he replied, "Man, don't you know nothin' 'bout recording?!" Then, almost whispering, his mouth curled with his trademark grin, he said "I don't want the sound of my shoes hitting the floor to be heard on the tape." I somewhat nervously began a conversation with him. Ray returned to stand behind the massive mixing board in the center of the room, with his coffee cup (a large beer stein) set exactly where he had left it, as I unloaded the reels. I thought to myself, that's why he wasn't wearing shoes. I recall it being a warm day and the studio air was stuffy. I arrived and pushed the backdoor buzzer, when, to my surprise, it was Ray himself who appeared at the door, in his stocking feet.Īfter carefully hoofing the boxes up the steep stairs, around a few tight turns, it became rather obvious the only folks in the building were Ray and myself. It was my great responsibility and honor to deliver these reels, which were to be incorporated into Ray's personal tape vault. The previous day I had taken possession of Ray's complete master reels from the Atlantic tape library, which were sent from Manhattan. I remember meeting Ray Charles on a Saturday morning at his RPM International studio on Washington Blvd.
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