Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius". Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray". Charles was blinded during childhood, possibly due to glaucoma.

Ray Charles was one of the most iconic and influential artists in the annals of pop as a singer, songwriter and pianist, and while he is considered one of the godfathers and great innovators of soul music, his work transcended the worlds of jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and country and western as well. Afflicted by blindness, he turned to music in his early life, and began recording for the Swing Time label in 1949 as a member of The Maxim Trio. In a career spanning half a century, he racked up over 100 chart entries, with well over 40 coming in this seminal first quarter-century or so of his career. This excellent-value 125-track 5-CD collection comprises just about all his A & B sides released on the Swing Time, Atlantic, ABC-Paramount and Impulse labels during these years. It features all his 46 Pop, R&B and UK chart entries from this era, including the pop No. 1s “Georgia On My Mind”, “Hit The Road Jack” & “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and the R&B No. 1s “I’ve Got A Woman”, “A Fool For You”, “What’d I Say”, “Unchain My Heart”, “One Mint Julep” & “You Are My Sunshine”, encompassing his time as the pillar of the Atlantic roster and the hits from his landmark albums for ABC-Paramount “Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music”. It’s a substantial and comprehensive overview of his chart-focused output during these years as part of a dynamic and exciting pop and R&B landscape, and a thoroughly entertaining showcase for his unique talents as singer, composer, pianist and arranger.

Between May 17 and 25, 1962, Ray Charles, “The Genius”, returned to Paris for a series of memorable concerts. And he was at his peak, fronting his big band and accompanied by his Raelets led by a dazzling Margie Hendrix. This 3CD set prepared by Joël Dufour with the help of Michel Brillié and Gilles Pétard contains previously unreleased material and bonus tracks that include recordings made in Ray’s own studio, where he plays piano alongside his favourite artists, Percy Mayfield and Louis Jordan. And this set has a must: “Blue Stone” is a great instrumental with Ray playing alto, but he never recorded it in a studio. And you can listen to it here! Patrick FRÉMEAUX

The Grand Master 1944-1962: His Inspiration, His Influence is een album van Ray Charles uit 2024 en is uitgebracht onder het label Fremeaux

A music legend like no other, Ray Charles earned the nickname "Genius" for recording countless jazz, country, R&B and pop masterpieces during a career that spanned seven decades. This Box Set features mono mixes for the seven outstanding solo studio albums he recorded for Atlantic Records. For this new collection, the following albums have been fully remastered from the original mono analog tapes, echoing the experience of the era, when most fans were hearing music on record players, jukeboxes and radios that played music monaurally: "Ray Charles" (1957), "The Great Ray Charles" (1957), "Yes, Indeed!" (1958), "What'd I Say" (1959), "The Genius Of Ray Charles" (1959), "The Genius After Hours" (1961), and "The Genius Sings The Blues" (1961).

Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country. Then there was his singing; his style was among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th century performer, up there with the likes of Elvis and Billie Holiday. He was also a superb keyboard player, arranger, and bandleader. The brilliance of his 1950s and '60s work, however, can't obscure the fact that he made few classic tracks after the mid-'60s, though he recorded often and performed until the year before his death.

Ray Charles's decision to cut an album of duets with then-rising jazz singer Betty Carter defines the phrase "unerring instinct." Charles responds to Carter's gorgeous voice and compelling melodic changes with some of his softest singing; you might say that this already masterful conduit of emotion got in touch with his feminine side on this 1961 date.

Ray Charles (* September 23, 1930 as Raymond Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia; † June 10, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California) was an American singer, songwriter and composer. He is also referred to as the "High Priest of Soul". His influence was stylistically formative for the development of rhythm and blues, blues, country and soul. In total, he has sold about 90 million phonograms.