Abc Paramount

When Ray Charles signed his precedent-shattering contract with ABC-Paramount in 1959, he was determined to make good on an early ambition to be the most versatile recording artist the music business had ever known.

Early work from Toots Thielemans from 1964 containing his hit “Bluesette” which launched his career, focusing on his trademark guitar & whistling style on this LP. Additional players are Dick Hyman on organ, Arnold Fishkind on bass and Sol Gubin and Don Lamond on drums.

When Ray Charles signed his precedent-shattering contract with ABC-Paramount in 1959, he was determined to make good on an early ambition to be the most versatile recording artist the music business had ever known. Charles got to work at his new label right away, producing hits like "Georgia On My Mind" and "Hit the Road Jack" along with the classic duet album with Betty Carter in 1961. But it wasn't till 1962's MODERN SOUNDS IN COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC VOLS. 1 & 2 that Charles surpassed industry expectations.

For those who lack the cash or incentive to invest in Bear Family's mammoth eight-CD Rock 'N' Roll Years box set, this two-CD, 40-song overview of Conway Twitty's 1958-1963 MGM sides is a fine summary of his early career. Nearly all his Top Hundred chart hits are here, as are numerous flops, B-sides, and LP tracks. It's true that these were the most rock-oriented years of Twitty's long career, and also that many of these sides are derivative of early Elvis Presley……..

This installment in the Jazz Icons series of memorable jazz performances captures two concerts by legendary musician Erroll Garner recorded in 1963 and 1964. Some of the songs featured in the performances include I Get a Kick Out of You, Misty, Sweet and Lovely, and more. One of the most distinctive of all pianists, Erroll Garner proved that it was possible to be a sophisticated player without knowing how to read music, that a creative jazz musician can be very popular without watering down his music, and that it is possible to remain an enthusiastic player without changing one's style once it is formed.

The most popular exponent of the classic New Orleans R&B sound, Fats Domino sold more records than any other black rock & roll star of the 1950s. His relaxed, lolling boogie-woogie piano style and easygoing, warm vocals anchored a long series of national hits from the mid-'50s to the early '60s. Through it all, his basic approach rarely changed. He may not have been one of early rock's most charismatic, innovative, or threatening figures, but he was certainly one of its most consistent.
Domino's first single, "The Fat Man" (1949), is one of the dozens of tracks that have been consistently singled out as a candidate for the first rock & roll record.

Lost for 50 years, these newly discovered concerts, featuring an hour and 45 minutes of performances, were filmed at the 1961 Antibes Jazz Festival in France and show Ray Charles in his prime period with the original Raeletts and his most legendary band (including David "Fathead" Newman and Hank Crawford.) These first concerts he ever gave in Europe, opened the door for Ray Charles to become one of the most revered international stars America has ever produced. The original 16mm films have been newly transferred and digitally restored and remastered, capturing Ray Charles at the peak of his powers, the very essence of "genius".