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29 April 2010

Ray Charles - My Early Years, On QVC (1998)

Ray Charles, according to a QVC press release, "made his first solo performance in 53 years" on 10 March 1998 on the television shopping network to promote the first product from his merchandising and marketing company RCR Productions, a book-and-CD set called Ray Charles - My Early Years. Charles sold the package during a 15-minute segment of QVC on Saturday at 4 pm. Accompanying himself on piano, he performed one of the songs on the recording, which included such hits like Georgia On My Mind, Hit The Road Jack, and I Can't Stop Loving You. Charles told QVC he conceived the project as a book, then "added the music to complement the reading."

Who knows more about the song(s) that Ray performed in the QVC studio?

Ray Charles On Piano Jazz (1990)

Ray and Marian.

On 9 January 1990 Ray Charles was a guest at Marian McPartland's famous NPR radio program Piano Jazz, taped at the Manhattan Beach Studios in New York. It was first broadcast on 6 April 1991, and it's a marvel - the virtuoso piano pieces are as interesting as the conversation is funny. During their conversation they played a few songs (Marian sometimes backing Ray on piano), and improvised some blues tunes together. Their script was:
  1. Conversation
  2. Georgia On My Mind 
  3. Conversation
  4. Summertime 
  5. Conversation 
  6. The Man I Love (with Marian McPartland)
  7. Conversation
  8. Willow Weep For Me (solo Marian McPartland)
  9. Conversation
  10. [Blues] (Charles, McPartland) / Things Ain't What They Used To Be
  11. Conversation
  12. Am I Blue
  13. Conversation 
  14. Portrait Of Ray Charles (solo Marian McPartland)
  15. Conversation
  16. Oh, What A Beautiful Morning
  17. Conversation
  18. Ray And Marian's Blues (Charles, McPartland) 
The NPR website offers a sequence of 10 odd minutes with Am I Blue (Ray backed by Marian), and Oh, What A Beautiful Morning.
The New York Public Library (Performing Arts Research Collections; (CStRLIN)NYPW87-A197) has stored a copy on CD.

An Untitled Bio Documentary (2002, c 2006)

Documentary produced in 2006 or a bit later, using some 2002 interview footage:
   [Video was removed from YouTube]

28 April 2010

Remembering Ray Charles (1987, 2004)

From an article by CBS News' Rebecca Leung: 
[...] 60 Minutes put together a tribute to Charles, looking back at a story we did with him when he was in his prime. What we found was some revealing footage of how he lived his life without sight - as well as some insight into his heroin addiction.
But first, with the help of Willie Nelson and Quincy Jones, Ed Bradley takes a look at the genius of Charles, and how he achieved a certain immortality with his versions of some classic American music.
"Music really and truly is my bloodstream, you know, my breathing, my respiratory system," said Charles. "And as long as the public is willing to listen to me, there ain't no retiring until the day when they put me away." [...].
Did he talk about death at all? "No, no, no," said Nelson. "He always laughed."
Nelson said Charles'incomparable talent left its mark across American music, including country. He remembers when Charles' first country album hit the charts in 1962.
"He did more for country music than any other living human being, because when he did that album, already Ray Charles was, you know, a household word," said Nelson. "Here’s Ray Charles doing country songs, introducing those songs to millions and millions of people who, otherwise, would have never had a chance to hear them."
How did Charles straddle so many styles, and do it so well?
"He just had a feel for all kinds of music, so his musical talents had no boundaries," said Nelson.
Legendary producer Quincy Jones, who’s known and worked with Charles since they were teenagers, said Charles had that range when they first met in Seattle in 1947.
"Ray came to town, lit it up like a rocket," said Jones, who adds it was obvious, early on, that Charles was a special talent. "He had it. Whatever it is, Ray had it. And everybody knew it."
"Sinatra called him the only genius in the business," said Bradley.
"I would agree with that. Ray had a range, a 360 range that I don’t think anybody ever had," said Jones.
Charles took that musical range on the road to every corner of the world for over 50 years, and he was always happiest when he was performing.
In 1986, 60 Minutes was privileged to follow him around and watch him make his music. Crews first caught up with him on the road at a Holiday Inn for a late night game of cards.
"The first hand you got blackjack? And I shuffled the cards," said Bradley. "How do I know you’re not cheating me?"
"Well, how can I cheat you if you gave me the cards? I ain’t touched the cards," said Charles. "The cards haven’t even been nowhere near my hand."
"How do you know I’m not cheating you," asked Bradley.
"Well, let’s put it this way. I figure at this stage of the game, if I got to worry about you, just like I tell my woman," said Charles. "I mean, at this point and time in my life, if I got to worry about what you doing when I’m away from home, then we ain’t got a chance, do we? You know, because there ain’t, that life ain’t going to work like that. I’m gone too much." [...].
When 60 Minutes visited Charles, he was living in a modest apartment in Beverly Hills, nothing fancy. Unselfconscious, he gave a rare glimpse of his daily routine, what it was like to be Ray Charles. [...]
"[He's] the most independent man I’ve ever seen in my life. The only time where he ever appeared to have any kind of handicap was when a beautiful woman was in the room," said Jones. "Then he started walking into walls and so forth. ...‘Can I help you Mr. Charles?’Jones says the sympathetic women would say. ...He'd get real blind, you know, when the pretty girls were around." [...]
Did the drugs make him play better, or perform better? "I never did think that," he said. "I used them because I enjoy, I mean, I enjoyed what I was doing."
After he gave that up, he was rarely without the Ray Charles Cocktail – coffee, a little sugar, some gin. But Charles was always serious about the business of being Ray Charles. He was one of the first artists to own his own master recordings.
"You’ve made a more than comfortable living, but have you made the kind of money that the really big white artists make?" asked Bradley.
"No, obviously I haven’t. And won’t. But so what? I can’t eat but one meal a day. I can’t make love but to one woman at a time, do you understand," said Charles. "I mean, so when you get right down to it, man, you can have 15 islands or whatever, or 13 cars or 10 airplanes. But what does it all mean, you know? I am, as you so beautifully put it, comfortable. I like that."
How does Nelson explain Charles' longevity? "He touched all of us. He sang to everybody," said Nelson. "He was the guy who felt it as much or more than anybody."
"He said, ‘Every music has its own soul. Be true to the soul of the music,’" said Jones. "And those are words that have stuck with me for the rest of my life." [...]
Is there a quintessential Ray Charles sound? "Absolutely. It is the pain converted into joy," said Jones. "It’s darkness converted into light."
Remembering Ray Charles largely went back on Ed Bradley's 60 Minutes: Ray Charles, first aired by CBS on 29 March 1987. Source here.
Over the course of Bradley's twenty-six years on 60 Minutes, he did over 500 stories, covering nearly every possible type of news, from "heavy" segments on war, politics, poverty and corruption, to lighter biographical pieces, or stories on sports, music, and cuisine.
Some of his quirkier moments included playing blackjack with Ray Charles. Crews first caught up with Ray on the road at a Holiday Inn for a late night game of cards. This is how the story goes:
"The first hand you got blackjack? And I shuffled the cards," said Bradley. "How do I know you’re not cheating me?"
"Well, how can I cheat you if you gave me the cards? I ain’t touched the cards," said Charles. "The cards haven’t even been nowhere near my hand."
"How do you know I’m not cheating you," asked Bradley.
"Well, let’s put it this way. I figure at this stage of the game, if I got to worry about you, just like I tell my woman," said Charles. "I mean, at this point and time in my life, if I got to worry about what you doing when I’m away from home, then we ain't got a chance, do we? You know, because there ain't, that life ain't going to work like that. I'm gone too much."
It seems as if this 16'30" copy entails the complete 60 minutes item:

.

Ray Charles In CMT 100 Greatest Love Songs (2003)

 Ray Charles pays tribute to
the song 
Behind Closed Doors.
Joe Nichols and Sara Evans co-hosted one of the biggest concerts of summer as CMT welcomed country music fans worldwide to Nashville on the eve of CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair. An array of stars performed the Top 12 songs from CMT's list of 100 Greatest Love Songs. The fest took place at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center on Wednesday, June 9 and was taped for telecast as part of a six-hour special, CMT 100 Greatest Love Songs, aired on Sunday, June 13. The songs were showcased with a documentary counting down from numbers 100 through 13 and climaxed with a concert counting down the Top 12.
Ray's rendition of Behind Closed Doors was magnificent:

A nice recent compilation of testimonials by country stars, endorsing Ray's position in CMT's All-Time Top 40:

Ray Charles In Liza And David - That Never Aired (2002)

From Entertainment Weekly (October 2002):
Liza And David, VH1's planned reality series built around celebrity dinner parties at the home of newlyweds Liza Minnelli and David Gest, could have been brilliant, or it could have been a riveting train wreck, but we'll never know. VH1 canceled the show Tuesday, after shooting just one episode of the series, which was to premiere in January. The network has no plans to air the lone produced installment, a VH1 spokesperson tells EW.com. We're not moving forward with the show, the spokesperson said. Liza's amazing, but we were not given the cooperation needed to make the show happen.
That lack of access was apparently due to concert promoter Gest's meddling, according to a report in the New York Post. The paper quotes a source close to the show as calling Gest impossible to work with and a control freak. Show insiders reportedly told the Post and the Associated Press that Gest frequently blocked access to Minnelli, keeping her locked in their New York apartment while the crew waited outside; repeatedly canceled production dates; and engaged in such neat freak behavior as forcing crew members to take off their shoes and wear surgical booties inside the apartment. Asked by EW.com about the Post and AP accounts, the VH1 spokesperson declined to comment. Gest and Minnelli also had no comment, though their publicist expected them to issue a statement soon, Reuters reports.
The series was originally going to focus just on the couple's dinner parties, but producers hoped to expand beyond such staged events to show other facets of Minnelli's day-to-day life as a performer, the spokesperson told EW.com. It was not going to be anything like Anna Nicole Smith or along those lines, the spokesperson said, referring to E!'s The Anna Nicole Show. Rather, the spokesperson said, It was very documentary-like, a day in the life of Liza.
The one produced episode, shot on Oct. 21, did include a dinner party, to which the Gests invited such boldface names as Ray Charles, Luther Vandross, Michelle Branch, Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland, Sandra Bernhard, author Dominick Dunne, fashion guru Isaac Mizrahi, gossip columnist Liz Smith, and others. Minnelli, Charles, and Vandross sang for their supper, but Gest didn't let Branch or Rowland sing, despite producers' desire to make the show a draw for a younger demographic, the Post reports.
Now that the show won't air, VH1 has to eat whatever it spent preparing for the series, including the performance fees and the production costs of outfitting the Gests' apartment with film gear. In a letter to David Gest's attorneys, VH1 cited breach of contract as the reason for the termination, the Post reports. The network spokesperson confirmed to EW.com that VH1 sent a letter to David Gest's attorneys, some of which was quoted in the Post, citing breach of contract as the reason for the termination. The spokesperson declined to speculate, however, on whether there would be any litigation.
A series of 10 episodes got planned, but the disagreements between Liza Minnelli, David Gest and VH1 caused the network to cancel the show after producing one episode, that never aired.

Update May 5, 2018:
The episode has emerged here:


Read the whole story in a transcript of an interview with Minnelli and Gest on Larry King Live, aired on 20 November 2002. Update 05/05/2018: Footage here!

Who knows more about the destiny of that episode?

Ray Charles Ft. In The Heaven And Earth Show (2002)

The Heaven And Earth Show was a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10 to 11 am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at topical religious, spiritual and moral issues. The programme had a magazine format, with guests of all backgrounds talking about various ethical, spiritual and cultural issues. The show also featured phone-ins, email and text readouts. Commonly a celebrity guest would be interviewed about his or her career with a particular focus on religious belief or spirituality.
Ray was featuring in the show (directed by Matt Woodward) that aired on 12 May 2002.

Who knows more?

27 April 2010

Ray Charles On Happy Birthday Shirley (1997)

Ray Charles (and many other artists) contributed with some form of prerecorded footage to Happy Birthday Shirley, directed by Nigel Lythgoe. Dame Shirley Bassey performed some of her best known hits and new material in front of an invited audience, to celebrate her 60th birthday.
The show was directed by Nigel Lythgoe, and co-hosted by Jimmy Tarbuck. It was first aired on 11 January 1997 by London Weekend Television. Source here.
"Synopsis: International singing superstar Shirley Bassey hosts her own night-club soirĂ©e in celebration of her 60th birthday. The world-famous songstress delights a star-studded audience of leading lights from the worlds of entertainment, politics and sport with a series of dazzling performances of her new songs. [...]. With performances also from Ray Charles (Happy Birthday), and from Paul Zerdin [...]."

Ray Charles In Hallelujah Gospel (1982)

Hallelujah Gospel was a TV special recorded live in 1982 at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove (CA), hosted by Glen Campbell, and with performances by Andrae Crouch, Ray Charles, Deniece Williams, The Hawkins Family, The Imperials, Sandra Crouch, and the Church of God in Christ International Choir. The show was directed by John M. Robins. It was first aired on 7 February 1983.

Campbell introduced the Genius as "indeed a god fearing human being". Ray, playing a grand piano, performed an excellent version of All Night, All Day (Angels Keep Watching Over Me).

DVD: Image Entertainment, 16 March 2004 (1982), ASIN: B0001BKAGW.
The same program was also released on DVD under the title Coming Home – An Evening Of Gospel, on Immortal IMM940059.


Ray Charles Ft. In The New Bill Cosby Show (1972)

Ray Charles was part of the episode of The New Bill Cosby Show that was first aired by CBS on 11 September 1972. Archival Television Audio (ID #4115) at least has the audio part of the footage. See more set photos here.
According to an announcement in Jet, Ray and the Raelettes were also featured that year in the New Bill Cosby Show aired on 25 December.
According to the tv guide page in The Citizen-Advertizer (Auburn, NY) from 30 October 1972, Ray Charles was "Cosby's special guest, backed up by Quincy Jones, Charles delivers America The Beautiful, Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma and tries sketch material with Cosby visiting Quincy Jones's shooting gallery."
The Ludington Daily News of 22 December 1972 also mentioned that Ray's music was backed by the Quincy Jones Orchestra, listed that he also performed Hit The Road Jack.

The footage is waiting to be discovered somewhere in Cosby's secret vaults.

26 April 2010

Ray Charles At The Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards (2003)

At The 34th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards (produced by Phil Ramone, directed by Wyatt Smith, and recorded by PBS on 12 June 2003) Ray performed Crazy Love with Van Morrison. The show took place at the Marriott Marquis in New York, and first aired on 9 July, on the Bravo channel.

At HBO Archives something is wrong with their item counter: they have clips from an interview with Ray (according to their database:) recorded on 12 "May" "1993" at the "24th" edition of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Event, and they filmed it in "Los Angeles".

03 TV Van:

Crazy Love (with Van Morrison) [soundclip]:

Ray Charles Ft. In First TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV


A Jet article mentioned that Ray performed
Georgia On My Mind, with a 35 man choir.
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV aka Annual TV Land Awards is an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air. It is presented in a manner that spoofs other entertainment award ceremonies. Created in 2003 by Executive Producer Michael Levitt, the awards are hosted and broadcast by the TV Land network. Awards are given in various categories (which change from year to year) with input from visitors to TV Land's website who can vote there for their favorite choices. Awards can and have been given to both individual actors/actresses and to entire television series. Ray Charles was in the first award show, directed by Glenn Weiss.
The show was taped at the Palladium in Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2003, and was telecast on the TV Land cable channel on March 12. Photo here.  
A demo video, for consideration of Grammy Awards, is sometimes for sale on various websites (like this one).

Who knows more?

Show opening:

25 April 2010

Ray Charles At Michael Jackson - 30th Anniversary Celebration (2001)

Poster.
Wikipedia specifies that the whole Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration show actually consisted of two events, that took place on September 7 and 10, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Ticket prices were pop's most expensive ever; the best seats cost $5,000 and included a dinner with Michael Jackson and a signed poster. The concert official Boxscore was $10,072,105 for both concerts.
CBS aired a two-hour special (directed by Bruce Gowers)  in late November, editing from footage of the two separate concerts. The televised special re-sequenced the songs somewhat. IMdB possibly has the most complete description of the program. Also read this.

On 7 September Ray performed Crying Time, in a duet with Cassandra Wilson - but this performance  didn't make it to the televised show. The AP Archive, however, has a 5 minute reportage of the event, where at least Ray can be seen singing in shot #13. It aired on 10 September 2001.
Apart from that, the AP Archive has a Ray Charles "file reel" with a "Performance - Crying Time, Ray Charles & Cassandra Wilson". A few seconds of it can be watched here.
Ray and Cassandra also participated in the chorus line for the finale, a group rendition of We Are The World, that also was NOT aired by CBS. Conductor Quincy Jones for this occasion had also emptied his Rolodex with jazz instrumentalists, for instance bringing David Newman, Clark Terry, Les McCann and Jimmy Smith on stage.

The performance of We Are The World was a terrible chaos. An amateur filmer took care of the footage below.

Ray Charles Honoree At The Ninth Annual Trumpet Awards (2001)

On 24 February 2001 Ray Charles was a honoree at The Ninth Annual Trumpet Awards, aired by Turner Broadcasting System, saluting African-American contributions to the fields of education, journalism, social activism, sports and entertainment. Hosted by actor Richard Roundtree, directed by Tom Williams.

Who knows more?

Ray Charles In ABC 2000 - The Millennium (1999/2000)

ABC 2000 - The Millennium was perhaps the most elaborate, complex and ambitious televison program ever produced. ABC News placed correspondents and production teams on every continent, anchored by Peter Jennings for 24 hours non-stop live television. Directed by Roger Goodman. Aired 31 December 1999/1 January 2000.

Who knows more about Ray's contribution to the program?

Ray Charles Interviewee In Bill Clinton: Rock 'n' Roll President (1997)

In Bill Clinton: Rock 'n' Roll President the president shows his love of music through a long interview, and through many home movies and TV clips, endorsed by comments from music personalities. Hosted by Carly Simon. Written, produced and directed by Jason Goodman. Aired by VH1 Network in early June 1997.

Ray at 34:35 and 39:25:
   [Video was removed]

Ray Charles In Caesars Palace 30th Anniversary Celebration (1996)

Photo was taken on December 10th,
at the show's taping.
Caesars Palace 30th Anniversary Celebration was a 2-hour ABC special first aired on 28 December 1996, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Featuring entertainers and clips from the hotel's past.

The other guests were Suzanne Somers, Julio Iglesias, Celine Dion, Joe Williams with B.B. King, Luis Miguel and Penn & Teller. Source here.

Who knows more about Ray's contribution to the show?

Ray Charles Interviewee In America's Music: The Roots of Country (1996)

Ray Charles was an interviewee in America's Music: The Roots Of Country, narrated by Kris Kristofferson, directed by Jerry Aronson and Tom Neff, first aired by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) on 2 June 1996.

Who knows more about the contents of this documentary?

Ray Charles Ft. In Rock & Roll (1995)

Rock & Roll, a 10-part/10-hour PBS documentary mini-series, traces the history and evolution of rock and roll music, from its rhythm and blues, country, gospel and jazz roots in the early 1950s, through the advent of folk rock, soul, psychadelia, heavy metal, glam, funk, punk, and reggae, to the emergence of rap in the early 1990s. It made use of interviews, performances and archival footage. Ray Charles was an interviewee. Part 1, Renegades, directed by David Espar, first aired on 24 September 1995.

Ray was in part 4, entitled Respect, chronicling the transformation of black gospel music into a defining sound for all Americans. On hand to tell the tale: Berry Gordy Jr., Ray Charles, Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson, Booker T., Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and Wilson Pickett. This episode journeys from Motown to Stax. Last stop: the FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama where Aretha Franklin made musical magic. Other interviews include: Brian Holland, Eddie Holland, Rufus Thomas, Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, Rick Hall and others. Vintage footage includes: Ray Charles, Marvelettes, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, the Miracles, the Temptations, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and many others.

The Renegades episode has made it to Youtube (6/6):








The series was also known as Dancing In The Street, A Rock And Roll History. Under this title the series first aired on PBS from 24 to 28 September 1995, then on BBC - with some different episode titles - from 15 June to 17 August 1996.

VHS (series of 10, 592 min.): 2 Entertain Video, 5 August 1996, ASIN: B0000576S5.

Here's Ray's contribution to the Respect episode. Ray's part, starting at 2:10, entails two interview fragments, and sequences of I've Got A Woman and What'd I Say:

Ray Charles In Aretha Franklin: Going Home (1995)

This Aretha Franklin episode in Disney Channel's Going Home Series (directed by Len Epand and S.A. Baron) first aired on 19 February 1995. It traced the life of The Queen Of Soul from her gospel beginnings to her rise to fame in the '60s and into the 90s.
The documentary included performance footage, interviews and guest performances, but I don't have a clue about Ray Charles' contribution.

Who knows more?

Ray Charles At The Horatio Alger Awards TV Special (1995)

The Horatio Alger Awards event honors business and civic leaders who have overcome considerable odds to achieve success. In June 1995 Ray was listed as a performer at the event, where Quincy Jones was mentioned as a honoree. The tv show, broadcast by CBS, was directed by Don Weiner.

Who knows more about Ray's contribution to the show?

Ray Charles Honored At The 1994 World Music Awards

Ray, planking during
Living For The City.
The World Music Awards (founded in 1989) is (or was?) an international awards show that annually honors recording artists based on their worldwide sales figures, which are provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The awards show is conducted under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco. The show was staged in Monte Carlo until 2003.

Amongst the performers on 4 May 1994 were Ray Charles, Ace of Base, Garth Brooks, Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Kenny G., Prince, The Scorpions, Two Unlimited and Stevie Wonder.
The show was hosted by Patrick Swayze, directed by Louis J. Horvitz, and aired by ABC on May 31st.

Ray performed brilliant versions of Till There Was You and Living For The City (with a 'planking' finale; cf. photo), and scored a standing ovation.

The award was presented by INXS's Michael Hutchence and beauty queen Helena Christensen:


Till There Was You:


Living In The City:


The AP Archive also has some red carpet footage of the stars, including Ray, arriving at Sporting Club Monte Carlo. 

24 April 2010

Ray Charles At The 1994 Essence Awards (1994)

The Essence Awards event pay tribute to outstanding African-Americans for their accomplishments in their respective fields and for their significant contributions to their communities. Ray performed at the edition of 1994 (on April 22), which was  dedicated to the African-American male. The show was recorded at the Paramount Theater in New York City. It was aired by Fox on 7 June 1994. The program was directed by Bruce Gowers and hosted by Vanessa Williams and Sinbad.

Other performers were Aretha Franklin, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Patti Austin, Queen Latifah, Tevin Campbell, and Xscape.

Source: Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collections, ID 2499201.

Ray performed A Song For You (at 3:24):

Ray Charles In Willie Nelson - My Life (1992)

My Life was Willie Nelson's official, authorized video biography, from the days he sold Family Bible for $50 to buy milk for his children to stardom. Included are interviews with Willie and his friends Ray Charles (who duets with Wilie on the song Seven Spanish Angels), Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Sydney Pollack, Gary Busey, Mel Tillis, Ray Price, Jerry Jeff Walker, Booker T. Jones, and others.

Seven Spanish Angels + Ray's testimonial: here.

DVD: White Star, 26 March 2002 (1992), ASIN: B0000640TI.

Ray Charles Ft. In The Legend Of The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)

This is a video of the 1993 CBS special, directed by Jay Levey, with the same title, a "faux" documentary of the Hillbillies, written as if they were real people and the subjects of a "whatever happened to..." investigation. Eventually, all three surviving hillbillies are located, Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), his daughter Elly May (Donna Douglas), and cousin Jethro (Max Baer).

There were cameos by Reba McEntire, Ray Charles, Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor. The show was hosted by Mac Davis. The show first aired on 24 May 1993.

Who knows more about Ray's contribution?

VHS: 20th Century Fox, 1 January 1 1998, ASIN: 6302912652.

Ray Charles In A Tribute To John Lennon (1990)

DVD: ASIN: B0018201ZS.
Notes from the Lennon/Ono on Home-Video & DVD:
Lennon: A Tribute
"On 5th May 1990 a three hour John Lennon Scholarship concert organised by Yoko Ono took place at the Pier Head in Liverpool, it was broadcast on British TV later that night. Dave Edmunds was the musical director of the event (John had been a big fan of his 1970 hit I Hear You Knocking), British DJ Mike Read and American actor Christopher Reeve were the on-stage comperes. Yoko and Sean Lennon also intermittently appeared on stage to help with introductions and commentary, whilst each of the artists involved were seen (off stage) to offer their thoughts of John/The Beatles before performing a Lennon song. John also featured by way of some archive clips. Paul McCartney later said that he didn't think that John would have been too hot on some of the acts chosen to appear - the audience certainly voiced their displeasure at the sight of Kylie Minogue (then still in her Stock, Aitken & Waterman period) whilst Wet Wet Wet later spoke of their frustration at having to perform a Lennon song rather than one of their own! 
A TV highlights special was planned for what would have been John's 50th birthday in October, this was completed but delayed until 7th December 1990 when it was shown on US Television. Entitled A Tribute To John Lennon, the 88 minute highlights package was hosted by Michael Douglas and augmented by further archive video performances of Lennon compositions from the likes of Elton John, U2 and Michael Jackson plus Sean performing Dear Prudence. Most British fans had to wait for the UK home-video release to see this highlights show which was issued by Pickwick Video as Lennon: A Tribute [...]. The US video was issued by Sony on 22nd October 1991 (also as Lennon: A Tribute). As with the concert itself, proceeds from the home-video sales were directed to John and Yoko's Spirit foundation charity.  
Those included on the 5th May 1990 UK broadcast were Al Green, Cyndi Lauper, Dave Edmunds, Joe Cocker, Hall & Oates, Terence Trent D'Arby, Kylie Minogue, Lou Reed, Dave Stewart (not in Liverpool but performing via a satellite link up from LA and seen on the big screens by the crowd), Wet Wet Wet, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Deacon Blue, Natalie Cole, Lou Gramm, Justin Hayward & John Lodge, Ray Charles (pre-taped video performance), Lenny Kravitz, Roberta Flack, Randy Travis, The Christians, Ringo Starr (pre-taped video performance), Natalie Cole, Paul McCartney (pre-taped video performance) and finally Yoko & Sean singing Give Peace a Chance with all the acts back on stage to join in."
Let It Be (pre-taped, at RPM, Ray's Los Angeles studio*):

*Location confirmed by bass player Darren Solomon.

Ray Charles Interviewed In Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul (1988)

French VHS release (Fox Lorber, VCF 180117, 1989).
Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul was a PBS documentary in their American Masters series, first broadcast on 22 August 1988. The film focused on Aretha's musical development, "tracing her progress from her early strengths as a Detroit gospel singer to the wide stylistic and emotional range she comes to command". The quality of Aretha's singing is demonstrated in clips from film and television appearances, as well as original footage of one of her recording sessions. Interviews with the people who contributed to her musical career illuminate the stages of her artistic growth. An interview with Aretha herself, the first woman to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, reveals her own perspective on her past. Look here for full description.

Preview (Ray's testimonial just visible at the end):

Ray Charles Ft. In Evening At Pops (1980, 1987)

Ray Charles performed twice in Evening at Pops: the first was taped in the spring (probably May) of 1980, and first aired on 27 (and 30) July 1980, and the second time on 20 June 1987.
The Evening at Pops is one of the longest running programs on PBS, launched shortly after the Public Broadcasting Service began operation in 1969. "The heat was on to include a broad entertainment show, kind of a public television version of a variety show, hosted by a world-class orchestra instead of a pit band." Conceived as fresh, new programming for summer, the first 12 programs included everyone from country singer Chet Atkins to jazz pianist George Shearing; Senator Edward Kennedy narrating Aaron Copland's A Lincoln Portrait to the New York Rock & Roll Ensemble; and the cast of Sesame Street.
Evening At Pops programs are taped before live audiences in Boston's Symphony Hall during special sessions. Each program is then assembled from elements of the taping sessions and other footage such as film clips or segments taped outside the hall.

In 1980 Ray's part entailed 25 minutes with:
  1. Georgia On My Mind
  2. Take These Chains From My Heart
  3. She Knows
  4. Talkin' With Brother Ray
  5. For Mamma
Clipping from Jet, 20 August 1981.
Peter Turre recollects: "John Williams was the conductor, and it was a big deal - he was new, and he was inviting in more contemporary guys like Ray than Arthur Feidler had [...]. Curtis Ohlson, who left the band after the 1980 break to join Buddy Rich, was on bass. [...]. We only played 2 or 3 tunes [actually #3 and #4, BS], one of which was a little jazz ditty by ourselves w/o the symphony [orchestra], that Ray made up at rehearsal, and Curtis played the head on bass that I remember to this day."
This was the one and only time that Talkin' With Brother Ray was performed.
PBS presented the show in a typical Sunday-morning-classical-music-TV-program mode, with a heavy voice-over dutifully naming all composers, lyricists and soloists for every tune. The typical symphony audience added to the same - comical - flavor, as dutifully reading their program brochures before and after every tune.

Georgia (21:23):

The second show with Ray was a presentation that focused on jazz, folk, and popular standards. Photo of rehearsals are here.
The Paley Center seems to have archived (parts of?) the (first or both?) Boston concert(s?).

Ray Charles In Country Comes Home (1981)

Clipping from Jet, 2 April 1981.
Country Comes Home was a CBS TV special, recorded on 1 April 1981, directed by Walter C. Miller, and aired on 10 April 1982. Most of the show was staged at the Grand Ole Opry, as a benefit for the Opry's Trust Fund. Johnny Cash opened with a song mentioning most of the performers. Ray gave "his definitive rendition" of Georgia On My Mind.
He also performed a gospel duet with Loretta Lynn. This is probably the performance that received "the standing ovation" mentioned here (sub Wish You Were Here Tonight).

Update 25 November 2013:
The website of the Country Music Hall Of Fame - surprisingly - offers a 30-second clip from the show. It indeed turns out to be a duet on a 'southern gospel' tune (written by Hank Williams): I'll Fly Away.

It was indeed a medley, with I'll Fly Away, Amazing Grace and an unidentified third gospel song:
   [Video was deleted from YouTube]

Off topic: also read this

Ray Charles Ft. In Murray The K - It's What's Happening, Baby! (1965)

Murray the K (Murray Kaufman).
It's What's Happening Baby! is a TV special from 1965, a "swingin' soiree on behalf of the federal Office of Economic Opportunity", hosted by Murray "the K" (also read this) and featuring a who's who of mid-1960s artists.
A product of LBJ's Great Society, this TV special was produced in conjunction with the Office of Economic Opportunity, with a message telling teenage high school dropouts about all the government programs (like Job Corps) that could improve their lives.
Still from the show.
It was aired by CBS on 28 June 1965, directed by Barry Shear. The show featured performances by Jan & Dean, Mary Wells, The Dave Clark Five, Gary Lewis and The Playboys, The Supremes, Tom Jones, Bill Cosby , Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, The Drifters, The Miracles, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, The Ronettes, Chuck Jackson, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers and Little Anthony & The Imperials, occasionally interspersed with Murray the K's public announcements urging the youth of America to pursue education and summer employment. Segments were filmed in New York City, Detroit and Los Angeles. The Fox Theatre in Brooklyn was the setting for the on stage New York segments. Lots of cool performance footage was filmed live on the streets of NYC. The show opens with the famous footage of Nowhere To Run performed by Martha and The Vandellas and filmed at a Mustang assembly line in the Ford River Rouge Plant in Detroit.
Senate Republicans, evidently not fans, denounced the show as "decadent" and "depraved".
Clipping from Jet, 1 July 1965.

"The whole program was tuned to the lowest type of beatnik appeal," senator Gordon Allot claimed. "If I were a communist, I would ask nothing better then to use this film as a tool by showing it to every country in Africa and the Far East," he told the Senate. "Every American who saw the film must be sick [...]."
An bootleg copy was released by 'Lady Goose Productions' in 2007 as a DVD titled: Murray the K & His 1965 Show of Shows. Historic Films has archived a reel (ID MK-1), describing the whole show, and specifying Ray's contribution to the finale with the song titles Cry (33 seconds) and What'd I Say (2m15s). At the Murray the K Archives you can watch a sample, and license the content.


Illegitimate DVD copies of the show are sometimes offered on the web. Also read this.

The complete list of acts was:

01. Intro
02. Martha & The Vandellas, Nowhere To Run
03. Jan & Dean, One-Piece Bathingsuit
04. Dionne Warwick, Walk On By
05. Herman's Hermits, Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter
06. Marvin Gaye, Pride And Joy
07. Cannibal & The Headhunters, Land Of 1000 Dances
08. Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles, You'll Never Walk Alone
09. Little Anthony & The Imperials, I'm Alright
10. Tom Jones, It's Not Unusual
11. The Ronettes, Be My Baby
12. Johnny Mathis, Wild In The Wind
13. Chuck Jackson, I Don't Want To Cry
14. Mary Wells, My Guy
15. Johnny Rivers, Seventh Son
16. Bill Cosby, Shop Class Routine
17. The Temptations, The Way You Do The Things You Do
18. Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Count Me In
19. The Drifters, Up On The Roof
20. The Supremes, Stop! In The Name Of Love
21. The Miracles, Ooo Baby Baby
22. The Dave Clark Five, I Like It Like That
23. The Righteous Brothers, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
24. Four Tops, I Can't Help Myself
25. Ray Charles, Medley

Lots of strangeness in this inscripted commercial for New Chance:


The complete show has popped up on YouTube a few times...  Just as with Ray's '65 Shindig appearance, Onzy Matthews acted as Ray's musical director (he possibly also handpicked the members of the band).
Regrettably, Ray's Cry (the only known live version!) has indeed been cut down to a little more than 30 seconds. What'd I Say was turned into a pandemonium.

Ray Charles Didn't Take Requests

Check sound bite here. The soundbite is from the same cassette tape as the one presented in this article.
And also read this.

Ray Charles At Quincy Jones... The First 50 Years

Quincy Jones... The First 50 Years was a tribute to Quincy Jones, directed by Jeff Margolis, aired on 11 April 1998 by ABC, celebrating Jones' 50 years in the entertainment industry. The TV special served as a benefit for the United Negro College Fund.
Oprah Winfrey hosted. Stevie Wonder, Patti Austin, Savion Glover, Lesley Gore, Nancy Wilson, Ray Charles, Stomp, Gloria Estefan, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, and Ashford and Simpson performed. Ray played A Song For You.

Who knows more about Ray's performance?

23 April 2010

Ray Charles In A Capital Fourth (2000)

Ray Charles performed at the open air concert A Capital Fourth 2000 National Symphony Concert, "a dazzling birthday for the new millennium", in Washington, on the 4th of July, 2000. Directed by Paul Miller, broadcast live by PBS.

Ray sang:
  • Georgia On My Mind (only partly in video below) 
  • All I Ever Need Is You
  • America The Beautiful
Last notes of Georgia On My Mind + All I Ever Need Is You:


America The Beautiful:

Live In Milan (1990)

  1. [Intro] [Live]
  2. Let The Good Times Roll [Live]
  3. Mississippi Mud [Live]
  4. Just For A Thrill [Live]
  5. What'd I Say [Live]
  6. I've Got News For You (maybe also with B.B. King) [Live]
  7. The Blues Ain't Nothing / Goodbye (titles not sure) (with B.B. King) [Live]
Milan was a stop on the Parliament American Blue Concert tour. This recording can't be of a complete concert. It was probably made on 8 November 1990, in Milan. This source describes a 54-minute video of the concert.

Live At The Fillmore East (1970)

Program for this concert.
  1. Intro troupe 
  2. Unidentified instrumental (Ray Charles Orchestra)
  3. Intro Raelettes
  4. Running Out (ft Mable John)
  5. I Want To (Do Everything For You) (The Raelettes ft Mabel John)
  6. Chain Of Fools (The Raelettes) 
  7. Zig Zag (Ray Charles Orchestra)
  8. Intro Ray Charles
  9. Unidentified instrumental (with Ray Charles Orchestra) (solos Blue Mitchell - tp; David Newman - ts; Ray Charles - p)
  10. The Bright Lights And You Girl
  11. Georgia On My Mind [First notes only]
Photo taken backstage by Amalie R. Rothschild, possibly
with interviewer Ralph Burton.
Partial recording of one of the two concerts given by Ray Charles, his orchestra and The Raelettes on 18 April 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York. The trumpet soloist on #9 was Blue Mitchell (who can name that tune?!).

"There was no pulsating light show - just a simple black backdrop. No ear-shattering clear, exceptionally well-bal-overamplification, but clean, clear, exceptionally well-balanced sound. And, at the first of two shows on Friday, there was no full house, either. But the audience [...] was enthusasiatic - cheers for Mr. Gillespie and a standing ovation for Mr. Charles", the New York Times wrote on April 19.

Review in Cashbox.
Down Beat's Ralph Burton wrote a raving review (printed in the August 6, 1970 issue of the magazine) of Dizzy's and Ray's first concerts that night. He mentions the performance of I've Got A Woman, which didn't make it to (what's left of) the recording discussed here. His story also included the description of a bomb scare incident:
"Ray Charles and the Raelets were scheduled next [after Dizzy], but instead, at about 9:30, somebody stepped to the microphone and said the theater would have to be evacuated for a little while because someone had telephoned in a bomb threat. 'We get these phone calls regularly,' he said, 'and while we don't really expect it to happen, we can't afford to take a chance. So please hold your ticket stubs, and file out the exits quietly.' [...]
There was no panic. A little murmuring, and, I imagine, some mixed feelings about the whole thing; but the exodus was orderly enough, and soon the whole crowd was out on East 6th St. (where pipe-bomb 'factories' are not entirely unknown), spilling out to meditate upon the delightful times we live in. [...]
There was no bomb - this time.
Back we trooped, [...] ready for Ray Charles.
If anyone wants to know, in 1970, where 'the big band sound' went, I can tell him. The contemporary rhythm-and-blues 'soul' people like Ray Charles and James Brown are putting it together every night, and as good as ever. Before Ray himself appeared, his band swung out one blues. Wow. When Blue Mitchell walked down front with his trumpet and started steaming, tough and relaxed, and Dave Newman took off on tenor, I felt like a new man. I felt, in fact, as I had for that final intro-plus-one-note Dizzy had been into for one beautiful instant before he decapitated my soul and walked off the stage. I just can't tell you how that band - 17 glorious pieces - swung."
Personnel: 
From Down Beat, Aug. 6, 1970.
Finale at Fillmore East. Blue Mitchell is the trumpet
player at the left; between him and Ray is Fathead. Photo 
by Jan Person.
Musicians:* Blue Mitchell, Bill King, Herbie Anderson, Marshall Hunt - trumpets; Joe Randazzo, Henry Coker, Glenn Childress, Fred Murell - trombones; Andy Ennis, David Newman, Jay Cloyd Miller, Curtis Peagler, Leroy Cooper - saxophones; Ben Martin - guitar; Edgar Willis - bass; Ernie Elly - drums; Kenny Lupper - piano, organ. Raelettes:** Mable John - contralto vocal (lead vocal), Susaye Green - soprano vocal, Estella Yarbrough - alto vocal, Vernita Moss - bass vocal.
* Line-up based on article in Down Beat, Aug. 6, 1970. ** Based on data Wolfgang's Vault.
This recording, one of the most delightful, yet equally frustrating discoveries ever to be found in Bill Graham's vast archive [read this, BS], captures Ray Charles, the Raelet[te]s, and his remarkable orchestra at an extraordinary moment in time. Discovered at the end of the Dizzy Gillespie master reels from Fillmore East on April 18, 1970 [...], only the first 25 minutes of the performance seems to have survived on tape. However, it is an astounding sequence, capturing a bit more of one of the most electrifying and legendary evenings of music ever to occur on the stage of the Fillmore East.
Following the introduction, the performance begins with Ray Charles' orchestra cooking up a musical storm on two instrumentals, with a phenomenally engaging three-song showcase of the Raelet[te]s sandwiched in between. Led by Charles' band director Leroy Cooper, this large ensemble kicks things off with a jazzy instrumental featuring the serious wallop of one of the greatest horn sections ever assembled, nearly all of whom would become more recognized individually in the years to come. Cooper and David "Fathead" Newman are the primary soloists here. Their solos are wonderfully expressive, but always tight and economical, serving to enhance the explosive sound of the group rather than showcasing any single musician.
At the end of this sizzling warm-up exercise, the Raelet[te]s are introduced to the stage. This faction of Charles' entourage changed over the years, but in 1970 he arguably hit on the most compelling lineup, thanks in no small part to the return of Mable John, the lead contralto voice during this time. Mable John already had an impressive history by the time Charles convinced her to lead the Raelet[te]s. She was, in fact, the first female artist ever to be signed to Berry Gordy's Tamla label, which preceded Motown by several years. Initially a blues label, her recordings during this time often featured the Supremes as her backup singers, who would become superstars on their own following John's departure from the label. Between 1966 and 1968, she recorded for Stax, releasing six singles including the soul classic, Your Good Thing Is About to End, her most commercially successful record.
The Raelet[te]s sequence begins with a funky, Memphis soul-driven take on Ashford & Simpson's Running Out, one of the singles Mable John recorded for Stax. Although her undeniably compelling voice is the lead instrument here, the voices of Susaye Green, Estella Yarborough, and Vernita Moss are so tightly arranged that they fuse into a powerful singular voice that is undeniably captivating. The Raelet[te]s next tackle the blues with a remarkable reading of the Joe Tex classic, I Want To (Do Everything For You), before concluding their showcase with the deep soul of Don Covay's Chain Of Fools. One of Aretha Franklin's career defining moments when she released it as a single in 1967, Mable John and the Raelet[te]s' performance is equally compelling.
Following the Raelet[te]s showcase set, the orchestra again takes off into One Mint Julep, featuring more incredible horn arrangements, prior to introducing Ray Charles to the stage of Fillmore East. As Charles takes over on piano, everything kicks up a notch and they blaze into another incredible instrumental workout. There are several outstanding solos here, with Charles encouraging Leroy Cooper to take an extended baritone solo that stands out from the rest. Prior to the tape stock running out, one tantalizing song is captured featuring Charles' utterly compelling and emotive vocal, The Bright Lights And You Girl. This is another outstanding performance that seems to effortlessly glide along with Charles' distinctive flare. Following this, one can here the first few seconds of Give It To Me Georgia On My Mind, as the tape stock frustratingly runs out.
Still, what remains is a superb sounding partial document of one of the most legendary performances ever to occur at Fillmore East and no doubt one of the proudest moments of Bill Graham's monumental career.

Live At Paul Masson Vineyards In Saratoga (1988)

Audience-taped recording from a concert on 5 June 1988 at the Paul Masson Vineyards in Saratoga (CA):
  1. Metamorphosis (Ray Charles Orchestra)
  2. Unidentified instrumental #1 (Ray Charles Orchestra)
  3. Unidentified instrumental #2 (Ray Charles Orchestra)
  4. Unidentified instrumental #3 (Ray Charles Orchestra)
  5. Unidentified instrumental #4 (Ray Charles Orchestra)
  6. Intro
  7. Riding Thumb
  8. Busted
  9. Georgia On My Mind
  10. Mississippi Mud
  11. I've Got News For You
  12. Some Enchanted Evening
  13. Yours
  14. Alexander's Ragtime Band
  15. Anyway You Want To
  16. Chain Of Fools
  17. I Can't Stop Loving You
  18. I Can See Clearly Now
  19. 3/4 Time
  20. Lay Around And Love On You (All I Wanna Do Is --)
  21. What'd I Say
  22. Outro

Ray Charles Receives Lifetime Achievement Award (1994)

Clipping from Jet, 4 April 1994.
On 23 April 1994 Ray Charles received a Lifetime Achievement Award at Ebony's 15th Annual Black Achievement Awards show, directed by Dennis Rosenblatt (CBS Cable).

The show aired on several local tv stations from April 30 to July 9, 1994. Cf. this list also.

Who knows more about Ray's contribution to the show?

Ray Charles Ft. In CMA's 25th Anniversary Concert (1983)


On 16 March 1983 Ray Charles performed during the two-and-a-half-hour Country Music Association's 25th Anniversary Concert, at Constitution Hall in Washington, directed by Walter C. Miller, and televized by CBS on 13 April. Kris Kristofferson co-hosted with Anne Murray. Among the 33 other artists were Willie Nelson, Ronnie Milsap, The Oak Ridge Boys, Barbara Mandrell, Mickey Gilley and Charlie Daniels. Mr. and Mrs. Raegan and ('the old') Mr. and Mrs. Bush were in the audience.

The event was also covered by NBC on 16/17 March 1983: "Pres[ident] Reagan attends 25th Anniversary of Country Music Association. [...] Ray Charles plays piano and sings national anthem. Reagan says every time someone mentions fiddles he thinks another congressional [committee] is messing around with his defense budget." The database describer confused America The Beautiful with the "national anthem".

Photos by Charlyn Zlotnik (Getty).
The only way to have Ray Charles appear in a show's finale was to let him sing. It happened as the last sequence of this show.
A contemporary edition of The Utica Observer revealed the official title (Kraft Salutes the 25th Anniversary Of The Country Music Association) and names most of the 33 artists who contributed to the show (and this finale). Don't miss Willie Nelson's look when he observes how Reagan hugs Ray:

America The Beautiful:
   [cf. copy of complete show, below, including the hugs]

The Utica Observer also described how Ray performed together with Ronnie Milsap. "The spontaneous and prolonged standing ovation, which includes President and Mrs. Reagan and Vice President and Mrs. Bush, rocks Constitution Hall."

Complete show, with a duet-medly of Don Gibson tunes - Oh Lonesome Me, (I'd Be) A Legend In My Time, I Can't Stop Loving You (+ final shots with Ray and Raegan shaking hands), and Ray's rendition of America.

22 April 2010

Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)

DISC 1
  1. The Sun's Gonna Shine Again (Remastered LP Version)
  2. Roll With My Baby (Remastered LP Version)
  3. The Midnight Hour (Remastered LP Version)
  4. Jumpin' In The Morning (Remastered LP Version)
  5. It Should've Been Me (Remastered Version)
  6. Losing Hand (Remastered Version)
  7. Heartbreaker (Remastered LP Version)
  8. Sinner's Prayer (Remastered LP Version)
  9. Mess Around (Remastered Version)
  10. Funny (But I Still Love You) (Remastered LP Version)
  11. Feelin' Sad (Remastered LP Version)
  12. I Wonder Who (Remastered LP Version)
  13. Don't You Know (Remastered Version)
  14. Nobody Cares (Remastered LP Version)
  15. Ray's Blues (Remastered LP Version)
  16. I Got A Break Baby (aka Mr. Charles' Blues; remastered LP Version)
  17. Blackjack (Remastered Version)
  18. I've Got A Woman (Remastered Version)
  19. Greenbacks (Remastered Version)
  20. Come Back Baby (Remastered LP Version)
  21. A Fool For You (Remastered Version)
  22. This Little Girl Of Mine (Remastered Version)
  23. Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) (Remastered Version)
  24. Blues Hangover (aka A Bit Of Soul) (Remastered LP Version)
  25. Mary Ann (Remastered Version)
  26. Drown In My Own Tears (Remastered Version)
  27. Hallelujah I Love Her So (Remastered Version)
  28. What Would I Do Without You (Remastered Version)
DISC 2
  1. Dawn Ray (Remastered LP Version)
  2. The Man I Love (Remastered LP Version)
  3. Music, Music, Music (Remastered LP Version)
  4. Black Coffee (Remastered LP Version)
  5. Lonely Avenue (Remastered Version)
  6. I Want To Know (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  7. Leave My Woman Alone (Remastered Version)
  8. The Ray (Remastered LP Version)
  9. I Surrender Dear (Remastered LP Version)
  10. Hornful Soul (Remastered LP Version)
  11. Ain't Misbehavin' (Remastered LP Version)
  12. Joy Ride (Remastered LP Version)
  13. Sweet Sixteen Bars (Remastered LP Version)
  14. Doodlin' (Remastered LP Version)
  15. There's No You (Remastered LP Version)
  16. Undecided (Remastered LP Version)
  17. My Melancholy Baby (Remastered LP Version)
  18. It's Alright (Remastered Version)
  19. Ain't That Love (Remastered Version)
DISC 3
  1. Rockhouse (Parts 1 & 2) (Remastered Version)
  2. Get On The Right Track Baby (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  3. Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'Bout That River) (Remastered Version)
  4. That's Enough (Remastered Version)
  5. Talkin' About You (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  6. What Kind Of Man Are You (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  7. I Want A Little Girl (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  8. How Long Blues (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  9. Cosmic Ray (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  10. The Genius After Hours (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered Album Version)
  11. Charlesville (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  12. Bags Of Blues (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  13. 'Deed I Do (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  14. Blue Funk (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  15. Soul Brothers (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
DISC 4
  1. Bag's Guitar Blues (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered Mono LP Version)
  2. Yes Indeed! (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  3. I Had A Dream (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  4. You Be My Baby (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  5. Tell All The World About You (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  6. My Bonnie (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  7. Soul Meeting (Remastered LP Version)
  8. Hallelujah I Love Her So (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  9. Blue Genius (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  10. X-Ray Blues (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered Version)
  11. Love On My Mind (with Milt Jackson) (Remastered LP Version)
  12. The Spirit - Feel (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz)
  13. Blues Waltz (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz)
  14. In A Little Spanish Town (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz)
  15. Sherry (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz; Edit)
  16. Night Time Is The Right Time (Remastered Live at Newport Jazz)
  17. A Fool For You (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz)
DISC 5
  1. I've Got A Woman (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz)
  2. Talkin' 'Bout You (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz)
  3. Swanee River Rock (Remastered Live At Newport Jazz)
  4. Yes Indeed! (Remastered Live at Newport Jazz Version)
  5. Early In The Morning (Remastered Single/LP Version)
  6. Night Time Is The Right Time (Remastered LP Version)
  7. Carryin' That Load (Remastered Single Version)
  8. Carryin' That Load (Remastered LP Version)
  9. Tell Me How Do You Feel (Remastered LP Version)
  10. Fathead (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  11. Tin Tin Deo (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  12. Bill For Bennie (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  13. Hard Times (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  14. Mean To Me (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  15. Sweet Eyes (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  16. Weird Beard (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  17. Willow Weep For Me (with David 'Fathead' Newman) (Remastered LP Version)
  18. Tell The Truth (Remastered Version)
  19. What'd I Say Parts I & II (Remastered Mono LP Version)
DISC 6
  1. What'd I Say, Parts I & II (Remastered Stereo LP Version)
  2. Tell Me You'll Wait For Me (Remastered LP Version)
  3. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Remastered LP Version)
  4. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Remastered Version)
  5. Just For A Thrill (Remastered Version)
  6. You Won't Let Me Go (Remastered LP Version)
  7. Am I Blue (Remastered LP Version)
  8. The Spirit - Feel (Remastered Live, 1959)
  9. Frenesi (Remastered Live, 1959) 
  10. Tell The Truth (Remastered Live, 1959)
  11. Drown In My Own Tears (Remastered Live, 1959)
  12. Night Time Is The Right Time (Remastered Live, 1959)
  13. What I'd Say (Remastered Live, 1959)
  14. Let The Good Times Roll (Remastered Version)
  15. Alexander's Ragtime Band (Remastered LP Version)
  16. 'Deed I Do (Remastered LP Version)
  17. When Your Lover Has Gone (Remastered LP Version)
  18. Two Years Of Torture (Remastered LP Version)
  19. It Had To Be You (Remastered LP Version)
  20. I'm Movin' On (Remastered Version)
  21. I Believe To My Soul (Remastered Version) 
DISC 7*
  1. Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  2. Unknown Title (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  3. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #1 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  4. Losing Hand & Dialog #1 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  5. Little Rock Getaway & Dialog (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  6. Kentucky Waltz (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  7. Heartbreaker (Instrumental Version) (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  8. Heartbreaker & Dialog (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  9. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #2 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  10. Heartbreaker (False Starts 1-2) (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  11. Losing Hand & Dialog #2 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  12. Losing Hand & Dialog #3 (w/reverb) (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  13. Losing Hand & Dialog #4 (w/reverb) (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  14. Heartbreaker (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  15. It Should've Been Me & Dialog (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  16. I Ain't Got Nobody (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  17. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #3 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  18. Mess Around (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  19. Funny (But I Still Love You) (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  20. Sinner's Prayer (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  21. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #4 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  22. Low Society & Dialog #1 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  23. Boogie Woogie (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  24. Low Society & Dialog #2 (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  25. Worried Life Blues (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  26. Come Back Baby & Dialog (Walter Davis Version) (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  27. Low Society (Rehearsal Session with Ahmet Ertegun, 1953)
  28. Night Time Is The Right Time (Takes 1-7 Recording Session, 1958) & Dialog
  29. Tell Me How Do You Feel (Take 1 Recording Session, 1958)
  30. Dialog (Ray's Arrangement Suggestions)
  31. It Had To Be You & Dialog (Ray's Arrangement Suggestions)
  32. My Buddy & Dialog (Ray's Arrangement Suggestions)
  33. Dialog (Ray's Arrangement Suggestions)
  34. When Your Lover Has Gone & Dialog (Ray's Arrangement Suggestions)
  35. I'm Beginning to See The Light (Ray's Arrangement Suggestions)
  36. Let The Good Times Roll & Dialog (Ray's Arrangement Suggestions)
DVD
  1. Lil' Darlin' (Live At The Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  2. Blues Waltz (Live At Newport Jazz) (Video)
  3. Let The Good Times Roll (Live At The Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  4. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Live At The Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  5. Sticks And Stones (Live At The Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  6. My Baby! (I Love Her, Yes I Do) (Live At The Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  7. Drown In My Own Tears (Live At The Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  8. What'd I Say (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  9. I Believe To My Soul (Live at The Newport Jazz Festival, 1960) (Video)
  • Interview with Ahmet Ertegun 
Seven takes of Night Time Is The Right Time (Disk 7, #28):

Read this for the story on how a copy of the outtakes survived in Jerry Wexler's private collection.

Boxset: Atlantic/WEA, 20 September 2005, ASIN: B000A7KL7U.

* On 16 July 2004, in memory of Ray, rock historian Ed Ward gave a guided tour of the Ray Charles studio rehearsal tapes on WHYY:

Michael Johnson, co-reissue producer of The Complete Country And Western Recordings 1959 - 1986, wrote
I remember meeting Ray Charles on a Saturday morning at his RPM International studio on Washington Blvd.The previous day I had taken possession of Ray's complete master reels from the Atlantic tape library, which were sent from Manhattan. It was my great responsibility and honor to deliver these reels, which were to be incorporated into Ray's personal tape vault.I arrived and pushed the backdoor buzzer, when, to my surprise, it was Ray himself who appeared at the door, in his stocking feet. After 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. I recall it being a warm day and the studio air was stuffy. I thought to myself, that's why he wasn't wearing shoes.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 somewhat nervously began a conversation with him. "What happened to your shoes, Ray?"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.""Now, what do you have there?"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. Ray said, "Hand that to me." He slid down into his office chair and rolled backwards, snagging the box from me. He pulled out the tape and spooled it on a reel-to-reel machine behind him in seconds flat.There was a moment of silence as the leader passed over the playback head. Then, we were transported back in time, to a rehearsal session with Ahmet Ertegun in New York forty-six years earlier.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.As 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. Ray began to sing a couple verses and the chorus of Tweedlee Dee.