Ray Charles appeared two times in The Bob Hope Show. First, on 7 November 1968, taped at Nasa Center (singing The Sun Died), in the 3d show of the 19th season; then, on 19 March 1969, in the 8th show of that same season. The other guests in that show were Nancy Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and Cyd Charisse. The March 19, 1969 gig was recycled in Bob Hope - 25 Years In Television. In Holland the star studded show was broadcast in two parts. Ray was part of the cast in the second part, together with a.o. Nathalie Wood, Petula Clark, Ann-Margaret, Steve McQueen, David Niven, Elke Sommer, Raquel Welch, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, and Aretha Franklin. In the BBC Archive Ray's contribution is described - including question mark - as: "Ray Charles sings & plays piano You Girl (?) (49.21-50.23)". This is an allusion to The Bright Lights And You Girl (first released on Ray's 1968 album A Portrait Of Ray). A little cross talk - with some abundantly weak jokes, and rather bad acting by Ray - was part of the original performance (I don't know if this footage made it to the 25 Years selection).
Of this show I found a source tape in the BBC Archive, coming from a first UK broadcast on 17 March 1976.
There's also Ray Charles footage (the same?) on the collectors' DVD Bob Hope - The Ultimate Collection (Respond 2, 6 November 2007, ASIN: B000UFIYQC).
"If it's really something good that was not on the record, that's okay, because when I perform I can make the performance of the song better than the record was."
The Genie
Ray Charles at the Apollo (Apr. or maybe Oct. 1959), working on his Wurlitzer. Photo by Alex Harsley.
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About
The Ray Charles Video Museum is a research project, documenting live performances by The Genius.
This blog is above all aMediagraphy. It's also a discography (or, more correctly, a trackography), aggregating all tunes that Ray sang and/or played - including the "canon" of 700 tracks listed on the official Ray Charles website, but also identifying the songs that have never been officially released, and e.g. the recordings of other artists, where Ray backed them on piano. Thirdly, this blog has evolved into a multimedia Chronology (click the years in the panel al the top of this page) of Ray's productive live.
I also try to do some justice to the more than 1,000 great musicians and singers who contributed to Ray's career (1, 2).
The Quotes page lists the wisest, craziest and funniest things that the Genius ever said. If you want to read more about Brother Ray, go here.
The availability of the streaming video and audio content on this blog is constantly under pressure. Some rights owners still think that sharing these videos damages their sales. I'm keeping disfunctional clips as placeholders - to show that the footage exists, and to replace them when new uploads appear on the Web.
The articles in this blog are continuously updated and improved. Your help is more than welcome.
The Bishop seduces the world with his voice
Sweat strangles mute eyes
As insinuations gush out through a hydrant of sorrow
Dreams, a world never seen
Mounded on Africa's anvil, tempered down home
Documented in cries and wails
Screaming to be ignored, crooning to be heard
Throbbing from the gutter
On Saturday night
Silver offering only,
The Right Reverend's Back in Town
Don't it make you feel all right?
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