Ray Charles Is In Town - Chronology 1963

From Canvasartrocks.

Collector's card, early '60s.

At unidentified venue, c. 1963 (Alamy).

1

Sheet music collection with A Bit of Soul / Blue Funk / Blue Genius/ Blues Waltz / Charlesville / Cosmic Ray / Dawn Ray / Genius after Hours / Hornful Soul / Joy Ride / Rock House/ X-Ray Blues / Sweet Sixteen Bars.

Dressing room at unidentified venue. Photo by Jack Stager (dated c. 1959).

With Edgar Willis. Probably shot at a concert in Charlotteville, by Ed Roseberry, c. 1963.

Photos from 1963 UK souvenir brochure; probably shot in U.S.

With Nancy Wilson and George Shearing (from souvenir brochure).

The company plane, from Ebony, April 1963.

With Jackie Knight, early 1960s.

Getty Images above without further provenance; all dated circa 1963.

1963

Early 1963

Producing Hammond organist Terrell Prudé's album Princess (and playing tambourine) for Tangerine Records at Universal Recorders Studio in Hollywood, with Earl Palmer on drums, and Howard M. Robins on guitar.

Photos by Howard Morehead.

The Ray Charles Orchestra, c. 1963. Photo: Rex Features.

Born: Sheila Raye Charles Robinson (to Sandra Jean Betts).

Recognizes Raenee (daughter with NYC girl friend Mae Saunders).

Mae Saunders, from 1965 article in Jet magazine.

Feelin' Sad peaks at #113 on Pop Chart, Busted at #4 on Pop and #3 on R&B, Take These Chains From My Heart at #8 on Pop and #7 on R&B, Don't Set Me Free at #20 on Pop and #9 on R&B, No One at #21 on Pop and #9 on R&B, Without Love (There Is Nothing) at #29 on Pop and #15 on R&B, The Brightest Smile In Town at #92 on Pop.

Ingredients In A Recipe For Soul peaks at #2 on Pop Album Chart.

Photo by Howard Morehead.

With Marty Paich and Joe Adams.

With Margie Hendricks in studio. 

With Hank Crawford.

With valet Duke Wade.

With Sid Feller and Gerald Wilson (photos by Howard Morehead, Ebony, Apr. 1963).

With Hank Crawford. Coll. Michael Ochs/Getty,c. 1963.

January 1963

Release of album Jimmy Scott - Falling In Love Is Wonderful by Tangerine, and of the Atlantic (!) single Carrying That Load / Feelin' Sad.

From Cashbox, Jan. 5, 1963.

From Philadelphia Tribune archives. Ray Charles with Mattie Singer and Georgie Woods of ABC; the photo has a date stamp with "January 18, 1963.

1 January 1963

Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood CA.

3 January 1963

Recording session, taping new singles ("without strings"; cf. this; and also Chronology 3 December 1962).

20 January 1963

Dinah Shore Show at NBC Studio in Burbank CA, for $15, 000. At the end all guests sing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah; Dinah puts hand on Ray's shoulder ("a sight Klansman hate to see", writes the Philadelphia Tribune). See this.

Photos by Howard Morehead, for Ebony.

Photo probably taken during rehearsals.

Photo surely taken during rehearsals (Joe Adams clearly stepped into the frame by accident). Ray's sax solo didn't make it to the show.

David Newman on flute, and the Band within a Band, probably shot at taping of the Dinah Shore Show (from a c 1964 souvenir program).

From c. 1963 souvenir program; Many of these photos do not represent sequences from the  the TV show, but were specially staged for publicity purposes..

End of January into March 1963

The band goes on vacation; Ray stays in LA.

February 1963

Raelettes gig-without-Ray at Apollo?

Release of the single Don't Set Me Free / The Brightest Smile In Town.

From Cashbox, Feb. 22, 1963.

24 February 1963

"Premiere Tribute" dance at Palladium Ballroom, Hollywood CA; honoring Ray Charles and Nancy Wilson, spotlighting "the sizzling saxophone of Hank Crawford along with his own orchestra" and the Gerald Wilson Big Band; honorees' "arrival will be announced through a public sound system".

March 1963

Release of the single Take These Chains from My Heart / No Letter Today.

From Billboard.

From Cashbox, Apr. 6, 1963.

Late (?) March 1963

Binstrub's Club books Tony Bennet and Ray Charles for a concert in Boston.

23 March 1963
The Tri - State Defender (Memphis) reports: "Hank Crawford, who plays alto sax with Ray Charles' combo was in town "on a break to get a rest." He is stopping with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bennie Crawford, Sr., 2426 Hunter ave. Many will remember Hank when he was a student, playing in Manassas high school band. He also played an alto sax when he was a student at Tennessee State A&I university. Hank comes from a
musically inclined family. Two of his sisters play the piano and a brother plays the bass. Hank joined Ray Charles in 1958. Another Memphis boy, James Harbert, also plays in Ray Charles' band."

27 March - May 5 1963
30 dates for spring tour in U.S. booked by Hal Zeigler.

29 March 1963

?Civic Arena, Pittsburgh?

*Not impossible, but improbable that this and the following gig took place on 1 day. Reproductions of the St. Louis poster are widely sold on the Web, but is it a forgery?*

Kiel Opera House, St. Louis MO (also see this).

30 March 1963

Private Function, Louisville.

City Auditorium, Omaha NE.

31 March 1963

Private Function, Cleveland.

Music Hall, Kansas City MO.

April 1963

A series of one-night stands in the East in April.
Atlantic promotes RC albums under nomer "April is Ray Charles Month":

From Cashbox, Apr. 6, 1963.

1 April 1963

Private Function, Detroit.

2 April 1963

Sold-out crowd at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Improbable: see March 29th.

At Orpheum in Madison. The band played Stardust and Jazz Samba; "Both the youthful audience and the chanting Charles had a ball after the big band had its turn", the Wisconsin State Journal wrote on April 3.

Around this time in April 1963
The New Pittsburgh Courier (Apr. 6) wrote: "Pittsburgh's bassist, Edgar Willis, is leading the Ray Charles crew through torrid rehearsal sessions at the Sutherland Hotel [in Chicago], for the April 5 and 7 gigs at Chicago's Arie Crown Theatre at McCormick Place."

5 and 7 April 1963

 Arie Crown Theatre at McCormick Place, Chicago IL (gross $36,613).

6 April 1963
Music Hall, Cleveland OH (gross $23,263).

10 April 1963
Municipal Auditorium, Austin TX.

11 April 1963

McMahon Memorial Auditorium, Lawton OK (High School Field House); "The quartet [of Raelettes], after intermission, took their places on the bandstand with boxes of popcorn".

From Lawton Constitution, 5 Apr.

13 April 1963

Joe Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio TX.

Ad from San Antonio Light, 5 Apr.

15 April 1963
"7,500 wildly cheering fans" at Memorial Auditorium in Dallas TX.

17 April 1963
Recording Falling In Love Is Wonderful with Jimmy Scott at Universal Recorders Studio in Hollywood.
Most probable date for the often reported meeting with Frank Sanitra (at his recording session of the title song of Come Blow Your Horne).

From c. 1963 souvenir program.

From Billboard, April 27, 1963.

From Cashbox, April 27, 1963.

18 April 1963

Municipal Auditorium, Nashville TN.

19 April 1963

Masonic Temple, Detroit MI (gross $19,907).
Ft. in Dutch Pop Magazine Rooster (air date). See this.

20 April 1963

Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh PA (gross $16,271).

Around 21 April 1963
Two shows at O'Keefe Centre, Toronto ON (gross $21,945).

23 April 1963
Cultural Center, Scranton PA.

24 April 1963

C.Y.C. Scranton, Penna.

25 April 1963

Integrated show at Municipal Auditorium, Nashville TN (8,500 in audience, gross $20,000)."white and colored patrons alike rose to give the blind entertainer a standing ovation". Read this.

27 April 1963

Bushnell Memorial Hall, Hartford CT.

28 April 1963

Carnegie Hall, New York City NY afternoon and evening show, S.R.O. (gross 24G; Billboard: "a very exciting half hour of big band sound", and then "Mr. Genius himself [...] was in top form" and "at top of his gifts").

29 April 1963
Unidentified gig (see photos).

Ray Charles Orchestra at unidentified concert. (c) Rex Features.

Ray Charles back stage at unidentified venue. (c) Rex features.

30 April 1963

Announcement ad by Shaw Artist Corporation for an 8-week Euro Tour, starting on this date, but actually taking place between May 7 and first or second week of June.

May 1963

Release of the single No One / Without Love (There Is Nothing).

Ray Charles and Edgar Willis at unidentified concert. (c) Rex Features.

Ad in a May 1963 edition of Billboard.

1 May 1963

RKO Keith's, Syracuse NY; read this:

"The audience was sparse. Bitter cold had kept people away. But the great Ray Charles didn't seem to care. He sang his heart out. Turned that hall into the warmest place for miles around."

Ad from Syracuse Post Standard, 14 Apr.

 2 May 1963
Auditorium, Ottawa ON.

3 May 1963
Baltimore MD (gross $21,500).

4 May 1963
Two shows at Donnelly Memorial Theatre, Boston MA (gross 28G).

From a souvenir brochure annotated after this concert.

5 May 1963
Double concert at Forum in Montreal.

#105220543 / gettyimages.com

Photo Gamma, poss. taken at this location.

7 May 1963
Arrival and press conference at Orly Airport, Paris.

Photo: Gamme-Keystone/Getty.

Embed from Getty Images

Photo: Keystone/Getty.

#78959748 / gettyimages.com

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#104417862 / gettyimages.com

Photos above without location or further provenance, but prob. shot in France; all dated c. 1963.

Interviewed at Orly Airport, in Paris at arrival in Europe; see this.

From an INA news reel.

Ray Charles and The Raelettes (Gwen Berry, Margie Hendricks, Pat Moseley Lyles, Darlene McCrea) welcomed at Orly Airport on 5 May 1963 by The Exciters (Herb Rooney, Brenda Reid, Carol Johnson, Lillian Walker, Penny Carter). Photo by Paul Popper.
Ray and the girls were also filmed (cf. two sequences in the intro of this documentary(:

8 May 1963

Star Club in Hamburg ("So flog [...] der blinde Jazzposaunist Ray Charles mit 16 Musikern im eigenen Flugzeug nach Hamburg, um für zwei Stunden im Star-Club 60.000 Mark zu kassieren. Der Eintritt betrug 20 Mark"; read this).

Backstage at Star Club in Hamburg, with Horst Fascher, left (1962 or 1963).

Photos: Imago/ZUMA.

9 May 1963

Double concert at Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels.

Magazine clipping.

Koningin Elizabethzaal, Antwerp.
"Derde [3d] Jazz Concert", i.e. probably around midnight, at the Queen Elisabeth Room of the Zoo in Antwerp BE. Two lines of the text have been blacked out, possibly because scheduling was changed last minute.


Interviewed by Louis Velleman, a Dutch jazz radio host for VARA broadcasting; the conversation was aired on May 11 in Multiplex.

The concert was reviewed in Jazz Magazine of June 1963. Photographer Jean-Pierre Leloir didn't get permission to shoot anything during the concert.

This picture was probably taken in Antwerp.

The pics belows may be photos from earlier dates.

The Raelettes.

Jean King, who sang two tunes accompanied by Ray, got a very good review in Jazz Magazine.

Julian Priester, trombone.

Leroy Cooper, bariton sax.

Phil Guilbeau (trumpet) and Hank Crawford (alto sax).

Phil Guilbeau (trumpet).

Wallace Davenport.

11 May 1963
That afternoon Dutch radio program broadcast an interview by Louis Velleman (taped on May 9 in Antwerp).
Houtrusthallen in The Hague (11,000 people in the audience), and the (Nieuwe) RAI in Amsterdam (with Jean Johnson as opening act). The concert in Amsterdam was interrupted by the police. Read this and this.
Jean King performed her two solo-tunes before The Raelettes came on stage. The announced line-up in a local newspaper was incorrect (cf. this for the correct personnel).

Ad in Het Parool, Mar. 27.

Ad in De Telegraaf, May 8th.

Interview photos by Nico van der Stam.

Audience member. Photo (low res repro) by Nico van der Stam.

Hank Crawford at Ray Charles' piano, prob. pre-intermission (David Fathead Newman left, Edgar Willis center). 

Photos by Nico van der Stam.

Photos by Hugo van Gelderen.

Edgar Willis (bass) and Ray Charles, in Amsterdam.

Also from the Amsterdam concert. Photo by Charles Vlek.

Photos by Wim van der Linden (Jan Cremer collection).

Review by Michiel de Ruyter in Het Parool. Jean Cain = Jean King.

Review by Harry Rodenburg in De Volkskrant: More noise than music... a box-office hit..., but he has now turned his back to jazz, and threw himself on rock music and the twist... The audience even cheered him before the numbers were over, even some songs he performed out of tune were welcomed with applause... The Ray Charles Band should first have listened to a Dutch dance orchestra....

Biographic appreciation piece by 'Slagveer', in Trouw on May 15.

12 May 1963

Flies in at Gatwick Airport on 12th to begin his first British tour; interviewed by BBC at airport (see this).

Embed from Getty Images

Photo taken by Paul Popper, surely somewhere in the UK. But who's that girl?

That same night British debut before 3,200 fans at the Finsbury Park Astoria, London; plays a.o. One Mint Julep, I've Got A Woman, Born To Lose, Careless Love, I Can't Stop Loving You, You Are My Sunshine, Without A Song, My Baby, Hallelujah I Love Her So, Hide Nor Hair, Don't Set Me Free, What'd I Say (a 2nd concert night there on the 13th).

Jack Cooke saw a few concerts and wrote (Ray Charles: In Person, in: Jazz Monthly, July 1963) about the instrumentals he listened to; no recordings have survived from the tunes with an asterisk:
- Visa* (Charlie Parker) - band opening (alternating with Ray Minor Ray); solos: Julian Priester - tb; James Clay - ts; Leroy Cooper - bs.
- Ray Minor Ray (Ray Charles); solos: Oliver Beener, Phil Guibeau - tp.
- Along Came Betty (Benny Golson); solo: John Hunt - tp.
- Save Your Love For Me* (written by Buddy Johnson; known from Crawford's 1964 album True Blue, Atlantic 1423); played by "The original Ray Charles small band"; solo: Hank Crawford - as.
- Dat Dere (Bobby Timmon); played by "The original Ray Charles small band"; solo: Hank Crawford - as.
- All The Things You Are*; solo: Favid Newman - ts.
- Solitude*; solo: Leroy Cooper - bs.
- I Remember Clifford; solo: John Hunt - tp.
- My Funny Valentine*; solo: Phil Guilbeau - tp.
After the intermission Ray played his piano during , Mr C*, Let's Go and Moanin'.
.

Prob. London, prob. 1963. Photo by London Features Int.

Photo: Roger-Viollet/Rex.

Press photos (several sources) with Raita Johnson.

Unidentified occasion and source, (London?) c. 1963.

Backstage with trumpeter Wallace Davenport. Photo by Val Wilmer. 

Margie Hendricks in dressing room. Photo by Val Wilmer.

Hank Craweord, backstage at the Finsbury Park Astoria. Photo by Val Wilmer.

Clipped from Jazz Monthly, July 1963.

Photos: Rex Features.

14 May 1963

Hammersmith Odeon, London.
Quotes from New Musical Express articles from 10, 17 and 24 May:

"Raelets leader Margie Hendrix missed Charles' concert at Hammersmith on Tuesday through illness but was able to rejoin the show the following night". "That wasn't the real Ray Charles," said Ray Charles. "With Maggie ill, no one could sing her part. So I had to leave out a lot of the wilder things..."

Photos by James J. Kringmann of The Raelettes, from this same souvenir brochure.

15 May 1963

New Victoria Hall, London.

16 May 1963

Lewisham Odeon, London.

Ticket.

17 May 1963
Grand Theatre, Leeds (announced, but didn't happen).
Odeon Birmingham.

18 May 1963

Free Trade Hall, Manchester.

19 May 1963

 Hammersmith Odeon, London.

20 May 1963
Montford Hall, Leicester.

21 May 1963

Concert at unid. venue in London. Photo here.

22 to 28 May 1963
Embed from Getty Images
"Blind American singer Ray Charles with Raifa Icarina [= Raita] Johnson at London Airport, before leaving for Paris to continue his European tour."

Olympia Theatre, Paris ("Members of the Hot Club de France distributed pink fliers at the theater hailing Mr. Charles as a true jazz artist in the tradition of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington", the New York Times wrote on 24 May). 

Arrival at Orly Airport, "The Genius falls from the sky", from an article in Cinémonde.

Johnny Haliday and Sylvie Vartan, at the venue (clip dated Oct. 16, but that must be an error).

Photo by Jean-Pierre Leloir.

With Annick Sauvrezy.

Wallace Davenport, Ray Charles, Vic Ash at one of 1963 Olympia concerts.

Read this for the story about this photo.

With Frank Pourcel, backstage at Olympia.

29 May 1963

At City Hall in Paris to receive "un diplôme et une médaille d'argent", from city council chairman Pierre-Christian Taittinger.

Between 29 and 31 May 1963
Palais des Sports, Marseille.

From Marseille Magazine, 15 June 1963; photos by G. Ganteaume. (courtesy of André Monnot).

1 and 2 June 1963

After appearances in Marseille, back at Hammersmith Odeon, London.

1st week of June 1963

Star Club in Hamburg ("price soared to 60,000 marks for his one-night performance").

Voted most popular artist of the year by MOA (jukebox operators).

15 June 1963

Spread in Billboard of June 15, signed by Shaw Artists.

18 - 24 June 1963
Blinstrub's Village, Boston MA.

22 June 1963

ABC presentation to distributors of Jimmy Scott's Falling In Love Is Wonderful, a Tangerine record, in Miami.

27 June 1963

Westchester County Center, White Plains NY ("Despite his handicap he is an expert domino player and is particularly adept in card games such as whist and hearts. In addition to his pop and blues numbers, Charles is devoted to spirituals. He listens to gospel songs constantly and derives much of his style and feeling from this type of music"; read this announcement).

Ad from Harald Statesman, Jun. 21 - after several 2-column ads, this concert obviously needed some extra exposure.

28 June 1963

At Armory in Brooklyn NY.

Ad in New York Amsterdam News of 29 (!) June.

29 June 1963
Alan B. Shepard Civic Center, Virginia Beach.

Window poster with season's program.

July 1963

Hank Crawford leaves the band.

3 July 1963
West Yarmouth MA.

3 – 5 July 1963

Tropical Ballroom, Diamond Beach Club in Wildwood NJ; almost canceled because "the limited seating capacity would make it impossible to meet the singer's guarantee" (source here).

4 July 1963

Bayside Pavilion, Malletts Bay, Burlington; see this.

6 July 1963

Convention Hall, Asbury Park NJ.

7 July 1963

Dance For Freedom event at Morristown Armory (Community Theatre), Morristown NJ (presented with plaque for "unique contribution to the world of music and entertainment" by a representative of the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Co).

From New York Amsterdam News, Jul. 27, 1963.

10 and 13 July 1963

Recording in New York, for Ingredients In A Recipe For Soul. Or was the session of the 10th in LA?

12 to 18 July 1963

Regal Theater, Chicago; with The Flamingos, Terrell Prude Trio, Percy Mayfield, Little Jimmy Scott, Lulu Reed and Bill Murray.

Ad from Chicago Defender, Jul. 13, as collected by Franz Hoffmann, in: Jazz Advertised.
All stars except The Flamingos and Bill Murray were signed by Tangerine Records.

15 – 21 July 1963

Blinstrub's Club, Boston. This one probably didn't happen.

20 July 1963

At NOLA in New Orleans LA.

"Ray Charles Desegregates NOLA [...]. At least that’s the way Sax Kari told it. This little installment of the Sax Kari Photograph Collection comes from Sax’s career as a chitlin’ circuit promoter. He brought Ray Charles to New Orleans, Louisiana’s Loyola University auditorium in 1963. According to him, it was the first show in New Orleans to allow racially mixed seating. He had the presence of mind to take a few snaps of the desegregated audience, the best of which appears below. [...] No incidents reported, everyone had a lovely time, and, more importantly to Sax, paid to see Ray instead of staying away in protest of integration. Another triumph for music." Source here.

21 July 1963
Buffalo Jazz Festival, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo NY.

Video still from: PosterCentral.com.

27 July 1963

Pops concert at Yale Bowl, New Haven CT.

Ad from Hartford Courant, 21 Jul.

28 July 1963
Civic Coliseum, Knoxville TN.

29 July 1963

Benefit at Akron University for a scholarship program and a youth guidance project.

31 July 1963

Boys Club, Pittsfield MA.
Music Barn, Berkshire, Lenox.

August 1963

Worst piece of artwork ever sent out over wire by Shaw Artists:

Release of album Ingredients In A Recipe For Soul.

Release of the single Busted / Making Believe.

From Cashbox, Oct. 5, 1963.

3 August 1963

At the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City NY; also co-billed with Nina Simone; tickets at $1.95 to $4.95.

Ad in New York Amsterdam News from Aug.3, 1963.

Ad in New York Amsterdam News, Jul. 27, 1963.

Ad in New York Amsterdam News, Jun. 22, 1963.

5 August 1963

Salute To Freedom '63, Miles College Stadium, Birmingham AL. Also read this and this.
"Performers who appeared were Ray Charles and his band, featuring the Raelettes (it was during Mr. Charles' performance that everyone thought the stage should have broken down, so carried away were those on stage), Nina Simone, whose tremendous artistry brought the entire stadium to absolute stillness.

Earlier announement in New York Amsterdam News of 13 July; Bennett and Fisher eventually did not pariticipate, but Bennett would headline a benefit later that year, in New York.

7 August 1963

Lagoon Patio Gardens, Farmington (Ogden) UT; with local girl Jean (Denise) King and Betty Carter.

From Ogden Standard-Examiner, 27 Jul.

9 August 1963

Cow Palace, Daly City CA.
On this day or on the 12th: "At the afterhours Bop City, jazz jam sessions featured the Montgomery Brothers and members of the Ray Charles orchestra, especially David (Fathead) Newman" (cf. this).

Ad from Oakland Tribune, 21 Jul.

11 August 1963
Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA.

12 August 1963

Over 12, 000 fans at Cow Palace in Daly City CA.

13 August 1963

Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville FL.

15 August 1963

Civic Auditorium, Bakersfield CA.

Ad from Bakersfield Californian, 20 Jul.

17 August 1963
Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento.

From: PosterCentral.com.

18 August 1963

Center Arena, Seattle WA.

21 August 1963

With Jean King at the Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary AB ("Little went right for the 33 year-old blind Negro singer-musician"; read this review).

22 August 1963

Saskatoon Arena, Saskatchewan SK. Read review here.

?23? (or between ?25 and 29?) August 1963
Arizona State Fairgrounds.

24 August 1963

Arena, Winnipeg MB (2,621 in audience, gross $8,100)..

Ad from Winnipeg Free Press, 16 Aug.

?29? August 1963
State Fairgrounds, Phoenix AZ.

30 August 1963

Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque NM.

6 September 1963

Della Bee and Ray buy new house in LA.

Soon after buys lot for and starts development of RPM building in LA.

12 September 1963

Cover Downbeat:

Downbeat, Sep. 1963.

16 - c. 23 September 1963

Press conference at Hotel Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro (photo: O Globo).

Rio and São Paulo, "to appear in several TV shows" (according an announcement in Billboard; were there more broadcasts than only the Ô Genio-show?). The tour entailed 10 concerts in 7 days, starting with concerts at the Teatro Municipal and Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro. The first gig after that was the filmed double concert on the 19th at Cultura Artística in São Paulo. The 21st and 22nd the band played the Clube Atletico Paulistano in the same city. The taping of the second concert on the 19th was aired by TV Excelsior on the 22nd. See this.

17 September 1963
Theatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro.

18 September 1963
Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro.

19 September 1963
Cultura Artística in São Paulo.

The Many Worlds Of Ray Charles, aired by ABC. See this.

21 - 22 September 1963
Clube Atletico Paulistano, São Paulo (filmed, broadcast).

25 September 1963

Palace Theater, Albany NY; read review here.

27 September 1963

Memorial Auditorium, Utica NY ("Most Creative Musical Giant Of This Generation"; whistlers in audience; read review here).

Rest of the year 1963

Tour to 28 cities in 17 states.

October 1963

Opening Clemson University's Homecoming festivites [in October?]. From Clemson TAPS yearbook.

11 October 1963
High School Gym, Ackley IA.

12 October 1963
Civic Coliseum, Knoxville  TN (6,854 payees, gross of $18,250).

15 October 1963
Memorial Coliseum, Greensboro NC.

17 October 1963
City Auditorium, Atlanta GA ("America's No. 1 troubadour", "everybody's favorite", "appeared [with Raelettes] on television [... including] Ed Sullivan Show, Dinah Shore Show, Frank Sinatra Show and Arthur Godfrey and many others").

18 October 1963

Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville FL.

19 October 1963
Municipal Arena, Norfolk VA.

22 October 1963

Municipal Auditorium, Nashville TN.

Add from The Tennessean, Sep. 22.

23 October 1963

Bell Auditorium, Augusta GA.

From Augusta Chronicle, 13 Oct. 1963

26 October 1963

Dinner Key Auditorium, Miami FL "[...] is the talk of the town. Just about every babe I know is prettying her wig talking dad into a new frock".

28 October - 4 November 1963

Regal Theatre, Chicago IL.

First week of November 1963

Gymnasium, Georgetown University ("The band wailed on such thing[s] as Ghana, Julia, Teena, and Birth Of A Band with solo spots contributed by David Newman, flute and tenor, Teena Brooks, a Coltranish tenor, Roy Burrowes and Philip Guilbeau, trumpets, Julian Priester, trombone, Wilbert Hogan, drums, and Edgar Willis, bass and musical director. [...] Another instrumental peak was Guilbeau's lyrical trumpet solo on I Rem[em]ber April." Read this.

Full page ABC ad in Billboard, Dec. 14, 1963.

November 1963

Release of the single That Lucky Old Sun / Ol' Man River.

Ad in Cashbox.

2 November 1963

MacDonough Gymnasium, Georgetown; review here.

3 November 1963

Donnelly Memorial Theatre, Boston.

Ad from Boston Globe, 20 Oct.

11 November 1963
Township Auditorium, Columbia SC.

13 November 1963

Memorial Auditorium, Canton OH (source: ad in Massillion Evening Independent, 9 Nov.).

*conflicting with:*

Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston TX.

15 November 1963
Panzer Building, Montclair State College, Montclair NJ.

16 November 1963

Rose Hill Fordham University Gymnasium, New York City NY.

Ad in New York Amsterdam News, Nov. 16.

4 - 10 December 1963
2 shows nightly at Latin Casino, Cherry Hill NJ.

2nd week of December 1963

Gig at University of Rochester (Billboard reports: "no exaggeration to say that the place went wild").

16 December 1963

Memorial Auditorium, Dallas TX.

20 to 26 December 1963

Flamingo Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas NV (switched from the lounge to the main showroom).

Promotion postcard, possibly from earlier date.

Ray Charles with alto sax at the Flamingo Hotel, on December 20. Undated photos below also shot in Vegas, probably also at the Flamingo.

...and this one must be from the same gig:

28 December 1963

Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA.

Ad.

Poster.

Poster (forgery?).

29 December 1963

Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA.

Ad in Long Beach Press-Telegram, 24 Dec.

1963 song book published by Progressive Music.

Photo taken at recording session, possibly in '63.

From Billboard, Dec. 28.

Spread from Rock and Roll Songs Magazine (USA), Vol. 9 No. 36, April 1964 USA with article about people 'behind' Ray Charles, depicting Gerald Wilson, Quincy Jones and some band members, and specifying a 1963 line-up of the band.