Ray Charles Video Museum: Ray Charles Is In Town

22 August 2010

Ray Charles Is In Town - Chronology 1964

These 3 portraits were published in the 1966 souvenir brochure for the Crying Time tour, but were taken 2 - 4 years earlier.

Promotional postcard, circa 1964, issued by French record company Vega (coll. Joël Dufour).

Circa 1964, by unidentified photographer.

Photo by Herman Selleslags,

Gig at Montclair State University (c. 1963/4).

FC publicity pics, mid '60s.

Publicity photo of The Raelettes, c. 1964. Clockwise from top: Darlene McCrea, Pat Lyles, Gwen Berry, Margie Hendricks. (Collection Joël Dufour).

The photo is from '64.

At unidentified venue. (c) Rex Features.

Chicago, backstage with child prodigy Fred Nelson III, c. 1964.

1964

My Heart Cries For You peaks at #38 on Pop and #9 on R&B chart, Baby, Don't You Cry at #39 on Pop, A Tear Fell at #50 on Pop and #13 on R&B, Smack Dab In The Middle at #52 on Pop and #19 on R&B, No One To Cry To at #55 on Pop and #14 on R&B.

Sweet & Sour Tears peaks at #9 and Have A Smile With Me at #36 on Pop Album Chart.

January 1964

Interviewed in Australia. See this.

Release of album Sweet And Sour Tears.

33 RPM (17 cm) single pack for jukebox distribution (ABCS 480-1). Coll. André Monot.

Early January 1964

Attends Lionel Hampton concert at Basin Street in Los Angeles.

13, 16 January 1964

Loses paternity case i.c. Sheila Raye Charles from Sandra Jean Betts.

Jet reported on every step in the court procedures. This clipping is from September 1963.

February 1964

Release of the single Baby, Don't You Cry / My Heart Cries For You.

Full page ad in Billboard, Feb. 22, 1964.

April 1964

A gig at University of Dayton.

8 – 9 April 1964

McCormick Place, Chicago IL.

Taken at one of the April concerts by Raeburn Flerlage.

16 April 1964

Hilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis IN.

17 to 18 April 1964

McCormick Place, Chicago IL (gross $60,097).

McCormick Place in Chicago, announcing the gig for April 17 (the booking was clearly extended).

Photo taken at McCormick's, year not sure.

21 April 1964

Assembly Center Arena, Tulsa OK.

Ad from Joplin Globe, 12 Apr.

22 April 1964
Auditorium, Waterloo IA.

23 April 1964

Waterloo Auditorium, Cedar Rapids IA.

25 April 1964

Bushnell Memorial, Hartford CT.

30 April 1964

Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse NY.

Ad from Syracuse Post Standard, 5 Apr.

May 1964

Release of the single My Baby Don't Dig Me / Something's Wrong.

First week of May 1964

Between gigs, recording for Have A Smile With Me, in LA.

1 May 1964

Convention Hall, Asbury Park NJ.

2 - 3 May 1964

Carnegie Hall, New York City NY; with The Vocals (gross 29G; "A badly balanced amplifying system made the annual Carnegie Hall appearance Saturday night of Ray Charles and his troupe a disappointing showcase").

7 May 1964

Recording a.o. Smack Dab In The Middle at Bell Sound Studios in New York.

8 May 1964

Convention Hall, Philadelphia PA.

June 1964

Release of album Have A Smile With Me, and the singles Talkin' Bout You / No One To Cry To, and In A Little Spanish Town / A Tear Fell.

Ad in Cashbox, Aug. 8.

Between 30 May and 4 June 1964

European title.

American title.

30 May and/or 1 June, 3 June, 4 June: all these dates come from captions to archival photos with scenes from the shooting of the Ballad In Blue sequence at the Buttersea Fun Fair near London, where Ray and Pierce are seen in dodgem/bumper cars.

View image | gettyimages.com

Set photo.

News photo.

News photo ny Paul Popper/Getty.

Shoots for Ballad In Blue at the Admore Studios (Bray, Co. Wiklow) and at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. On and around 9 June 1964
The shooting at the studio was picketed by electricians: see this.
The shooting at the Gaiety is best documented here and here and here.

Set photo of Ray and director Paul Henreid at the Dublin Gaiety Theatre on or around June 9, 1964 (coll. J. Dufour).

Set photos, dated 9 June, shot at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Photo (c) SKP/Lensmen/Irish Photo Archive.

E.T.U. electricians picketing at Ardmore Studios in Bray on June 9. Photo (c) SKP/Lensmen/Irish Photo Archive.

Set photo (shot at Ardmore Studios in Dublin), with Joe Adams and Tom Bell,.

Probably a set photo (shot at the Gaiety?).

Set photo: 'composing' with Tom Bell.

Set photo: Ray playing an organ (NOT a Hammond, experts say).

Photo from the archives of the Philadelphia Tribune; from this same shoot?

Set photo.

3 set photos above: Mary Peach and Ray Charles.

On the set, with Paul Henreid and Tom Bell.

Set photo (Keystone/Getty, err. dated Aug. 2).

Photo by Paul Popper (Getty).

Set photo.

Set photos: school scene.

Set photos from concert scenes.

Video stills.

Theater ad from New Musical Express, February 12, 1965.

Still from the film Ballad In Blue: marquee of the Olympia Theatre, with announcement of the concert on August 5.

With Raita Johnson; photo by Siegfried Loch (probably in London).

18 June 1964

Astoria, London.

The Raelettes, from a '64 UK souvenir brochure.

7 July – Mid-September 1964

Meeting Johnny Hallyday in Paris.

On a tour that covers the British Isles (36 concerts; one of these was audiotaped - see this), Denmark (2; the one at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen was also taped), Sweden (8; audience of 15,000 at Gröna Lund Tivoli in Stockholm), Holland (2), Belgium, Switzerland, France (9, incl. a week at the Olympia - photo here), Morocco, Algiers, Italy (2), Japan (20; 10-day tour of Osaka Nagoya , Tokyo - Getsusekai nightclub, and Tachikawa and Fuchu U.S. air bases), Australia (10), Honolulu. Minimum guarantee for Ray's fee is $600G.

With Edgar Willis on bass. Photographer unknown.

Ray Charles in '64; possibly shot at Gröna Lund Tivoli, Stockholm.

Concert in Copenhagen; photos by Jan Persson.

Ray interviewed by Maurice “Smoothie” Cullaz, the longtime president of the French “Académie du Jazz”. Maurice and Ray were great friends: Maurice used to invite Ray for lunch or dinner whenever he was in Paris (and always asked him to play some 'dirty blues' on the house piano).

This photo (collection Joël Dufour) was made in 1963 or 1964 at the Cullaz home by Eddy Wiggins. Left to right: Catherine Cullaz, Yvonne Cullaz, photographer Eddy Wiggins’ girlfriend, singer Mimi Perrin, Maurice Cullaz.
Mimi Perrin was the founder and lead singer of Les Double Six De Paris, a close harmony group that released The Double Six of Paris Sing Ray Charles (Philips, PHM-200-141) in 1964, which was nominated for a Grammy in 1965.

8 July 1964
De Montfort Hall, Leicester.

9 or 10 July 1964?

Odeon, Liverpool?

10 July 1964

Odeon Theatre, Leeds.

11 July 1964

Double concert at Free Trade Hall, Manchester.

12 July 1964

Hammersmith Odeon, London.

14 July 1964

Colston, Bristol ("indisposition of two of the Raelettes" - Margie and Darlene ill in London).

16 July 1964
City Hall Sheffield.

17 July 1964
Odeon Theatre, Birmingham.

Ticket stubs for both concerts.

18 July 1964

Astoria, Finsbury Park, London.

19 July 1964
New Victoria Theatre, London.

20 July 1964
Concert “The Man They Call Genius” at Fairfield Halls in Croydon; Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Brian Wilson in the audience. Ray Charles debut on British TV since "his concert [...] is telerecorded by Rediffusion for transmission in October. The entire second house of Charles' public performance with the orchestra will be filmed, and subsequently edited to a 45-minute TV showcase" (source: Record Mirror, August 1, 1964). Also read this.

21 July 1964
Guidhall, Portsmouth.

22 July 1964
Odeon, Southend-on-Sea.

25 - 26 July 1964
Hammersmith Odeon, London UK.

Flyer (watermarked).

27 July 1964
Tivoli Koncertsalen, Copenhagen DK.

29 July 1964
Folkpark, Gävle SE.

30 July 1964

Gröna Lund Tivoli, Stockholm SE (initial date was 28th; but this was postponed because The Beatles were in town then).

Possibly shot at this gig, by Bernt Karlsson.

August 1964

Cover of Japanes music magazine, Oct. 1964.

1? August 1964

Star Club, Hamburg.

***conflicting with***

Double concert at Kurhaus in Scheveningen NL (earlier announced for May 11, with concerts at Nieuwe Rai in Amsterdam and Houtrusthallen in The Hague).

Photos by Koen Wessing.

"Agressive blues in rather cold atmosphere". From Het Parool, August 3.

3 August 1964
Seen at Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam). See photos here.

With Dutch promoter Lou van Rees.

4 August 1964
La Patinoire des Vernets, Geneva ("Triomphe"; read review here; traveling with Raita Johnson).

Arriving in Geneva with Raita Johnson. From Le Matin - Tribune de Lausanne, Aug. 4.

5 August 1964
In Paris, for concert at the Olympia.
Roaming the city with Raita Johnson and Henri Goldgran.

Still from the film Ballad In Blue: marquee of the Olympia Theatre, with announcement of concert on August 5 (but the second film concert's interior sequences were filmed at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin).

(c) Tips Images.

Photo: Roger-Viollet/Rex.

6 August 1964
Colmar, France (Johnny Hallyday in audience).

9 August 1964
Comblain la Tour; taped (see this).

With agent Joe Napoli.

Ray Charles interviewed by Benoît Querson, before the concert.

The concert at Comblain-la-Tour in Belgium.

18 August 1964
At summer music-hall La Bussola in Marina di Pietrasanta - "a success quite unprecedented," Cashbox wrote ("thanked the fans with his forehead touching the ground"; read this).

21 August 1964
The Raelettes land at Tokyo Airport.

22 August 1964
Ray and the band land at Tokyo Airport.
Concert at Kosei-nenkin Hall, Tokyo.

Cover of 1964 Japan tour souvenir brochure.

23 August 1964
Kosei-nenkin Kaikan, Nagoya.

24 August 1964
Ft. in The Man They Call Genius, an ARTV show (UK), televised on August 26th. See above, sub July 14, and read this.

24 - 25 August 1964
Festival Hall, Osaka.

Spread from Japanese souvenir brochure. Ray playing on Hammond.

27 August 1964
Back at Kosei-nenkin Hall, Tokyo.

28 August 1964
Kyoto Kaikan, Kyoto.

September 1964
Release of the single Smack Dab In The Middle / I Wake Up Crying.

1 - 2 September 1964
Concerts in Melbourne.
On the 1st airport arrival in Sydney AU, coming from Hong Kong. "He stepped off his aircraft at Sydney's international airport on the arm of an attractive slightly built blonde". The tour represented "an investment of more than GBP 75,000 for an Australian syndicate headed by Mr. Kym Bonython, of Adelaide, for double concerts in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. See this and this.

With Raita Johnson.

Photos: Getty.

3 September 1964
Festival Hall, Brisbane.

Traveling with Raita Johnson. Photo by Ray Saunders.

4 - 5 September 1964
Sydney Stadium, Sydney.
"A sell-out crowd of 20,000 saw Charles, his 17 yellow-jacketed Negro musicians and four Negro girls in pink in Sydney's sordid stadium, Rushcutters' Bay [...].
Peter Luck in the Canberra Times: "For 20 minutes the crowd heard the big, brassy orchestra' of drums, bass trumpets, saxophones, flutes and trombones swing.with that sort of professional harmony that seems to come so easily to the
best American jazz orchestras. And they heard some clean clear solos all done with the "tired" ease characteristic of the Negro jazzmen. Bass player and leader Edgar Willis stood alone near the' empty piano. David "Fathead" Newman (tenor sax and flute) had a blow in Bearcat, and later again with fellow tenor saxophonist and flautist James Clay. Drummer Wilbert Hogan. [...]
The orchestra also did things like Blues Yana and Pyramid and then the Charles introductory number. Birth of a Band. Then they led the tall, gangling "genius" down the aisle and set him behind the grand with a microphone an inch from
his face and everything was his. [...] Everything Charles sang had his unique "brand". It is an incredible voice —sometimes tender, sometimes gutteral, sometimes pleading, sometimes demanding, with a halt that is strangely touching. It
ranges from a huskiness to a falsetto, and even laughter in the swingover rhythm "Baby Don't You Cry."
All the while he rocks in rhythm across the key board. His hands keep up a rolling, thumping beat in What'd I Say, Hit the Road Jack, Two Ton Tessie and others. [...] There was the lilting Georgia On My Mind with a different backing from
his million selling record. The sole accompaniment was by flautist James Clay. And then another million seller, I Can't Stop Loving You, again different from his records because of the new Raeletts and she absence of a string backing (which was not missed).
The mood changed again with Two Ton Tessie and Hard Hearted Hanna, two of the best songs from Have a Smile With Me, Charles' latest L.P. which has been heavily "canned" from the Soul Brothers spheres. Then there was a blues again, his immortal Hallelujah I Love Her So, first recorded in 1955; sentimental but with that

unique Ray Charles personality. We also had Let The Good Times Roll, Don't Set Me Free and Busted; no encores and the show was over. It was too short."

6 September 1964
Concert on Hawaii.

18 September 1964
At Spreckels Theatre in San Diego CA.
Start of coast-to-coast tour in U.S.

Ad in Variety (Sep. 16).

19 September 1964
Arena, Long Beach CA.

Ad from Long Beach Press-Telegram, 6 Sep.

20 September 1964
Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles CA: recorded, and released as Ray Charles Live In Concert. See this.

From 1966 souvenir brochure; uncertain if caption really specifically refers to Shrine concert.

F.l.t.r. Gwen Berry, Lillie Fort, Bobbie Pierce, Helen Bryant (from a 1964 Australia tour brochure).

Between 21 and 24 September 1964
Concert at Montgomery Coliseum canceled (read this, and the clipping sub 28 Sep.).

25 September 1964
Spreckels Theatre, San Diego CA.

26 September 1964
Auditorium, Long Beach CA.

?27 September 1964? [See sub 20th]
Shrine Auditorium, LA.

28 September 1964

From Jet magazine, Oct. 15, 1964.

Add caption

Memorial Auditorium, Dallas TX ("4,000 Fans Riot at Blues Concert [...] when Charles, 'king of the blues' failed to appear as scheduled after tax men seized box office receipts of about $ 8,000. Police said several hundred spectators tried to storm the box office after a spokesman for the Charles troupe announced that the performance was ending at the intermission").

30 September 1964
Moody Civic Center, Galveston TX.

Ad from Galveston Daily News, 26 Sep.

1 October 1964
Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio TX.

4 October 1964
Opera House in...

10 October 1964
Auditorium, Minneapolis MN.

11 October 1964

Auditorium, Milwaukee WI (2.000 fans; "The weird tenor voice is an elastic instrument - here butter, there granite; now brimming with joy, then a plaintive wail from a jail"; read this;
"He mumbled, he moaned, he groaned, shouted, slurred, screamed"; read this and this).

17 October 1964
Auditorium, Minneapolis MN (gross $11,900).

18 October 1964
St. Paul Auditorium, St. Paul MN (gross $5,151).

23 October 1964
Massey Hall, Toronto ON.

Photo by Frank Lennon.

24 October 1964
Two shows at Public Music Hall in Cleveland OH.

From Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4 October 1964.

30? October 1964
Théatre St-Denis, Montreal QC.

31 October 1964
Arrested at Boston airport; appearing before commissioner; temporarily released; plays concert at Back Bay Theater, Boston MA before news gets out.

November 1964
Release of the single Makin' Whoopee (vocal) / Makin' Whoopee (instrumental).

Ad from Cashbox, Dec. 19
20 November 1964
Two shows at Dade County Auditorium, Miami FL.

21 November 1964
Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville FL.

24 November 1964
Preliminary hearing in Boston; judge finds probable cause, case held over for trial; bail continued.

27 November 1964
Arena, Richmond VA.

28 November 1964
Last gig of the year, at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn NY.