Pic captured from an
interview that was shot
this same day for WUSF TV
|
Drummer David Rokeach shared an interesting story with me, regarding a pro video recording:
The tapes most proably still are in the vaults of RPM, at the Ray Charles Foundation in Los Angeles."It was unique in that Ray wanted to do something nice for the University that gave him [the] honorary degree. There was no money to be made [for him, but we] got paid. Ray donated this performance. He brought H.B. Barnum to conduct, and his rhythm section of me, Kenny Carr, and Ben[oît] Grey. We rehearsed with a student big band, symphony orchestra, and a very young Gospel choir. Then played a show with all three groups. It was the longest Ray Charles show that I ever did. He played a lot of material including Old Man River which he didn't bring out very often.
Rehearsals.
He paid for the concert (and maybe some rehearsals too) to be videotaped and recorded professionally. He was going to donate the video to the University. I stayed in touch with some University folks for a year or so afterwards. They said, at the time, that they never received the video. I saw Ray a few years later and asked him about it. He said that he might put it out as part of a package."
* My sources are not entirely clear on the dates mentioned in this article; I have reconstructed the most probable timeline.
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