Ray Charles Live Over Radio At The Ann Arbor Festival (1973)

Photo by Cecil Lockard.

On 7 and 8 September 1973 the 4th Ann Arbor Blues And Jazz Festival took place at Otis Spann Memorial Field. The festival had been inaugurated by the University of Michigan in 1969, but was canceled in 1971. In 1972 the festival was successfully revived, and in 1973 the new organizers felt its programming was strong enough for a nation-wide live radio broadcast by NPR (over WILL AM and FM). The Ray Charles Show wound up the festival and the radio program on the Saturday evening. The entire festival was also broadcast by local station KUT-FM and KUNC, the University of Colorado's radio station, as part of a fundraiser (sources: Greeley Daily Tribune, Waterloo Iowa Daily Courier, 7 Sep. 1973).

A kind spirit provided me with some decent copies of six tracks that were performed during this concert (probably originating from the radio broadcast mentioned above).

Mr. Kip Brown submitted some great intelligence about what went on during Brother Ray's concert, and shared the correct set list. The best news is that the whole performance by the Ray Charles troupe has survived:

1. Unidentified instrumental
2. Intro
3. Let The Good Times Roll
4. Busted
5. Hey Mister
6. Georgia On My Mind
7. I Feel So Bad
8. He Called Me Baby (All Night Long) (with The Raelettes)
9. I Can Make It Through The Days (But Oh Those Lonely Nights)
10. Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma
11. Love Train (The Raelettes)
12. I Can't Stop Loving You (incomplete due to sound problems)
13. Shake (The Raelettes)
14. Every Saturday Night
15. Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong
16. Louise
17. What'd I Say
18. Let's Go Get Stoned

#1 - see comments below.

Review in Cashbox,
Sep. 22, 1973.

#5 is a unique live versions, only known from the album Message From The People (it could've been a perfect protest song for the Occupy movement!).
Tune #8, He Called Me Baby (All Night Long), is the only known recorded performance by The Raelettes of this country song (written in 1962 by Harlan Howard). The Patsy Cline's version from 1963 was probably best known, but I guess this version by The Raelettes came closer to Candy Staton's record (Fame #1476) from 1970 (listen to clip, below), ...although the gorgeous version by Ella Washington (a #77 Pop/#38 R&B hit released by Sound Stage 7 in 1969; listen to clip, below) is also a worthy contender [but see Kip Brown's 3d comment].
#15, Louise, is a marvelously souled up version of the original release. I think if this version would have been released as a single, it could have been a much bigger hit.

Personnel:

Musicians: Greg Abate, Claude Johnson - alto saxophone; Wilbur Brown, James Clay - tenor saxophone; Leroy Cooper - bariton saxophone; Dan Ackerman, Phil Guilbeau, Walter Miller, Tony Horowitz - trumpet; Glenn Childress, Don Switzer, Ken Tussing, Craig Woods - trombone; John Henderson - organ;  Harvey Sarch - guitar; Edgar Willis - bass; Scott von Ravensberg - drums. Raelettes: Dorothy Berry, Denise Jackson, Mable John, Vernita Moss, Madelyn Quebec.*

*   Based on notes provided by Joël Dufour, and comments by Tony Horowitz.  

Patsy Cline, He Called Me Baby (All Night Long):


Ella Washington, He Called Me Baby (All Night Long):

From Ann Arbor Sun, April 23.

Ad from Ann Arbor Sun, July 12, 1973.

Handbill.

Ad from Ann Arbor Sun, Aug. 8, 1973.

More promotion materials here.