Album3 (LP, CD): Dee Dee Bridgewater, Victim Of Love, Polydor 841 199, 1989.
Single3: Polydor 889 130, 1989, b/w Sunset And Blue.
The musicvideo version (4:44) of Pecious Thing, produced by NBdC and directed by Bertrand Antoine Fevre, is about 20 seconds shorter than the single and album version(s). There's also an instrumental mix.
Arranged by Kjetil Bjerkestrand.
Clip:
Unidentified TV program (circa 1989 - who knows more?):
The taping of Ray Charles' concert in Antibes on 19 July 1990 at the 30th edition of Jazz à Juan was directed - as always - by Jean-Christophe Averty. The footage of the concert was re-edited into three 30-minute programs, titled Special Ray Charles (#1, #2, #3) which were broadcast by France 2.
The choice for Special Ray Charles #1 (first aired on 21 August 1990) was:
Then We'll Be Home (Sadies Tune)
Busted
Georgia On My Mind
Mississippi Mud
The Brightest Smile In Town
Feel So Bad
The tunes chosen for Special Ray Charles #2 (first aired on 28 December 1990) had a focus on The Raelettes, but started with a splendid Orchestra piece:
Metamorphosis (Ray Charles Orchestra) (solos by Al Jackson, Jeff Kaye, Ernest Vantrease)
Intro RC
Chain Of Fools (The Raelettes)
Giving Up* (ft Trudy Cohran)
Smack Dab In The Middle
I Can't Stop Loving You
I Can See Clearly Now
* Based on Donny Hathaway's minor hit from 1972. It's a beautiful, soaring 7-minute love lament sung by Trudy Cohran, which seems to have been improvised on the spot (Ray moaning directions between Trudy's lines), but it was performed several times by Cohran (later also by Tonette McKinney). The TV program's editors gave it the title Spiritual Solo.
The concert was interrupted to let the mayor award Ray with a Légion d'honneur. This scene was left out of the broadcast (but you can see Ray suddenly with a medal around his neck).
Ina archive, also describes the contents of Special Ray Charles #3, first broadcast on 8 January 1991, by France 2.
The matrix tape (INA ID CPB90014937) has a run time of 29m16s. The record specifies that it entailed two instrumentals by the Ray Charles Orchestra, plus four tunes performed by Ray Charles, one of which was a duet with Dee Dee Bridgewater (no doubt this was Precious Thing). The description of INA tape # I00005172 seems to imply that The Raelettes supported the duet with backing vocals.
Another tape (INA ID I00005170), with a run time of 4m26s, gives the title of one of the three other tunes: "Sadie (without Raelettes)", surely referring to Then We'll Be Home (Sadies Tune). This song was also part of the first Special.
The description of a third tape (INA ID I00005173), with a run time of 5m24s, specifies the name of yet another tune, performed by Ray and the girls: "Gonna coils one you" - which, unfortunately, is a phantasy title.
The description of the last tape (INA ID CPB90014937) names What'd I Say, with a duration of 3m12s,as the fourth song. "Then Ray Charles greets the public with the orchestra playing".
* J.P. Verger pointed me at this (cf. comments).
Update: Today I watched an excellent copy of the Special Ray Charles #3, with the following tunes:
The Shadow Of Your Smile (The Ray Charles Orchestra) (solo by Craig Bailey - ts)
Beatrice (The Ray Charles Orchestra) (solos by Wayne Coniglio - tb, Ken Rampton - tp)
Intro RC
Then We'll Be Home (Sadies Tune)
Precious Thing (with Dee Dee Bridgewater)
Lay Around And Love On You (All I Wanna Do Is --) (solos by Kenny Carr - g, Ray Charles - ep)
What'd I Say
So far, The Shadow Of Your Smile (#1) was only known from a recording at the Salle Pleyel concert in 1969. Dee Dee Bridgewater's guest appearance was a little triumph; Precious Thing (#5) got a very inspired rendition.
Personnel: Musicians: Chuck Parrish, Jeff Kaye, Jeff Helgesen, Kenny Rampton - trumpets; Steve Sigmund, Mike Guerrier, Marc Fields, Wayne Coniglio - trombones; Al Waters, Rudy Johnson, Al Jackson, Craig Baily, Scott Frillman - saxophones; David Rokeach - drums; Kenny Carr - guitar; Benoît Grey - bass; Ernest Vantrease - organ. The Raelettes: Trudy Cohran, Kay Nickerson, Lalomie Washburn, Angie Workman, Estella Yarbrough.
Alta Classa was a series of twelve 2-hour programs broadcast by RAI Uno in 1991 - 1992. It had a dual format: the first part was a show, the second part a portrait based on interviews with the star, and with people who knew the protagonist well.
On 7 January 1992 Ray Charles was the star in a show that was also a tribute to Sergio Bernardini, a famous Italian impresario who, many years before, was the first to bring Ray to an Italian stage (and who, oddly, was also one of the producers of this show; also see this show from '84).
To handle the 300 million lire budget, RAI Uno had the format sponsored by the municipality of Versilia (where the show was staged) and the province of Tuscany. The show was probably taped in December 1991, when Ray also did a concert in Turin.
I've seen a 13-minute recap of the '92 show. It seems to have had a This Was Your Life-like format, where Bernardini surprised Ray with guests to do duets with, and other acts - all on stage. I saw snippets from I Can't Stop Loving You, Good Love Gone Bad (with Toto Cutogno), Crying Time (with Fausto Leali), a long interview - also on stage - by Bernardini, a fragment of a gospel group, a full version of Precious Thing in a duet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and O Sole Mio in a duet with Lina Sastri (the RAI website offers that whole song).
Other guests were Sugar, Pino Daniele, Renzo Arbore, Roberto Murali, Gassman, and Gino Paoli. The program was presented by Gianni Minà. The critic of La Stampa wasn't too positive about the show. He asked himself, "[...] why does Minà ask the audience for applause when Ray Charles confesses to have five grandchildren? And what is the point, after a response from Ray Charles, to come up with a 'See, even a genius has moments of emotion'?"
RAI released the show part on a 68-minute VHS (see illustration above; it's sometimes for sale on Ebay).
Caption to photo in Sanremo, filled with nonsense.
Celebrating Marlee Matlin's birthday. Photo by Scott Downie.
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Charles, and filmer Bertrand Antoine Fèvre, in Paris. Poss. shooting the clip for Precious Thing, 1988 or '89. Photo by J. Madani.
Interview in Fresno. Photo by David Robin. More here.
Photo by Miguel Pagliere, c. 1989.
Concert at Tennis Stadium of Manhattan Country Club, 1989'.
1989
Plays God archangel Julius in Limit Up. See this.
Interviewed for Carnegie Hall At 100 (aired in 1991). See this.
Sings Cross The Road commercial tune for KFC. See this.
Sings Love Makes The Changes for Cinq Jours En Juin (film). See this.
Video clip of Precious Thing (with Dee Dee Bridgewater). See this.
Scores #3 hit in Japan with Ellie, My Love; makes video clip for the song (or performs song in tv show). See this.
10 January 1989
Recording with Lou Rawls at Sunset Productions, New York.
4 February 1989
With Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, Miami FL.
On or just before 7 February 1989
New World Symphony, Miami.
25 February 1989
Concert at Chapiteau in Saint-Denis, Place du 8 Mai, with Orchestre National de L'Isle de France.
"The American jazz musician Ray Charles (vocals, piano) and his manager Joe Adams (right), arriving from Nice at Roissy Airport. His agent in France Norbert Gamsohn (left) welcomes him. In the evening he will give a concert with his band: Jefferson Ballard (dm), Kenneth Carr (g), Darren Solomon (db), accompanied by the Orchestre National de l'Ile de France conducted by Jacques Mercier." Photo here.
With girlfriend Arlette Kotchounian alias Anne Gregory.
Photos prob. by Guy Le Querre.
Photos by Guy le Querrec.
Photo by G. Monico.
2 March 1989 Palais des Sports, Bordeaux.
Coll. Jacques Merle.
3 March 1989
Fair Park Music Hall, Dallas, with Dallas Pops Orchestra; tickets $13-$27.50.
4/5 March 1989
On Easter Seal’s Telethon. See this.
5 March 1989
HBO Broadcast (the first?) of Legends of Rock 'n' Roll Live; read this and caption to publicity photo:
12 March 1989
At Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, with the Oregon Symphony; Ray brought Sid Feller as conductor; Kenny Carr on guitar, Darren Solomon on bass, Jeff Ballard on Drums.
Itinerary/call sheet for the Portland concert (coll. Darren Solomon).
7 April 1989
On the TV special Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, hosted by Bill Cosby. See this.
17 April 1989
In his studio in Los Angeles. Photo here.
3 May 1989 Music Hall at Fair Park, Dallas TX. 4 May 1989
Performing on Easter Seals Telethon. See this.
5 May 1989
Jones Hall, Houston.
11 May 1989
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland OR.
11 and 12 May 1989
With New York Ballet at Lincoln Center, New York City NY, for A Fool For You. See this.
13 May 1989
Florida Performing Arts Center, Jacksonville.
28 May 1989
Concert for female inmates at Sybil Brand Detention Center, LA.
29 and 30 May 1989
Crazy Horse, Santa Ana Read announcement here.
June 1989
Jazz Festival, Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Photo by Ken Francklin.
3 June 1989
Paul Masson Winery, Saratoga; with Betty Carter ("soul of Charles was tepid and the jazz of Carter was boiling").
7 June 1989
Luther Burbank Center For The Arts, Santa Rosa CA.
8 June 1989
McCallum Theatre, Palm Dessert CA.
9 June 1989
Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay, San Diego CA ("double treat; 2 concerts superb, distinctly different").
10 June 1989
Phoenecian Hotel, Scottsdale AZ.
15 June 1989
Park Central Amphitheater, Dallas TX.
16 June 1989
Sandstone Amphitheater, Bonner Springs KS.
17 June 1989
Executive Inn, Paducah KY.
18 June 1989
Jazz At The River, Riverfront Park, Nashville Convention Center, Nashville TN (with Chuck Mangione, Maynard Ferguson, Bill Watrous).
20 June 1989
Wolftrap Filene Center, Vienna VA.
22 June 1989
Municipal Auditorium, Morganton NC.
23 June 1989
Hampton Jazz Festival; with Grover Washington, Dianna Reeves and the Ultimate Set, featuring Hank Crawford, Jimmy McGriff, Dave Fathead Newman, Arthur Prysock and Lou Donaldson, at Hampton Coliseum (audience of 10,000).
On Ebony/Jet Showcase. Seethis.
24 June 1989
Strand-Capitol PA Center, York PA.
25 June 1989
Two shows at Ontario Place Forum, Toronto ON ("a charismatic entertainer, full of surprises and always apparently primed for some startling side- step. Yet he seems less interested these days in generous displays of his awesome keyboard technique and in flights of vocal fancy than in showing off his arrangements and the expertise of his band"; [Charles] he worked his young orchestra as a major league coach might, pushing them through a series of very difficult moves and some breathtakingly intricate charts, conducting via rapid body movements and shouted asides. Oddly, it was the simple pop and rhythm 'n' blues material - "I Want Your Love", "Move On Up" - that gave the band most trouble").
Photo by Orest Dorosh.
27 June 1989
Photo shoot.
Photos (contact sheet) by Rose Shoshana.
28 June 1989
Scheduled for JVC Jazz Festival at Avery Fisher Hall, New York; with The O'Jays and The Temptations. But Ray got delayed in St. Louis and didn't make it to the show.
29 June 1989
Maine Center for the Performing Arts, Orono ME.
30 June 1989
Montreal Jazz Festival, Place des Arts, Montreal QC.
1 July 1989
Fort Adams State Park, Newport Jazz Festival, Newport RI.
2 July 1989
Melody Fair, North Tonawanda NY.
North Shore Theater, Beverly.
3 July 1989
At Lake Compounce in Bristol CT.
6 July 1989
Melody Tent in Hyannis MA.
7 and/or 8 July 1989
Waterville Valley Bridge Music Festival.
8 July 1989
Summer Festival '89 at Planting Fields Arboretum in Locust Valley (Oyster Bay NY); $25 and $22.50 for reserved seats in the tent; $10 for lawn seats.
9 July 1989
Melody Fair, Wurlitzer Park, North Tonawanda NY.
12 and 13 July 1989
Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta GA ("If anybody cares about ears, it's Ray Charles, which is why you won't need ear protection when he and his orchestra perform").
16 July 1989
Festival d'Été, International Festival of Music,, Richmond QC; drawing 30,000 spectators.
22 July 1989
State Theater, Cleveland OH.
30 July 1989
Closing Ceremonies of the 1989 Olympic Festival, in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at the University of Oklahoma, Norman OK 31 July 1989
The Ritz, New York City NY.
1 August 1989
Elitch Theater, Denver.
15 to 20 August 1989
The Nightclub Event of the Decade, in the Blue Note ("goes right to the viscera with an irresistible combination of nuance and raw, earthy power; the combination doubtlessly reaches the gut because it comes from the gut").
Drawing by Tony Bennett.
Photo by Adrian Cook.
26 August 1989
New Hampshire Jazz Festival.
27 August 1989
Lakeside Center, Auburn WA (crowd of 3,600).
Photo by Richard Nevell.
31 August 1989
Lafayette Theater in Suffern NY, in a benefit concert for the Good Samaritan Hospital.
1 September 1989
Jazz festival, Tanglewood Music Center, Mansfield MA; with Betty Carter and Dizzy Gillespie.
2 September 1989
Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield MA; with Betty Carter.
5 September 1989
Concert with Zucchero and Dee Dee Bridgewater, Verona. Playing piano on Come Il Sole All'Improvviso:
6 September 1989
Sacrée Soirée (air date). See this.
8 September 1989
Concert on the 18th green of the En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott.
15 September 1989
Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis MN.
16 September 1989
Isthmus Jazz Festival at Oscar Mayer Theatre, Madison WI ("the sold-out house whooped and cheered"); tickets $16 to $20.
21 September 1989
Charles announced chairman of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, Pasadena.
F.l.t.r. Little Jimmy Scott, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt.
23 September 1989
In Champs-Elysées, show around Jean Lefebvre, with Dee Dee Bridgewater (air date). See this.
On or around 24 September 1989
Birthday party, also celebrating record (first remastered re-releases) deal with Dunhill.
29 September 1989
Holiday Star Plaza (Music) Theatre, Merrillville IN, for audience of 3,100 people.
October 1989
Sings Curiosity tune for CBS-TV series Snoops. See this.
Release of the single (and video) I'll Be Good To You (Parts 1 and 2), with Quincy Jones & Chaka Kahn. See this and this.
5 October 1989
Princess Theater, Decatur AL.
6 October 1989
Le Gala Du Siècle, a TV show celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Guests were Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Charles Aznavour, Lauren Bacall, Anita Baker, Debbie de Coudreaux, Tony Curtis, Mel Ferrer, Savion Glover, Barbara Hendricks, The Gipsy Kings, Dorothy Lamour, Jerry Lewis, Greg Louganis, Mireille Mathieu, Donald O'Connor, Mickey Rooney, Jane Russel, Charles Trenet, and Esther Williams. See this.
10 October 1989
Maxwell C. King Center, Melbourne.
11 October 1989
St. Lucie County Civic Center, Port St. Lucie, Fort Perce FL ("Never has one man given so much to so many").
15 October 1989
Interviewed For Australian TV (air date). See this.
25 October 1989
Warner Theatre, Torrington CT.
26 October 1989
Music Like It Oughta Be series at Palace Theatre (Stamford Center for the Arts), Stamford CT.
Tickets $14-$29.
30 - 31 October 1989
Headlining Intertalent Festival at Palác Lucerna, Prague. Read this and this. News item here.
Photos: Imago/ZUMA.
3 November 1989
Palais des Sports, Marseille.
4 November 1989
10th Festival De Jazz de Paris or Jazz au Zénith, Paris. Photo here. Also see this. Televized as Jazz At The Top: Ray Charles, on 11 July 1990 by France 3; with Dee Dee Bridgewater; see this.
Ticket stub, coll. Jacques Marle.
Photos by Christian Rose.
Photo by Guy Le Querrec (Magnum).
Photo by Jean-Pierre Muller.
5 November 1989
L 'Arsenal, Metz.
6 November 1989
Differdange, Luxembourg.
7 November 1989
Soirée Ray Charles, ?Paris?
Between 8 and 12 November 1989
In Hilversum, probably for TV gig.
Photo: ANP.
8 November 1989
De Doelen, Rotterdam.
Coll. Alamy (watermarked).
Rare angle: The Raelettes, Ray Charles, Ernest Vantrease. Photo by Chris de Jong/NRC Handelsblad.
Photo by Rob Verhorst/Het Vrije Volk.
That same day in his hotel in Amsterdam:
10 November 1989
Congresgebouw, The Hague.
11 November 1989
Americahal, Apeldoorn. Read review (in Dutch) here.
12 November 1989
Veilinghal, Alkmaar.
13 November 1989
Espace Culturel des Lices, Toulon.
"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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