Ray Charles Ft. In 72nd Academy Awards Show (2000)

With Garth Brooks
and Burt Bacharach.

On 26 March 2000 Ray performed Secret Love and I Got You Under My Skin at the 72nd Annual Academy Awards Show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, as a participant in a past's original songs medley.

Ray Charles and Garth Brooks, enteringthe 72nd Academy Awards" TV stage . 
Photo by Eugene Pinkowski.

The Boston Herald wrote: "Yes, the Oscar show touched all the right places and hit all the high notes. After two hours, the show went soaring with the musical montage of classic movie songs - sung by Dionne Warwick, Queen Latifah, Isaac Hayes, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Ray Charles and Burt Bacharach. The magical medley hit the highest note of all. The production was breathtaking, sparking the jaded audience in the Shrine Auditorium to rise in delight."
This photo has the complete line-up, with Ray Charles, Garth Brooks, Burt Bachrach, Dionne Warwick, Faith Hill, Isaac Hayes and Queen Latifah.

Ray started that day with his rhythm trio at a Salvatore Ferragamo's fashion show in Milan (arrived there on the 25th).
Drummer Peter Turre recalls: "Then to Shrine Auditorium in LA for 72nd Academy Awards Show, performing Secret Love from the film Calamity Jane. Then we hightailed it to the airport to catch a non-stop flight from Milan to LAX [...]. Ray was [...] cleared through customs and immigration immediately, and put on a helicopter to get to the Shrine in downtown LA for rehearsal. We all marveled at how a 70-year-old man could do this [...]").
Brad Rabuchin remembers "[...] flying back to LA with him that day. We asked him about the Academy awards show and what he was going to play. He said something like 'I better think about the tunes'."