It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (With Cast)

Album3 (VHS, France): Duke Ellington - We Love You Madly, VRV 1124, S.a.

Opening of the 1973 CBS TV special Duke Ellington... We Love You Madly, recorded at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles, on 10 and 11 January 1973. With Roberta Flack, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Eckstine, Quincy Jones, Joe Williams, Marva Cally.

Ray Charles On Duke Ellington... We Love You Madly (1973)

Ad in Billboard.

Photos taken during  rehearsals for the show(or was this taken 
at a rehearsal for the 1971 episode of the Merv Griffin Show?).

Duke Ellington... We Love You Madly was a tribute to Duke Ellington, recorded at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles, on 10 and 11 January 1973 in an ABC special (aired on February 11th). Ray performed I Like The Sunrise, and he did a breathtaking duet on Ain't But The One with Aretha. Both were also part of the chorus line in the opening act, where the whole cast united in It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), and Ray did a quatre mains with Count Basie.

 Exterior of a theatre advertising a screening of  the TV Special.
Photo by Ted Williams.

Personnel:
Cat Anderson, Bill Berry, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry, Cootie Williams, Snooky Young (tp); Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Cleveland, Tyree Glenn, Maurice Spears, Britt Woodman (tb); Vince DeRosa, Art Maebe, Dick Perissi (frh); Red Callender (tu); Harry Carney,

The producers and Atlantic played with the
idea to release an album (from Cashbox,
May 26, 1973). At the time they did'nt execute on
the idea, but the later "rare" Aretha track
discussed below was clearly made possible
because of this abandoned plan.

Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Bill Green, Murray McEachern, Bill Perkins, Russell Procope, Jerome Richardson, Marshall Royal, Murray McEachern, Paul Gonsalves, Bill Perkins, Bill Green, Harry Carney (reeds); Count Basie (p); Dave Grusin (kb); Kenny Burrell (g); Ray Brown (b); Chuck Rainey (el-b); Louis Bellson, Paul Humphrey (d). Luther Henderson, Jimmy Jones, Phil Moore (arr); Quincy Jones (arr, cond); 4 violins, 12 violas, 4 violin cellos, 1 harp.

Performers:
Ray Charles, Cornerstone Baptist Church Choir, Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Eckstine; Duke Ellington; Marva Cally, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Williams.

Cover of French VHS release.

Produced by Norman Lear and (exec) Quincy Jones, directed by Bud Yorkin. Phil Ramone was responsible for the sound mix.

Later Ray remembered, "[Ellington] was on an oxygen tank until they called him to come out onstage. But he went out there and you'd never have known there was anything wrong with the man. That's what music can do."

Read review here. Behind the scenes-photos are here. The show was released by RCA on VHS, in France (VRV 1124)*.

Quincy looking back:



It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (with Roberta, Sarah, Peggy, Count, Sammy, Billy, Quincy, Joe and Marva):



Ain't But The One (with Aretha) - this song was also released (in an altered version) on: Aretha Franklin, Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul (Atlantic B00122MKI0):

   [Clip removed from YouTube]

*Remarks made by Joël Dufour. 

Ray Charles Ft. In The Merv Griffin Show (1968, 1969, 1971, 1975, 1993)

Clipping from Jet, 14 August 1975.

Merv Griffin became a television host after filling in for Jack Parr on the Tonight Show in 1962.
The Merv Griffin Show ran from 1962 to 1986. It first aired on NBC (1962-1963, then again 1965-1968), then on CBS (1969-1972), and in syndication afterwards. Later he produced and hosted a.o. his New year's Eve Specials. Ray appeared at least five times.

Ray Charles and Quincy Jones, during a 
rehearsal,probably for the 1971 episode of the show.

• 1968 (Season 6, episode 10, 13 September): guests were Ray Charles, actor Mickey Shaughnessy, singer-actor Rudy Vallee, entertainer Genevieve, comic Milt Kamen, columnist Doris Lilly and comedy duo Clair and McMahon with Frank Gallop. I've listened to an audio recording, probably taken from this same show (it's labeled as a "syndicated telecast", taped at the Little Theater in New York, in September 1968), where Ray performs splendid versions of You Don't Know Me and Route 66, accompanied by Freddy Robinson - g; Edgar Willis - b; Roger Humphries - dm. Another singer (possibly Merv Griffin himself) contributed a few (opening) verses to the latter song.
• 1969 (season 6, episode 72, 26 November 1969): guests are Ray Charles, Karen Morrow, comedienne Hermione Gingold and Dr. Joyce Brothers.
• 1971 - Jack O'Brian in The Daily Sentinel of 13 September 1971 assessed that "The Merv Griffin show saluting the brilliant Quincy Jones [with Sarah Vaughn and Ray Charles doing What'd I Say] was one of the finest shows, prime time or not, of any season."
• 1975 (season 12, Episode 1, 1 September 1975): Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles were co-hosts with Merv of The Third Annual Ebony Magazine Music Awards. Guests included: Nancy Wilson, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, and Quincy Jones.
• On 31 December 1993 Ray Charles, Donna Summer, Tony Bennett, and Jack Sheldon formed the cast of the third edition of Merv Griffin's New Year's Eve Special, a live extravaganza format produced from the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Ray performed A Song For You, and (with The Raelettes) Smack Dab In The Middle. The Ray Charles Orchestra formed a "mass band" with Merv's house band, the Mort Lindsey Orchestra (including Byron Stripling). Donna Summer didn't want to participate in the finale, until Merv called her, "Come on out, Donna, Ray is waiting for you." The show was produced by MGE (Merv Griffin Enterprises) and syndicated nationally by Columbia Pictures Television. The line-up must have come close to this: Al Waters - tenor saxophone; Al Jackson - alto saxophone, band leader; Steve Elliot, Rudy Johnson, James Farnsworth - saxophone; David Hoffman, Larry Foyen, Kurt Weiss, Ken Scharf - trumpet; Michel Guerrier, Steve Sigmund, Marc Fields, Pete Beltran - trombone; Kenny Carr - guitar; Tom Fowler - bass; Peter Turre - drums, Ernest Vantrease - organ; The Raelettes (Angela Workman, Trudy Cohran, Michelle King, Elaine Woodard, Estella Yarbrough) - backing vocals.

A Song For You; Smack Dab In The Middle (1993):

The back catalog of Merv Griffin is now represented by Reelin' In The Years. As yet, it's unclear if any of the footage with Ray survived.

Ray Charles Co-Hosting The Midnight Special (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, ?1979)

The Midnight Special was a Friday night Pop Rock variety show on NBC TV that ran for 9 years (1972 - 1981).  It was taped in front of a live studio audience at NBC Burbank, directed by Stan Harros. Concert footage was included at times. Wolfman Jack appeared each week as announcer and main host, each week also with a different guest host. Ray contributed at least 5 times.

30 March 1973
In season 1 Ray Charles hosted the 10th episode, on 30 March 1973. His guests were Bill Cosby, Carol Burnett, Aretha Franklin, Freeman King, and Murray Langston. Ray brought his own band and The Raelettes.

The show went like this:

Burnett and Charles.

• Ray Charles sings Eleanor Rigby, Georgia On My Mind, What'd I Say (with Raelettes).
• Ray Charles and the Raelettes sing I Can Make It Through The Days (But Oh Those Lonely Nights).
• Bill Cosby talks with Ray Charles and dances while Charles sings Every Saturday Night.
• Carol Burnett talks with Ray.
• Aretha Franklin sings A Brand New Me.
• Aretha Franklin & Ray Charles sing Takes Two To Tango.
• The Raelettes sing Shake (Charles on piano). 
• The Earl Scruggs Revue sings T For Texas & and Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven.
• Freeman and Murray reenact the boxing scene from Great White Hope in slow motion. 

Compilation with Georgia, Tea For Two and What'd I Say:

• 
  



Contract for the appearance of The Raelettes (Dorothy Berry, Mabel John, Susaye Greene, Vernita Moss, Estella Yarbrough) in this show.

 '73 TV Midnight-1 - Takes Two To Tango (with Aretha Franklin):

13 April 1973

The Raelettes: Vernita Moss, Dorothy Berry, Mabel John, Susaye Greene, Estella Yarbrough.

Photos (all dated on March 10...): NBC / Getty Images.

Ray was a guest in episode 12, hosted by Bill Cosby, that aired on Friday 13 April 1973, with a duet (Cosby only in a speaking role) on Early In The Morning, with Billy Preston on organ (Cosby always made Ray do "Atlantic" songs). The other guests were Steely Dan, Waylon Jennings, Taj Mahal and Fanny.



31 January 1975
Ray was back on together with Aretha on 31 January 1975 (other guests: The Byrds). Source: Paley Center Archive, ID: B:62694. In an announcement of this show, in Jet magazine (Feb. 6, 1975) specified that Ree and Ray would "join in a song during Jan. 31 celebration of second anniversary of The Midnight Special", as a caption to a still of their Tango rendition. This may suggest that just this performance was aired again in this episode.
Update: they indeed just re-broadcast the Tango song as it was taped on January 30.

30 April 1976
Ray also hosted episode 28 in season 4, on Friday 30 April 1976. He brought his Orchestra. No doubt the highlight was a version of What'd I Say with Sara Vaughan. The setlist was:

• Every Saturday Night
• Georgia On My Mind
• Living For The City
• Blues For Big Scotia
• America The Beautiful
• What'd I Say (with Sarah Vaughan)

Could this photo be from this show?

The contents of the remainder of the show are described here. In the second clip Ray introduces the ventriloquist duo Aaron and Freddie, who opened for Ray at many concerts, from the early 1970s well into the 1990s. The person who submitted the footage erroneously attributed the year 1978 (and episode #23) to it.

Personnel:
Bob Coassin, Johnny Coles, Luis Gasca, Jeff Conrad Jack Evans - trumpets; Ken Tussing, Henry Coker, Wally Huff - trombones; Bob Knedlik - bass trombone; Ed Pratt, Clifford Solomon - alto saxophones; Andy Ennis, James Clay - tenor saxophones, Bill Byrne - bariton saxophone; Scott von Ravensberg - drums; Tony Matthews - guitar; Jim Campbell - bass; Ernest Vantrease - keyboards.

Midnight Special, 1976 - Georgia On My Mind:

Midnight Special, 1976 - Aaron & Freddie:

23 July 1977
This clipping from Jet, 28 July 1977, shows that Ray contributed to yet another Special with Aretha, B.B. and Gladys, on 23 July 1977 (or did they re-use again the '73 Tango footage, as also happened in the 1975 show described above?):

A 9-DVD collectors' set (Guthy Renker, 2006) is offered here (it's unclear to me which of Ray's other performances, except Tango and Georgia, are on it - if at all). Watch the excellent DVD Promo here. Elsewhere on the web sometimes a (illegit?) 20-DVD box is promoted.

1979?

The title of this photo, when it was put up for sale on Ebay, was "1979: Musician Ray Charles performing on the television series, 'Midnight Special'."