I miss Ray Charles. Anyone ever meet him? What's your FAVORITE Ray Recording?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Jul 15, 2007.

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  1. Larry Naramore

    Larry Naramore Bonafied Knucklehead

    Location:
    Sun Valley, Calif.
    Hit The Road Jack!

    Never met him but love my fathers story of first hearing Modern Sound in Country and Western. He was in his car near Hansen Dam and some radio station debuted the whole album. Needless to say he pulled over to the side of the road and lit up some of his famous home grown and grooved for the next half of an hour. :p
     
  2. Joe Koz

    Joe Koz Prodigal Bone Brotherâ„¢ In Memoriam

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    I've posted this before. I never met Ray. But, I had an opportunity to speak with him on a talk show many years ago. His book "Brother Ray" was just released in paperback and he (IIRC), was on to promote the book. It was a great show. My mother happened to tape it off the radio. I have no idea if I still have the tape or not. :shrug:

    Favorite song by Ray: "I Can't Stop Loving You." Hands down!!!
     
  3. Thesmellofvinyl

    Thesmellofvinyl Senior Member

    Location:
    Cohoes, NY USA
    Shook his hand once after a concert. He was already in the back seat of a limo moving slowly away from the venue. No one else was anywhere near, I had to pick up the pace to get over the the limo, the window was down and the limo stopped for traffic just as I reached it. I said something like, "Great show, Ray", and he stuck his hand out of the window and shook mine. It was cool. I think that was someplace in Maine, in the early 90's. What's that line from The Blues Brothers? "Excuse me, the action's just fine," or something like that. Love it.
     
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  4. JohnT

    JohnT Senior Member

    Location:
    PA & FL gulf coast
    hmm, funny this thread should show up today. I got up yesterday morning (Saturday) had a bunch of bill paying and other computer related stuff to do so I walked over to my music section and pulled out "uh huh His Greatest Hits". Fired up my gear and let your wonderful version of Brother Ray's music make my day. Don't get much better than that!

    Actually, I remember listening to "Georgia On My Mind" and was really moved by what he was doing with his voice, incredible stuff.
     
  5. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    That was a great story - thanks Steve! No, I've never met him... :sigh:

    My favorite of his is "You Don't Know Me".

    Some more...

    Mess Around
    I've Got a Woman
    Hard Times
    Leave My Woman Alone
    (Night Time Is) The Right Time
    Tell Me How Do You Feel
    What I'd Say
    Just For a Thrill
    Am I Blue
    I Believe To My Soul
    Georgia On My Mind
    Hardhearted Hannah
    One Mint Julep
    Hit the Road Jack
    Baby It's Cold Outside
    At the Club
    Born to Lose
    You Are My Sunshine
    No One
    Without Love (There Is Nothing)
    That Lucky Old Sun
    Over The Rainbow
    Makin' Whoopee (live)
    America the Beautiful
     
  6. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    Wow, I was just channel surfing and stopped on the HD presentatin of Blues Brothers. I had forgotten that Ray was in that film. :D

    So far looks like just one cameo where he puts up a poster, but it's upside down. :laugh:
     
  7. DJMurphy

    DJMurphy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, USA
    Um, Doug, you should start that movie from the top. Yes, he was in that scene, but earlier before that part, he performed a smokin' version of "Shake A Tailfeather". His character was Ray (surprise!), the owner of a southside Chicago music store-cum-pawn shop, who just happens to be blind and just happens to smoke all comers when it comes to playing electric piano. Any band that has Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, AND the incomparable Ray Charles can't be that bad, can it? That scene was a highlight in a movie of strong musical scenes.

    My fave (aside from the aforementioned "Shake A Tailfeather") would still have to be "One Mint Julep". It's a testament to his own brand of genius that even though "Julep" has been overplayed a zillion times, the song is still cooler than the other side of the pillow.
     
  8. bodine

    bodine Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Steve, one of my great disappointments is that you never got to master Ray's classic Crying Time album, one of the all-time great smoky bar albums. Any idea why it never came out in Ray's ABC disc series?


    I first heard it when I was bartending at a dive in West Philadelphia--it was a revelation to me, even though I already loved Ray's ABC hits.


    I never met Ray but got to see him a half-dozen times, including one of the most over-the-top performances I've ever seen at the Robin Hood Dell in Philly in 1968 and Ray falling off his piano stool during a 15-minute killer version of What I Say--and perhaps his last known show in suburban DC in Virginia, backed by a swinging trio--Ray was clearly fading, but still gave us a performance to remember...
     
  9. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    Now that you mention it I do remember that. :D


    It's been a while since I saw this movie. Too bad I can't rewind. I'll see if there will be a nother showing for my HD Tivo. Btw, the print looked excellent. :righton: It's just ending now.

    edit: Well I didn't have to look to hard to find another showing. After Standing in the Shadow of Motown it runs again. Darn, I'll have to sit through the HD Motown for the umpteenth time. :D

    HDNet rocks. :righton:
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Well, we wanted to do all of Ray's albums but Rhino came in and outgunned us in the money department and that was it for DCC for the most part. We managed to do the Hits double album and the Gold but that was about it.

    Crying Time is a great song (and a great album).
     
  11. -Alan

    -Alan Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut, USA
  12. bodine

    bodine Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington DC



    Thanks for the quick reply! One can only hold out hope...


    I've got the old ABC album, so I managed to burn my own CD, but it's getting mighty scratchy...there's some great Percy Mayfield-penned cuts on that LP, a monumental Driftin' Blues, a smoky No Use Crying, and with Let's Go Get Stoned and Cryin' Time, you can't go wrong...if you find it in a used bin snap it up!
     
  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Thanks, hadn't seen that in 20 years. Blew me away the first time I saw it. All of that talent in one spot, yikes!
     
  14. barzzz

    barzzz Forum Resident

    Location:
    rochester ny
    My favorite Ray album is "The genus of Ray Charles", My favorite songs are "Don't let the sun catch you crying", and "Ruby"
     
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    You know I did the CD mastering on that, right? The 1990 version (I think) on Atlantic. Yves asked for my help but I have to tell you, that is the album with the most peak distortion I have ever heard, EVER. Great music though; especially JUST FOR A THRILL, etc.
     
  16. Mastering??

    Steve, Vinyl or CEEDEE? Both?

    my favorite is your vinyl "Modern Sounds in Country and Western"

    and my earliest memory is hearing, "Hit the Road Jack" on KBOX here in Dallas
     
  17. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    Ray Charles is one of the best artists ever and he was putting out great music all along.
     
  18. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    I didn't. I have it as part of the complete Atlantic PURE GENIUS box, and that's it.

    Is there more than one version out there as an individual CD? Did you do any other Atlantic Ray releases, Steve?
     
  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Just that one RAY I think. I did a mastering of the "8 Track Stereo" album but they never released it.
     
  20. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Favorite Ray recording? You Don't Know Me :agree:
     
  21. jiminiss

    jiminiss Senior Member

    Location:
    western mass
    never met him but somehow i had the good sense to get an older friend drive me the two hours to hear ray live at dartmouth college, oh , about a hundred years ago (really probably 41 years ago, age 14 for me).

    he and the band and the raylettes completely blew my mind. it was just so powerful / changed how i heard american music.

    Hallelujah I Love Her So, What I Say, georgia on my mind, I got a woman, drown in my own tears, unchain my heart...

    i love so much that he recorded that its hard to pick, but hearing that voice singing "well its cryin time again, your gonna leave me, i can see that far away look in your eyes" stopped me in my tracks - again as a kid....and a thousand times since.

    so far my favorite song about ray is "its what i do" on "morph the cat":
    "if you cant dance by now, the raylettes will show you how"
     
  22. Larry Mc

    Larry Mc Forum Dude

    My favorite right now is "Born to Lose".

    I miss him too; he was/is an institution.

    I saw him at Santa Cruz Blues Festival not long before he passed. I was 10 feet away from him, it gave me chills.

    Hi Steve, do you recall who his touring bass player was in the last year, I can't seem to find the info anywhere???
     
  23. Greatest Hits

    Greatest Hits Just Another Compilation

    "There's nothing wrong with the action on this here piano..."

    My favorite line...
    "I'll throw in the black keys for free.":D
     
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  24. DaleH

    DaleH Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeast
    I may be more envious of you than I am of Steve right now.:)
     
  25. Hypnotoad

    Hypnotoad Active Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, USA
    I've been obsessed with Ray Charles recently. I could listen to Birth of Soul nonstop for a week. Recently I have been really enjoying the DCC Vol. 2.

    Favorite song? Greenbacks is what springs to mind. But, as others have said, one of the amazing things is how consistently he turned out great music.
     
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