A dive back to 1961 for a concert by Ray Charles, recorded live at Palais des Sport in Paris by the venerable ORTF.
For those of you who may not already know, Ray Charles has been regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as “The Genius”. Among friends and fellow musicians, he preferred being called “Brother Ray”. Charles was blinded during childhood, possibly due to glaucoma.
Ray Charles pioneered the soul music genre during the 1950s by combining elements of blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel into his music during his time with Atlantic Records. He contributed to the integration of country music, rhythm and blues, and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, notably with his two Modern Sounds albums. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.
Ray Charles’ 1960 hit “Georgia on My Mind” was the first of his three career No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. His 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music became his first album to top the Billboard 200. Charles had multiple singles reach the Top 40 on various Billboard charts: 44 on the US R&B singles chart, 11 on the Hot 100 singles chart, and two on the Hot Country singles charts.
Ray Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by Louis Jordan and Charles Brown. He had a lifelong friendship and occasional partnership with Quincy Jones. Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles “the only true genius in show business”, although Charles downplayed this notion.
He had a long and celebrated career, but if you’re like me and you already are familiar, the earlier performances have a bite to them that the later ones understandably don’t. For one thing, Ray Charles voice is wonderful in 1961 and the Parisian audience is anything but blasè.
So to give you taste of The Genius of Ray Charles to end this beyond strange week, here is that concert – recorded live at Palais des Sport in Paris by the venerable ORTF on October 22, 1961.
Ending the week on a hopeful note.
