The Genius of Ray Charles |
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Released: October 1959 Charted: February 15, 1960 Peak: 17 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.75 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/soul |
Tracks:Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks)
Total Running Time: 37:58 |
Rating: 4.234 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings)
Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album:Ray Charles was born in 1930 in Georgia. He became one of the most influential singers of all time with “a revolutionary fusion of blues, jazz, R&B, and gospel.” RD He “introduced himself to the mainstream (i.e. white people) with his 1959 crossover smash ‘What’d I Say.’” RDHowever, his 1959 album The Genius of Ray Charles showed an artist “still in his twenties and signaled both his eagerness and ability to transcend genres at will.” RD “Charles’ voice is heard throughout in peak form, giving soul to even the veteran standards.” AM The album “comes on strong with a ravishing set of six big-band-flavored jazz numbers, highlighted by the swanky horns and walking bass lines of Let the Good Times Roll and Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” RD Deed I Do is another highlight. AM The songs are arranged by Quincy Jones, later the producer extraordinaire for Michael Jackson, and feature “ringers from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands.” AM “There are solos by tenorman David ‘Fathead’ Newman, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and (on Two Years of Torture) tenor Paul Gonsalves.” AM On the second side, “Charles turned in a more seductive direction and arrived at a roster of ballads backed by massive, swooning string sections” RD arranged by Ralph Burns “including Come Rain or Come Shine and Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’).” AM |
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First posted 2/19/2010; last updated 2/28/2026. |
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