The ABC-Paramount Recordings Years 1959-1962

Par Joël Dufour

When Ray Charles signed his first contract with the ABC-Paramount record label at the end of 1959, he was 29 years old and he already had a long professional career behind him, during which he had already reinvented himself several times as an artist.

Raised from his early childhood in Florida in the strict observance of the rites of the Baptist Church, Ray Charles (then called “R.C.”) Robinson bathed in gospel songs and actively participated in them.

At the same time, he listened to blues, boogie-woogie and jazz 78s on the jukebox of Wiley Pitman’s local café, and its owner – “Mister Pit” as he was nicknamed – also gave little R.C. his first piano lessons. At night, little Ray also listened to the Grand Ole Opry, the “country music” radio program broadcast by Nashville’s WSM station. He eagerly absorbed all these different kinds of music.

When he left the institution for the blind in St. Augustine (Florida) in 1945, RC Robinson was 15 years old, an orphan, and he was determined to make music his profession. At the institution, he had received a solid musical education (exclusively classical) on the piano, and he, at the same time, had taught himself to play the clarinet.

As a musician, he was therefore already capable of taking on a wide variety of commitments, alone or by joining an orchestra, whether in a jazz context or a variety of popular music styles. His first big revelation was the discovery of the already famous singer and pianist Nat “King” Cole, the ultimate crooner, whom he successfully set himself to imitating. Soon, to this major influence, would be added that of the blues singer and pianist Charles Brown, who expressed himself in a register close to the one of Cole, yet with a stronger accent on the blues.

It is in this style, which constituted only one facet of his talent (he also devoted himself with passion to the be-bop kind of jazz of a Charlie Parker, whose instrument, the alto-saxophone, he had by now adopted) that Ray Charles was discovered, in Seattle in 1948, by the owner of the Swing Time label of Los Angeles, Jack Lauderdale.

Until 1952, Ray recorded mainly in a trio setting, singing and playing the piano in the company of a guitarist and a bass player, in this Nat Cole / Charles Brown style. But Jack Lauderdale having had the insight of makinge Ray Charles the pianist of the small Rhythm & Blues group, featuring brass instruments, which was backing the famous blues singer-guitarist Lowell Fulson on tours, Ray evolved at this contact towards a radically more dynamic and extroverted expression, as evidenced, for example, by his compositions Kissa Me Baby and Hey Now, recorded with the Fulson orchestra.

With the repurchase of Ray Charles’ Swing Time contract by Ahmet Ertegun, the boss of the Atlantic record label of New York, Ray gradually detached himself from the imitations of Nat King Cole and Charles Brown thanks to which he had earned his first successes, moving instead towards a harder R&B style, which he soon dared to infuse with the influence of the religious music he had been imbued with since childhood, and whose evolution he was following assiduously. Dared is the rightful word, because then, in the Afro-American community, the antagonism between gospel audiences and blues audiences often seemed insurmountable. But Ray Charles managed to ignore the often-virulent criticisms addressed to him for his mixing of the sacred with the profane, and he would soon mostly devote himself, without any restraint, to secular adaptations of religious songs, powerfully helped in this respect by the Cookies female vocal group (soon to be renamed the Raelets), led by the stunning soloist Margie Hendrix.

It is widely acknowledged that the considerable success that Ray Charles achieved on Atlantic with his hybridization of blues and gospel (I’ve Got a Woman, Hallelujah I Love Her So, What’d I Say…) represents the founding act of the “Soul Music” movement which was to surge in the 1960s.

But, from 1959, Ray Charles, who had by then become a hero of his native community and had also conquered many young white Rock & Roll lovers, saw no reasons to confine himself to this kind of music he had created, and which had made him successful. He now aimed at reaching an even larger audience, which meant older and mostly white, by directing his records production towards the interpretation of popular music standards of the time (often coming from Broadway musicals).

His producers at Atlantic, the brothers Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler, who had already encouraged Ray to record, also, in the instrumental jazz style he loved (despite the modest commercial potential of this type of music) fully supported him in his new approach to conquering a wider audience. The result was the album The Genius of Ray Charles, with a first side where he was backed by a large jazz band, and, on the second side by a symphony-type string orchestra plus an “angelic” choir – that is orchestrations similar to those used notably by the popular singer of reference of the time, Frank Sinatra.

Shortly before Ray Charles’ contract with Atlantic was to expire, in December 1959, he was approached by executives of ABC-Paramount, which was then a very powerful record label, essentially focused on the whitest of white pop music, but which had already begun to take an interest in the secondary market represented by vocalists popular with the black population (as testified by their recruitment, two years earlier, of R&B singer Lloyd Price). Interested in the offer, despite the gratitude he was feeling towards his producers at Atlantic, Ray Charles entered negotiations with the boss of ABC-Paramount, Sam Clark, and ended up snatching a contract unprecedented in the music business, under which he would be his own executive producer, and, upon expiry of the contract, he would remain the sole owner of his recordings.

Now having behind him the promotional power of ABC-Paramount, Ray Charles continued with determination in the path he had opened at Atlantic with his ground-breaking album The Genius of Ray Charles to record collections of covers of standards for the general public. Thus, in the sole period considered by this publication, appeared successively in this vein The Genius Hits the Road, Dedicated to You, Ray Charles & Betty Carter, Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music and Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volume Two. As an additional daring move, on these last two albums, Ray Charles applied his 50% big band jazz and 50% violins and female choir formula to a “country” repertoire – that is the “identity music “ of southern white supremacists.

While the success won by these albums was unprecedented, the commotion they produced with certain categories of public was no less so. This was naturally the case for many of his “fans” from his home community, whose feelings were particularly well translated by singer Marvin Gaye: “In my opinion, he has gone too far. Ray went off the rails when he started using white backing vocalists instead of the Raelets to sing his country shit. The blacks resented him. They will always love and honor him, but he left them, and they know it. For the rest of his career, Ray will have to sell to Whites” (1). Moreover, this tough judgment was also shared by a portion of his white public (particularly European), and of critics. It is with the same phlegm that he had borne the attacks suffered for his “misappropriations” of religious songs that Ray Charles then faced the accusations of having “sold out”.

In fact, contrary to the perception of many of the “fans” that Ray Charles had conquered when he was devoting himself exclusively to R&B and jazz, he had by no means deserted these styles of music, producing only, in addition, a flow of albums intended for the general public.

Thus, in this same period 1959-1962, he published R&B 45rpm singles at a similar pace to the one of the previous years on Atlantic, as well as a magnificent jazz album with a big band on which he played the Hammond organ, Genius + Soul = Jazz, again with considerable success. Furthermore, throughout that period of time, Ray Charles gave dazzling public performances which eloquently testified that he had not given up any of the components of his music. Fortunately, valuable recorded examples of such concerts have been published in recent years (2).

All his life, Ray Charles would refuse to be pigeonholed into a specific type of music, claiming for himself a status of non-specialist, and hammering his credo “this is all music to me”.

J.D.

(1) David Ritz: « Marvin Gaye – Divided Soul » (Grafton, 1985).

(2) from the same sound publisher:

Ray Charles – Live at Newport 1960 (Frémeaux & Associés FA 5643),

Ray Charles in Antibes 1961 (Frémeaux & Associés FA 5733),

Ray Charles – The Complete 1961 Paris Recordings (Frémeaux & Associés FA 5748),

Ray Charles – Live at the Olympia, Paris 1962 (Frémeaux & Associés FA 5811).

Notes :

On most of Ray Charles’ original ABC albums of this period, the songs were programmed on the discs so to artificially intersperse the tracks with violins and those with a large jazz orchestra, although they stemmed from different recording sessions. Our chronological approach to this publication offers the bonus of ridding the listener from this tasteless novelty gimmick.

As a bonus track, we have added at the end of this compilation the song Misery in My Heart, from 1951, in the version hitherto never reissued on CD which appeared under the title “Going to the River” on the 33-rpm album The Fabulous Artistry of Ray Charles (Hollywood LP 505).

Thanks to :

Steve Hoffman, Uroš Peric’, Jacques Merle, Michelle Dufour.

© Frémeaux & Associés 2022

Ray Charles – The ABC-Paramount Recordings Years 1959-1962

When applicable, charts peak positions reached in the Billboard magazine charts (R&B, Pop) are indicated under the relevant song title released on single.

*CD-1:  1:12:30

01 - Them That Got [Ricci Harper, Ray Charles]   2:54

 * ABC 10141 – R&B: 10 / Pop: 58

02 - Who You Gonna Love [Ray Charles]  2:06

03 - My Baby (I Love Her, Yes I Do) [Ray Charles]          3:03

04 - Georgia on My Mind [Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell]     3:35

 * ABC 10135 – R&B: 3 / Pop: 1

05 - Moonlight in Vermont [John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf]      3:02

06 - Moon Over Miami [Edgar Leslie, Joseph Burke]        3:20

07 - Blue Hawaii [Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger]         2:58

08 - Chattanooga Choo Choo [Mack Gordon, Harry Warren]       3:05

09 - Basin Street Blues [Spencer Williams] 2:46

10 - Deep in the Heart of Texas [June Hershey, Don Swander]    2:28

11 - Mississippi Mud [James Cavanaugh, Harry Barris]     3:24

12 - Alabamy Bound [B. G. DeSylva, Bud Greene, Ray Henderson]        1:55

13 - California Here I Come [Al Jolson, B. G. DeSylva, Joseph Meyer]  2:10

14 - New York’s My Home [Gordon Jenkins]        3:05

15 - Carry Me Back to Old Virginny [James Bland]        2:02

16 - I Wonder [Cecil Gant, Raymond Leveen] (single version)      2:36

17 - Sticks and Stones [Titus Turner]          2:13

 * ABC 10118 – R&B: 2 / Pop: 40

18 - Worried Life Blues [Major Merriweather]      3:10

19 - Nancy [Phil Silvers, Jimmy Van Hausen]         3:06

20 - Ruby [Mitchell Parish, Heinz Roemheld]         3:54

 * ABC 10164 – R&B: 10 / Pop: 28

21 - Stella by Starlight [Ned Washington, Victor Young] 3:50

22 - Cherry [Ray Gilbert, Donald Redman] 3:37

23 - Candy [Mack Davis, Joan Whitney, Alex Kramer]      4:09

24 - Diane [Erno Rapee, Lew Pollack]         3:51

*CD-2: 1:13:11 

01 - Margie [Con Conrad, Russel Robinson, Benny Davis]            2:47

02 - Sweet Georgia Brown [Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, Kenneth Casey]           3:30

03 - Hard Hearted Hannah [Jack Yellen, Milton Ager, Charles Bates, Robert Bigelow]           3:18

04 - Rosetta [Earl Hines, William Woode]  2:33

05 - Marie [Irving Berlin]     2:21

06 - Josephine [Wayne King, Gus Kahn, Burke Bivens]     2:14

07 - Moanin’ [Bobby Timmons]       3:21

08 - Strike Up the Band [George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin]           2:39

09 - From the Heart [Ray Charles]  3:39

10 - Stompin’ Room Only [Howard Marks]           3:48

11 - Mister C [Ray Charles]  4:33

12 - I’ve Got News for You [Roy Alfred]   4:32

 * Impulse 202 – R&B: 8 / Pop: 8

13 - The Birth of the Blues [B. G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson]          5:16

14 - One Mint Julep [Rudolph Toombs]     3:09

 * Impulse 200 – R&B: 1 / Pop: 66

15 - I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town[Roy Jacobs, Andy Razaf, William Weldon]   3:46

 * Impulse 202 – R&B: 25 / Pop: 84

16 - Let’s Go [Ray Charles]  2:43

17 - Intro: Goodbye [Gordon Jenkins] / We’ll Be Together Again [Frankie Laine, Carl Fischer]         3:21

18 - Alone Together [Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz]      4:47

19 - Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye [Cole Porter]   4:41

20 - For All We Know [Samuel Lewis, Fred Coots]           3:45

21 - Cocktails for Two [Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston]     3:16

*CD-3: 55:46 

01 - You and I [Meredith Wilson]    3:29

02 - Takes Two to Tango [Al Hoffman, Dick Manning]    3:24

03 - Side by Side [Harry Woods]     2:23

04 - Baby It’s Cold Outside [Frank Loesser]          4:12

05 - Together [B. G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson]         1:36

06 - People Will Say We’re in Love [Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein]      2:53

07 - Just You Just Me [Raymond Klages, Jesse Greer]      2:00

08 - Unchain My Heart [Bobby Sharp, Teddy Powell] (single & mono LP version)       2:51

 * ABC 10266 – R&B: 1 / Pop: 9

09 - Hit the Road Jack [Percy Mayfield]    2:00

 * ABC 10244 – R&B: 1 / Pop: 1

10 - The Danger Zone [Percy Mayfield]     2:24

11 - But on the Other Hand Baby [Ray Charles,Percy Mayfield] 3:15

 * ABC 10266 – R&B: 10 / Pop: 72

12 - Bye Bye Love [Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant]       2:13

13 - Careless Love [Ray Charles]     3:59

14 - Hey Good Lookin’ [Hank Williams]    2:12

15 - Half as Much [Hank Williams] 3:26

16 - Just a Little Lovin’ [Zeke Clements, Eddie Arnold]   3:28

17 - It Makes No Difference Now [Jimmie Davis, Floyd Tillman]            3:34

18 - At the Club [Percy Mayfield]   3:01

 * ABC 10314 – R&B: 7 / Pop: 44

19 - Hide nor Hair [Percy Mayfield]           3:12

 * ABC 10314 – R&B: 7 / Pop: 20

*CD-4  1:03:33 

01 - I Love You So Much It Hurts [Floyd Tillman]           3:34

02 - You Don’t Know Me [Cindy Walker, Eddie Arnold] 3:14

 * ABC 10345 – R&B: 5 / Pop: 2

03 - I Can’t Stop Loving You [Don Gibson]          4:13

 * ABC 10330 – R&B: 1 / Pop: 1

04 - Born to Lose [Frankie Brown]  3:15

05 - You Win Again [Hank Williams]          3:15

06 - Worried Mind [Jimmie Davis, Ted Daffan]    2:55

07 - You Are My Sunshine [Jimmie Davis, Charles Mitchell]       3:01

 * ABC 10375 – R&B: 1 / Pop: 7

08 - Midnight [Boudleaux Bryant, Chet Atkins]     3:16

09 - Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You) [Jimmy Hodges] 2:40

10 - Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles [Don Gibson]  2:07

11 - Oh Lonesome Me [Don Gibson]          2:10

12 - No Letter Today [Frankie Brown]       3:00

13 - Your Cheating Heart [Hank Williams]            3:34

 * ABC 10375 – R&B: 23 / Pop: 29

14 - Making Believe [Lilian Schwope]        2:53

15 - I’ll Never Stand in Your Way [Fred Rose, Hy Heath]           2:19

16 - Take These Chains from My Heart [Fred Rose, Hy Heath]  2:56

 * ABC 10435 – R&B: 7 / Pop: 8

17 - Hang Your Head in Shame [Fred Rose, Edward G. Nelson, Steve Nelson] 3:16

18 - Teardrops in My Heart [Vaughn Horton]      3:03

19 - I Wonder [Cecil Gant, Raymond Leveen] (alternate take: LP version)         2:31

20 - Unchain My Heart [Bobby Sharp, Teddy Powell] (alternate take: stereo LP version)         2:51

*Bonus track (on CD for the first time):

21 - Going to the River [J. Boyd] (Hollywood LP505 version – alternate take
of “Misery in My Heart”)      3:02

All tracks are in stereo, except CD-1 track 16,
CD-3 track 8 and CD-4 track 21.

The ABC-Paramount Recordings Years 1959-1962

Discography

All original ABC-Paramount long play vinyl albums (LP) have been released in two versions: a mono one and a stereo one – the latter bearing a prefix “S” before the reference number. For each album, the musical content of both versions is the same – except for the album Ray Charles Greatest Hits for which the “take” (version) of “Unchain My Heart” is different on the stereo LP version from the one which is on the 45rpm and mono LP releases (please see below).

* Ray Charles Greatest Hits - LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)415

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Marcus Belgrave, John Hunt (trumpet); Hank Crawford (alto saxophone); David “Fathead” Newman (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Edgar Willis (bass); Milt Turner (drums). Arranged by Ray Charles. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        United Studios, Hollywood, December 29, 1959

3896    Them That Got (solo: DN)  ABC10141, lpABC415, lpABCS415

same, but add the Raelets including Margie Hendrix (background vocals). Margie Hendrix (2^nd lead vocals) on 3898.

3897    Who You Gonna Love         ABC10081

3898    My Baby (I Love Her, Yes I Do)      ABC10081

* The Genius Hits the Road - LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)335

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Milt Turner (drums). 15 strings and a choir arranged by Ralph Burns. Conducted by Hank Crawford. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, March 25, 1960

3962    Georgia on My Mind           ABC10135, lpABC335, lpABC415, lpABCS415

3963    Moonlight in Vermont         lpABC335

3964    Moon Over Miami    lpABC335

3965    Blue Hawaii, Part 1  lpABC335

same, but omit strings and add: Martin Banks, Marcus Belgrave, John Hunt (trumpet); Hank Crawford (alto saxophone); David Newman (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); and other horns including Bob Brookmeyer (valve-trombone). Sid Feller (spoken vocal intro) on 3969.

3966    Blue Hawaii, Part 2  lpABC335

3967    Chattanooga Choo Choo     lpABC335

3968    Basin Street Blues (solo: BB)          lpABC335

3969    Deep in the Heart of Texas lpABC335

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Marcus Belgrave, John Hunt (trumpet); Hank Crawford (alto saxophone); David Newman (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); other horns including Bob Brookmeyer (valve-trombone); Edgar Willis (bass); Milt Turner (drums). Add one female spoken voice on 3973 (probably Margie Hendrix). Arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, March 29, 1960

3970    Mississippi Mud       lpABC335

3971    Alabamy Bound (add bongo) (solo: DN)    lpABC335

3972    California Here I Come       lpABC335

3973    New York’s My Home         lpABC335

same, but omit horns and add the Raelets, including Margie Hendrix, and an organ possibly played by Hank Crawford.

3974    Carry Me Back to Old Virginny    ABC 10135, lpABC335

* Ray Charles Greatest Hits - LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)415

Ray Charles (vocals, electric piano); Martin Banks, John Hunt (trumpet); Hank Crawford (alto saxophone); David Newman (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Edgar Willis (bass); Milt Turner (drums); the Raelets including Margie Hendrix. Arranged by Ray Charles. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, April 27, 1960

10014  I Wonder       ABC10141

            I Wonder (alt. take)   lpABC415, lpABCS415

10015  Sticks and Stones      ABC1118, lpABC415, lpABCS415

same, but omit the Raelets, omit all horns except David Newman (alto saxophone solo) and add Sid Feller (spoken vo):

10016  Worried Life Blues   ABC1118

* Dedicated to You - LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)355

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Herman Clebanoff, James Getzoff, Alfred Lustgarten, Leonard Malarsky, Amerigo Marino, Lou Raderman, Paul Shure, Joe Stepansky, Darrel Terwilliger (violin); Joseph DiFiore, Alvin Dinkin, Virginia Majewski, Alexander Neiman, Joseph Reilich (viola); Paul Bergstrom, Justin Di Tullio, Armand Kaproff, Raphael Kramer (cello); Stella Castelucci (harp); Bill Pittman (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Irving Cottler (drums). Arranged by Marty Paich. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        United Studios, Hollywood, August 23, 1960

10144  Nancy             lpABC355

10145  Ruby   ABC10164, lpABC355, lpABC415, lpABCS415

10146  Stella by Starlight     lpABC355

10147  Cherry           lpABC355

10148  Candy             lpABC355

10149  Diane lpABC355

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Phil Guilbeau, John Hunt, Al Porcino, Raymond Triscari (trumpet); Harry Betts, Pete Carpenter, Francis Fitzpatrick, Kenneth Shroyer (trombone); Hank Crawford, Bud Shank (alto saxophone); Bob Cooper, David Newman (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Bill Pittman (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Shelly Manne (drums). Arranged by Marty Paich. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        United Studios, Hollywood, August 24, 1960

10150  Margie           lpABC355

10151  Sweet Georgia Brown (solo: DN, LC)        lpABC355

10152  Hard Hearted Hannah        ABC10164, lpABC355, lpABC415, lpABCS415

10153  Rosetta (solo: DN)    lpABC355

10154  Marie (solo: DN)       lpABC355

same, but Ray Charles (piano):

10155  Josephine       lpABC355

* Genius + Soul = Jazz –LP Impulse A-2

Ray Charles (Hammond C3 organ, vocals*); Phil Guilbeau, Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Clark Terry, Snooky Young (trumpet); Henry Coker, Urbie Green, Al Grey, Benny Powell (trombone); Marshall Royal, Frank Wess (alto saxophone); Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell (tenor saxophone); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone saxophone); Freddie Greene (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass); Sonny Payne (drums). Arr.-cond. Ralph Burns. Prod. Creed Taylor.

                        Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 26, 1960

            Moanin’ (solo: PG)   lpImpulse A-2

            Strike Up the Band (s: PG) lpImpulse A-2

            From the Heart (solo: PG)   lpImpulse A-2

            Stompin’ Room Only (solo: PG)     lpImpulse A-2

            Mister C (solo: BM, PG, UG)          lpImpulse A-2

7865    I’ve Got News for You*       Impulse 202, lpImpulse A-2, lpABC415, lpABCS415

Ray Charles (Hammond C3 organ, vocals*); John Frosk, Phil Guilbeau, Jimmy Nottingham, Clark Terry, Joe Wilder (trumpet); Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green, Keg Johnson, George Matthews (trombone); George Dorsey, Earl Warren (alto saxophone); Budd Johnson, Seldon Powell (tenor saxophone); Haywood Henry (baritone saxophone); Sam Herman (guitar); Joe Benjamin (bass); Roy Haynes (drums). Arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns [RB] or Quincy Jones [QJ]. Prod. Creed Taylor.

                        Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 27, 1960

            The Birth of the Blues [RB]            lpImpulse A-2

7431    One Mint Julep* [QJ]          Impulse 200, lpImpulse A-2, lpABC415, lpABCS415

7866    I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town* [QJ] (solo: CT, PG)           Impulse 202, lpImpulse A-2, lpABC415, lpABCS415

same, but add Frank Foster (tenor saxophone):

            Let’s Go [RB] (solo: FF, PG)           Impulse 200, lpImpulse A-2, Impulse 202, lpImpulse A-2, lpABC415, lpABCS415

* Ray Charles and Betty Carter – LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)385

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Betty Carter (vocals) with the Jack Halloran Singers; Bill Pittman (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Mel Lewis (drums). Arranged by Marty Paich. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        United Studios, Hollywood, June 13, 1961

10386  Goodbye / We’ll Be Together Again          ABC10298, lpABC385

10387  Alone Together         lpABC385

10388  Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye         lpABC385

10389  For All We Know     lpABC385

10390  Cocktails for Two     lpABC385

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Betty Carter (vocals); Don Fagerquist, Phil Guilbeau, John Hunt, Al Porcino, Ray Triscari (trumpet); Harry Betts, Richard Nash, Frank Rosolino, Kenneth Shroyer (trombone); Hank Crawford (alto saxophone); David Newman (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Bill Pittman (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Bruno Carr, Mel Lewis (drums). Arranged by Marty Paich. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        United Studios, Hollywood, June 14, 1961

10391  You and I (solo: DN) lpABC385

10392  It Takes Two to Tango        lpABC385

10393  Side by Side (solo: DN)        lpABC385

10394  Baby It’s Cold Outside        ABC10298, lpABC385

10395  Together        lpABC385

10396  People Will Say We’re in Love       lpABC385

10397  Just You Just Me (solo: DN)           lpABC385

* Ray Charles Greatest Hits - LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)415

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); John Hunt (flugelhorn); Hank Crawford (alto saxophone); David Newman (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Edgar Willis (bass); Bruno Carr (drums); the Raelets: Gwen Berry, Margie Hendrix, Pat Lyles, Darlene McCrea. Arranged by Ray Charles. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Bell Sound Studio, New York, July 5, 1961

10433  Unchain My Heart (solo: DN)        ABC10266, lpABC415 (this version is on the mono LP)

10433  Unchain My Heart (alt. take) (solo: DN)    lpABCS415 (this version is on the stereo LP only)

10434  Hit the road Jack (solo: MH)          ABC10244, lpABC415, lpABCS415

same, but omit the Raelets:

10435  The Danger Zone      ABC10244, lpABC415, lpABCS415

10436  But on the Other Hand Baby          ABC10266, lpABC415 lpABCS415

* Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (Volume one) – LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)410

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Martin Banks, Wallace Davenport, Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); John Hunt (flugelhorn); Jim Harbert, Keg Johnson, George Matthews, Dickie Wells (trombone); Rudy Powell (alto saxophone), Hank Crawford (alto saxophone, band leader); David Newman, Don Wilkerson (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Sonny Forriest (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Bruno Carr (drums); the Raelets: Gwen Berry, Margie Hendrix, Pat Lyles, Darlene McCrea. Arranged and conducted by Gerald Wilson. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, February 5, 1962

10747  Bye Bye Love lpABC410

same, but omit the Raelets:

10748  Careless Love            ABC10345, lpABC410

10749  Hey Good Lookin’    lpABC410

same, but arranged by Gil Fuller:

10750  Half as Much (solo: DW)     lpABC410

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Martin Banks, Wallace Davenport, Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); John Hunt (flugelhorn); Jim Harbert, Keg Johnson, George Matthews, Dickie Wells (trombone); Rudy Powell (alto saxophone), Hank Crawford (alto saxophone, band leader); David Newman, Don Wilkerson (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Sonny Forriest (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Bruno Carr (drums). Arranged and conducted by Gerald Wilson [GW] or Gil Fuller [GF]. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, February 7, 1962

10755  Just a Little Lovin’ (Will Go a Long Way) [GW] (solo: DN)        lpABC410

10758  It Makes No Difference Now [GF]  lpABC410

* (non-LP tracks session)

Ray Charles (vocals, piano) with same as above. Arranged by Ray Charles.

                        United Studios, Hollywood, February 12, 1962

10763  At the Club (add one male and one female vo)       ABC10314

10764  Hide nor Hair (solo: DN)     ABC10314

* Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (Volume one) – LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)410

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Victor Arno, Arnold Belnick, James Getzoff, Alfred Lustgarten, Leonard Malarsky, Amerigo Marino, Paul Shure, Felix Slatkin, Marshall Sosson, Joe Stepansky, Darrel Terwilliger, Gerald Vinci (violin); Joseph DiFiore, Alvin Dinkin, Allan Harshman, Virginia Majewski, Alexander Neiman, Paul Robyn (viola); Victor Gottlieb, Armand Kaproff, Edgar Lustgarten, Eleanor Slatkin (cello); Stella Castelucci (harp); Alton Hendrickson (guitar); Joe Comfort (bass); Earl Palmer (drums); the Randy Van Horne Singers. Arranged by Marty Paich. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        United Studios, Hollywood, February 15, 1962 [AFMCs.#]

10765  I Love You So Much It Hurts         lpABC410

10766  You Don’t Know Me            lpABC410

10767  I Can’t Stop Loving You     ABC10330, lpABC410

10768  Born to Lose ABC10330, lpABC410

10769  You Win Again         lpABC410

10770  Worried Mind           lpABC410

* Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volume Two – LP ABC-Paramount ABC(S)435

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Marcus Belgrave, Wallace Davenport, Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); John Hunt (flugelhorn); Henderson Chambers, Leon Comegys, Jim Harbert, Keg Johnson (trombone); Hank Crawford, Rudy Powell (alto saxophone); David Newman, Don Wilkerson (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Sonny Forriest (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Bruno Carr (drums); the Raelets*: Gwen Berry, Margie Hendrix, Pat Lyles, Darlene McCrea. Arranged by Gerald Wilson. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, September 5, 1962

11061  You Are My Sunshine* (solo: MH) ABC10375, lpABC435

11062  Midnight        lpABC435

11063  Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You)   lpABC435

11064  Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles* (solo: DN) lpABC435

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Marcus Belgrave, Wallace Davenport, Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); John Hunt (flugelhorn); Henderson Chambers, Leon Comegys, Jim Harbert, Keg Johnson (trombone); Hank Crawford, Rudy Powell (alto saxophone); David Newman, Don Wilkerson (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Sonny Forriest (guitar); Edgar Willis (bass); Bruno Carr (drums). Arranged by Gerald Wilson. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, September 6, 1962

11065  Oh Lonesome Me (solo: DN)          lpABC435

11066  No Letter Today       ABC10435, lpABC435

Ray Charles (vocals, piano) with the Jack Halloran Singers and strings Arranged and conducted by Marty Paich. Produced by Sid Feller.

                        Capitol Studios, New York, September 7, 1962

11067  Your Cheating Heart           ABC10375, lpABC435

11068  Making Believe         ABC10481, lpABC435

11069  I’ll Never Stand in Your Way        lpABC435

11070  Take These Chains from My Heart           ABC10435, lpABC435

11071  Hang Your Head in Shame             lpABC435

11072  Teardrops in My Heart       lpABC435

* Bonus track, from The Fabulous Artistry of Ray Charles – LP Hollywood 505:

Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Fleming Askew, Billy Brooks (trumpet); Earl Brown, Marshall Royal (alto saxophone); Maurice Simon, Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Charles Waller (baritone saxophone); Eddie Lang (guitar); Frank “Naim Ahmad” McClure (bass); Eddie Piper (drums). Arranged by Ray Charles. Produced by Lloyd Glenn.

                        Universal Studios, Los Angeles, May 1951

“Going to the River” [Misery in My Heart – alternate take]       lpHollywood 505