To celebrate the 85th birth anniversary of American music icon Ray Charles, I’m picking my favorite Ray Charles recordings.
The Genius of Ray Charles, released in 1959, was Charles’ sixth studio album. Although this album has been criticized for a number of reasons, it still has held up over the years, and Rolling Stone included it in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The lively big band arrangements are fantastic. “Let the Good Times Roll” is a personal favorite.
Released in 1962, Modern Sounds features country and folk standards covered by Charles. A number of critics hail this as Ray Charles’ best studio album. In the recording of this album, Charles became one of the first African-American artists to have complete artistic control over his work. All Music Guide states, “No pedal steel or fiddles here, just a fine store of inimitable interpretations.” The album features Charles’ cover of Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” which was a Billboard chart topper.
Ray, the motion picture soundtrack for the excellent 2004 Ray Charles biopic, features a number of well-loved songs including "Georgia, On My Mind."
What's your favorite Ray Charles song?
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