| The Best of Ray Charles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Greatest hits album by | |
| Released | 1970 |
| Genre | R&B, Jazz |
| Length | 34:06 |
| Label | Atlantic |
The Best of Ray Charles is a compilation album released in 1970 on the Atlantic Jazz label, featuring previously released instrumental (non-vocal) tracks recorded by Ray Charles between November 1956 and November 1958.
The instrumental, "Rockhouse" would later be covered, as "Ray's Rockhouse" (1985), by The Manhattan Transfer with lyrics by Jon Hendricks.
"Hard Times"
"Rockhouse"
"Sweet Sixteen Blues"
"Doodlin'"
"Blues Waltz"
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP) [1] | 200 |
Atlantic Recording Corporation is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most important American labels, specializing in jazz, R&B, and soul by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Ruth Brown and Otis Redding. Its position was greatly improved by its distribution deal with Stax. In 1967, Atlantic became a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, now the Warner Music Group, and expanded into rock and pop music with releases by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Led Zeppelin and Yes.
The Genius of Ray Charles is a 1959 Ray Charles album, released in October by Atlantic Records, the seventh album since the debut Ray Charles in 1957. The album consists of swinging pop with big band arrangements. It comprises a first half of big band songs and a second half of string-backed ballads. The Genius of Ray Charles sold fewer than 500,000 copies and charted at number 17 on the Billboard 200. "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'" were released as singles in 1959.
Oh Yeah is a studio album by American jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus, released in April 1962 by Atlantic Records. It was recorded in 1961, and features Mingus singing on three of the cuts and playing piano throughout.
Blues & Roots is an album by American jazz double bassist Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and originally released on the Atlantic label in 1960. It has since been reissued on CD by both Atlantic and Rhino.
The Great Ray Charles is Ray Charles' second studio album for Atlantic Records, released in 1957. It is an instrumental jazz album. Later CD re-issues often include as a bonus, six of eight tracks from The Genius After Hours. The original cover was by Marvin Israel.
Ray Charles at Newport is a 1958 live album of Ray Charles' July 5, 1958 performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. The detailed liner notes on the album were written by Kenneth Lee Karpe. All tracks from this Newport album, along with all tracks from his 1959 Herndon Stadium performance in Atlanta, were also released on the Atlantic compilation LP, Ray Charles Live. A later CD reissue of that compilation album included a previously unissued song from the 1958 Newport concert, "Swanee River Rock".
The Best of Mose Allison is a compilation album by Mose Allison. It includes some of the jazz pianist and singer's best-known recordings for Atlantic Records. The album was originally released in 1970 as an LP record with 12 songs. The album was re-issued on a CD in 1988 with an additional eight songs and new sequencing.
Used Songs 1973–1980 is a compilation of songs from Tom Waits's Asylum Records years.
Bags & Trane is an album credited to jazz musicians Milt Jackson and John Coltrane, released in 1961 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1368. Taking its title from Jackson and Coltrane's nicknames, it is the only collaborative record by the pair, although only Jackson contributed original compositions. In actuality, the album belongs in Jackson's discography, as he was the session leader and still signed to Atlantic under the auspices of the Modern Jazz Quartet, and not in that of Coltrane, who had left the label for Impulse Records at the time of this album's issue. However, like Prestige Records before them, as Coltrane's fame grew after he had stopped recording for the label, Atlantic used varied unissued recordings and released them with Coltrane's name more prominently displayed.
The Genius Hits the Road is a 1960 album by Ray Charles. The concept album focuses on songs written about various parts of the United States. It peaked at number nine on the pop album charts and produced a hit single, "Georgia on My Mind".
"Drown in My Own Tears", originally credited as "I'll Drown in My Tears", is a song written by Henry Glover. It is best known in the version released as a single in 1956 by Ray Charles on the Atlantic record label.
What'd I Say is a 1959 Ray Charles album released by Atlantic Records, the sixth since the debut Ray Charles in 1957. The release popularized Charles' first top 10 hit, "What'd I Say", and became his first gold record. The album is included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).
The Genius Sings the Blues is an album by Ray Charles, released in October 1961 on Atlantic Records. The album was his last release for Atlantic, compiling twelve blues songs from various sessions during his tenure for the label. The album showcases Charles's stylistic development with a combination of piano blues, jazz, and southern R&B. The photo for the album cover was taken by renowned photographer Lee Friedlander. The Genius Sings the Blues was reissued in 2003 by Rhino Entertainment with liner notes by Billy Taylor.
The Genius After Hours is a 1961 album by Ray Charles. All of the songs were taken from the same three studio sessions that created the album The Great Ray Charles which featured the use of both a trio and a septet; the latter arranged by Quincy Jones. Also appearing on the album is David "Fathead" Newman on tenor and alto, as well as the trumpeter Joseph Bridgewater. It was reissued in 1985 by Atlantic Jazzlore.
Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding is a 1993 four compact disc compilation album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding. The first three discs focus on studio material recorded for Stax records. These recordings are all original mono single or LP mixes. Three pre-Stax recordings and a demo recorded at Muscle Shoals are also included. The fourth disc, labeled "The Ultimate Live Otis Redding Show" was compiled from various live sources in an attempt to gather "the best version" of every song Otis ever recorded live and is mixed in stereo. The 100-page booklet includes testimonials from musicians and individuals from Redding's life, essays, a photo album, track listings, discographies, personnel and recording information.
Krupa and Rich is a 1956 studio album by jazz drummers Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, released on Norman Granz' Clef Records. Krupa and Rich play on two different tracks each and play together only on "Bernie's Tune." Krupa and Rich would record again for Verve Records; their album Burnin' Beat was released in 1962.
More Soul is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Crawford. Atlantic Records released the album in 1961. More Soul is Crawford's first album as a leader, recorded on October 7, 1960 while he was the music director in Ray Charles' group. Charles provided the arrangement for the track "The Story."
Part of the Search is an album by multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef recorded in 1973 and released on the Atlantic label.
James Theodore Powell was an American jazz saxophonist who played alto sax.
That's All is an album by American singer Bobby Darin released in 1959 and arranged by Richard Wess. It was on the Billboard LP charts for 52 weeks and peaked at number seven. It also includes Darin's US #1 hit Mack the Knife, which spent nine weeks at the top spot, and Beyond the Sea which was a Top 10 hit. At the second Grammy Awards, Darrin won Record of the Year and Best New Singer.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Posthumous studio creations | |
| Live albums | |
| Notable compilations | |
| Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles | |
| Other Billboard Charts #1 singles | |
| Grammy Awarded Works (not included above) | |
| See also | |
