Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country And Western Music

The story of "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music," the landmark 1962 recording by Ray Charles, is featured in this edition of the podcast series, "Ray Charles, Genius," produced by Bret Primack for Concord Records.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is a studio album by American R&B and soul musician Ray Charles, released in April 1962 on ABC-Paramount Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in early to mid-February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City and at United Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Production was handled entirely by Charles and renowned conductor Sid Feller. A departure from Charles's previous work, the album features country, folk, and Western music standards covered and redone by Charles in popular song forms of the time, including R&B, pop, and jazz.
As his fifth LP release for ABC-Paramount, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music became a rapid critical and commercial success as it brought Ray Charles further mainstream notice, following his tenure for Atlantic Records. With the help of the album's four charting singles, Charles earned recognition in the pop market, as well as airplay on both R&B and country radio stations. Modern Sounds and its lead single, "I Can't Stop Loving You", were both certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1962, as each record had shipped 500,000 copies in the United States.
Regarded by many critics as Charles's best studio album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music has been considered by several music writers to be a landmark album in American music. The album's integration of soul and country music bent racial barriers in popular music, amid the height of the African-American civil rights struggle. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career. In 2003, the album was ranked number 104 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Ray Charles
• Concord Records
• Bret Primack
• Willie Nelson
• Johnny Cash
• Glen Campbell
• Jimmie Rodgers
• Nashville
• Jazz
• Video
• Guy
• Genius
• I Can't Stop Loving You

[lestercontreras]

how is the name of first song???????????

[JazzVideoGuy]

@lestercontreras "I Can't Stop Loving You."

[srebrenika]

I heard a version of Country Roads sung by Ray Charles and I have hunted high and low for this version on Youtube. Unfortunately, I have only ever heard it on audio from a music site on the internet. That site was shut down and the song went with it, and I have hunted for it for the last four years. If anyone has a version of this country and western cover song Country Roads by Ray Charles, could you please post it to youtube.  It is really good.

[JazzVideoGuy]

It's on "A Message From The People" a Ray Charles recently released and available on iTunes

[EverythingPiano]

Nice, thanks Bret..Im going to look for that Soul+Genius=Jazz album right now

[JazzVideoGuy]

It features Ray on organ, with charts by Quincy Jones, and a band that includes cats from the Ellington and Basie bands.

[lestercontreras]

@JazzVideoGuy THANKS

[tickyreal]

wow..thanks..

erik tielman, floridadadaa

[FernyBass007]

@tomthefunky i heard this a million of times..i remember the old days in el paso my mama used to play alot, and believe me, it sounds country, my opinion he broke the barriers of the country style...god bless ray charles and his soul be rested for good...

[Liberal2245]

I love his music But most of all his confidence He didnt use racism for a excuse He kept going forward

God Bless Ray Charles

[Liberal2245]

I love his music But most of all  his confidence He didnt use racism for a excuse He kept going forward

[wins151]

If Elvis they say is the king of R&R then why is Ray Charle not King of C western music ? Billy Joel said after R Charles they all got it he mean's the soul in his voice.

[jreese66]

You would not believe the flack I get sometimes when I tell people I like Country music as a Black Man.I get if from both sides .Blacks tell me its white people music and Whites are in pure shock.I like older country(a lot of today musics is far from country music) because of my love for older R&B and Blues.once you get past the color thing its not that different

[ideniseb]

Ray Charles......the one and only!

What a legend!

What a legacy!

The things he dealt with and overcame are

proof positive that you CAN BOUNCE BACK!

THANKS RAY,FOR MAKING THE WORLD

A BRIGHTER PLACE AND THANKS TO ALL

WHO KEEP RAY ALIVE BY POSTING HIS

WORKS!