Black History Music Pt. 24
In celebration of Black History Month, the Ear Candy Update intends to celebrate landmark recordings by black artists that have shaped the collective consciousness, mentality, and sense of cool the world over. Next, Ray Charles' "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music."
And now we come to Brother Ray. Let me tell you when there was a period of my life when I'd crawl across a barroom floor just to pump money into a jukebox to hear more Ray Charles. This shit's personal.
Ray's Atlantic contract ended and he bartered his release in 1959 to ABC-Paramount Records under a deal that was absurd at the time. ABC would give him $50,000 a year in advance, more points on his record for royalties, and the kicker... complete ownership of his master recordings. Frank Sinatra didn't have that deal. Bob Dylan didn't have that deal in years to come and neither did the Beatles. Complete ownership, top to bottom of his recording output. In a modern context, Taylor Swift is fighting for her back catalog right now. Taylor has released seven records. Ray released 55. Ray owned his music outright. Finally.
He cut the ethereal "Georgia On My Mind" for the label and positioned himself in a place of power. Three years into his deal he made an absurdly bold choice. He was going to record an album written entirely by country and western artists. He was going to add an orchestra and his own R&B-based piano and he was going to kill it.
"Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" went to number one. Not just on the R&B charts. In the United States. In 1962. In Jim Crow America. Ray, by his own admission, wasn't trying to make a statement. He just liked songs.
If one digs deep into both the country and blues songbooks, one sees little difference. A tempo change here, a key change there... the accent of the singer is sometimes the only genuine difference. To a musician or a professional appreciator, this difference has nothing to do with skin tone. In Brother Ray's mind, this was about singing stories and playing music for human beings to enjoy.
He slays "You Don't Know Me," takes on "Born to Lose" and emerges a saint, and stares Hank Williams' down on his version of "You Win Again" and never veers from his vision.
This was the man's genius. He erased these artificial lines between us and gave us all a piece of himself in the process. In an interview with historian Peter Guralnick he said,
Ray's Atlantic contract ended and he bartered his release in 1959 to ABC-Paramount Records under a deal that was absurd at the time. ABC would give him $50,000 a year in advance, more points on his record for royalties, and the kicker... complete ownership of his master recordings. Frank Sinatra didn't have that deal. Bob Dylan didn't have that deal in years to come and neither did the Beatles. Complete ownership, top to bottom of his recording output. In a modern context, Taylor Swift is fighting for her back catalog right now. Taylor has released seven records. Ray released 55. Ray owned his music outright. Finally.
He cut the ethereal "Georgia On My Mind" for the label and positioned himself in a place of power. Three years into his deal he made an absurdly bold choice. He was going to record an album written entirely by country and western artists. He was going to add an orchestra and his own R&B-based piano and he was going to kill it.
"Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" went to number one. Not just on the R&B charts. In the United States. In 1962. In Jim Crow America. Ray, by his own admission, wasn't trying to make a statement. He just liked songs.
"When I heard Hank Snow sing 'Moving On', I loved it. And the lyrics. Keep in mind, I’m a singer, so I like lyrics. Those lyrics are great, so that’s what made me want to do it."
If one digs deep into both the country and blues songbooks, one sees little difference. A tempo change here, a key change there... the accent of the singer is sometimes the only genuine difference. To a musician or a professional appreciator, this difference has nothing to do with skin tone. In Brother Ray's mind, this was about singing stories and playing music for human beings to enjoy.
He slays "You Don't Know Me," takes on "Born to Lose" and emerges a saint, and stares Hank Williams' down on his version of "You Win Again" and never veers from his vision.
This was the man's genius. He erased these artificial lines between us and gave us all a piece of himself in the process. In an interview with historian Peter Guralnick he said,
"You take country music, you take black music, you got the same goddamn thing exactly."
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