The Genius of Ray Charles

by Ray Charles

The Genius of Ray Charles cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 1 November 1959
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 17:06
  • Community rating: 3.71/5 from 7 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Featuring lavish orchestral arrangements by Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns, this sophisticated project consciously moved the artist away from gritty R&B towards a broader, pop-oriented crossover appeal. The sessions split the material between brassy big band swingers and lush, string-laden ballads. The impassioned, definitive rendition of 'Let the Good Times Roll' highlights the seamless fusion of unvarnished gospel fervor with polished, cosmopolitan musicianship.

Genres

Descriptors: ballad, orchestral, soulful, vocal, piano

Tracklist

  1. Let the Good Times Roll
  2. It Had to Be You
  3. Alexander's Ragtime Band
  4. Two Years of Torture
  5. When Your Lover Has Gone
  6. Deed I Do
  7. Just for a Thrill
  8. You Won't Let Me Go
  9. Tell Me You'll Wait for Me
  10. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
  11. Am I Blue
  12. Come Rain or Come Shine

Credits

  • Ray Charles - primary artist, piano, vocals
  • Marshall Royal - alto saxophone
  • Bennie Crawford - baritone saxophone
  • Charlie Fowlkes - baritone saxophone
  • Eddie Jones - bass
  • Edgar Willis - bass
  • Wendell Marshall - bass, accompanied by
  • Jose Mangual - bongos
  • Harry Lookofsky - concertmaster
  • Marvin Israel - design [cover]
  • Charlie Persip - drums
  • Teagle Fleming - drums
  • Teddy Sommer - drums, accompanied by
  • Bill Schwartau - engineer [recording]
  • Tom Dowd - engineer [recording]
  • Frank Wess - flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
  • Freddie Green - guitar
  • Allen Hanlon - guitar, accompanied by
  • Nat Hentoff - liner notes
  • Lee Friedlander - photography by [cover]
  • David "Fathead" Newman - soloist, tenor saxophone
  • Paul Gonsalves - soloist, tenor saxophone
  • Marcus Belgrave - soloist, trumpet
  • Jerry Wexler - supervised by
  • Nesuhi Ertegun - supervised by
  • Billy Mitchell - tenor saxophone
  • Zoot Sims - tenor saxophone
  • Al Grey - trombone
  • Melba Liston - trombone
  • Quentin Jackson - trombone
  • Thomas Mitchell - trombone
  • Bob Brookmeyer - trombone, accompanied by
  • Clark Terry - trumpet
  • Ernie Royal - trumpet
  • Joe Newman - trumpet
  • John Hunt - trumpet
  • Snooky Young - trumpet
  • Quincy Jones - arranged by
  • Fleecie Moore - written-by
  • Sam Theard - written-by
  • Ernie Wilkins - arranged by
  • Gus Kahn - written-by
  • Isham Jones - written-by
  • Ralph Burns - arranged by
  • Irving Berlin - written-by
  • Johnny Acea - arranged by
  • Charles Joseph Morris - written-by
  • Percy Mayfield - written-by
  • Al Cohn - arranged by
  • Einar Aaron Swan - written-by
  • Fred Rose - written-by
  • Walter Hirsch - written-by
  • Don Raye - written-by
  • Lil Hardin-Armstrong - written-by
  • Bud Allen - written-by
  • Buddy Johnson - written-by
  • Charles Brown - written-by
  • Oscar Moore - written-by
  • Joe Greene - written-by
  • Grant Clarke - written-by

More from Ray Charles: full discography