Forty-seven years ago, in the middle of African-American Civil Rights Movement, Ray Charles created the landmark album Modern Sounds in Country and Western. The liner notes reveal he began the project by asking record label executive Sid Feller “for top country and western hits of the [previous] twenty years.” Ray’s interpretations of these songs revealed a common humanity between the races and supported his thesis that if “you take country music, you take black music, you got the same goddamn thing exactly.”
After having previously brought together the sacred and profane with his combining of gospel and rhythm & blues, eventually labeled as soul music, Modern Sounds is just as dramatic a synthesis, intentional or not, that challenged the way people thought about music and each other. The love songs Ray performs tell tales universally identifiable, as common in country music as they are in the blues, which is why both blacks and whites embraced it. Ray not only gained white listeners without alienating his black audience, but he brought the country-music genre to the attention of pop-music watchers. In an interview for Country Music Television, Willie Nelson said Modern Sounds was so influential it “did more for country music than any one artist has ever done.”
The critically acclaimed album was number one on the Pop Albums charts for 14 weeks. It spawned the Grammy Award-winning “I Can't Stop Loving You,” which topped the Pop Singles, Black Singles, and Easy Listening charts to the surprise of Feller who buried it as the second-to-last song because he thought it was the album’s weakest track. Three other singles were also released: “Born to Lose,” “You Don't Know Me,” and “Careless Love.”
The great success quickly led to Volume 2, released six months later. The arrangements on both albums find Ray either backed by a big band and the Raelettes or an orchestra and choir. On Volume 1, the first 12 tracks here, the sequence alternates. It opens with an up-tempo, big band rendition of “Bye Bye Love,” a previous hit for The Everly Brothers, and then presents the woeful “You Don't Know Me,” preparing the listener for the two contrasting styles. On Volume 2, the final 12 tracks here, the original release took the LP format into consideration and presented the big band numbers on Side One with Side Two featuring the orchestra and the Jack Halloran Singers.
Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
Maybe this doesn't happen for you, but there are certain artists whose talent I respect yet I don't have any of their albums and I don't really listen to them. I understand Ray Charles' brilliance but I've never bought any of his records. I am going to have to do that. Same with Tony Bennett (who I bring up because I remember your review of his work with Bill Evans). I never know where to start with some of these guys who recorded for 50 years. Every time I hear Bennett sing, I'm always amazed. It was that way with Miles Davis for me, too. Part of it is the breadth of their careers. Part of it is they're artists in genres I don't really know much about and it feels a bit impenetrable at times. Anyway, good work on your review, sir. You're spurring me to action in some fashion.
2 - El Bicho
It happens to everyone. When the stork brings us, he unfortunately doesn't include the Rolling Stone Top 500 albums, so a person's musical collection has to grow and evolves over their life, starting at none.
Don't let it overwhelm you. The easiest route is to dive right in and throw caution to the wind. Check All-Time lists or find some comprehensive best-ofs. Ray's "The Birth of Soul" is a 3-disc set that is a good place to start for his early recordings. I know Tony has a career box set whose name escapes, but his Unplugged album is well worth checking out.
Thanks for the comment. I am curious to hear what actions you are taking.
3 - Phillip Winn
I have Vol 1 only, and it's great. I should hunt down Vol 2!