Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
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This week's episode is a BIGGIE, the 1962 masterpiece Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music by Ray Charles. Ray Charles loved country music and it is evident on what is roundly considered one of his most successful artistic statements. It was also his most commercially successful album. While not intentional, in hindsight this Number One album was instrumental in breaking down the musical color barrier at the time. It gave the music listening public several Ray Charles classics, including "I Can't Stop Loving You" and introduced a broader white audience to "the genius" as he was called at the time.
In this episode, we explore what made this album so compelling and why Charles decided to cover traditional country songs with sophisticated arrangements that made a lot of these songs really swing. Admittedly we are a bit over our heads on this one, but we promise you a fun and informative ride
