Posts Tagged ‘HMV’

Ray Charles & His Orchestra

Thursday, October 13th, 2011

Listen: Worried Life Blues / Ray Charles & His Orchestra
Worried

Big Maceo and Tampa Red are credited with ‘Worried Life Blues’, sometimes known and recorded as ‘Someday Baby Blues’. Combined, the song(s) clock in as one of the most recorded blues tracks ever, with Bob Dylan, The Blues Magoos, Eric Clapton, The Animals, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Junior Parker, Keith Richards and B.B. King amongst the most familiar.

Ray Charles first cut ‘Someday Baby”, a very faithful version of ‘Worried Life Blues’ except for the title, on his THE GENIUS SINGS THE BLUES album. Later, this re-recorded and re-titled version made it’s way to a 7″ B side in the UK.

To some, ‘Worried Life Blues’ probably sounds like any old formula blues song 101. Despite his fetish for fur coats and loads of 70′s schlock covers, Ray Charles had the voice to always rise above the clutter, turning what might have been a throwaway single into a record I ended up playing a lot, and still do.

Percy Mayfield

Friday, November 13th, 2009

percymayfield, Percy Mayfield, Tangerine, Ray Charles, HMV

Listen: River’s Invitation / Percy Mayfield
PercyMayfield.mp3

Don’t let his Brook Benton voice put you off, he stayed very pure to rhythm and blues. Ray Charles signed Percy Mayfield to his Tangerine label in ’61, after writing ‘Hit The Road Jack’. It’s Ray Charles playing the piano break on this, as he did with many of his recordings.