Happy 60th Anniversary to Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, originally released in April 1962.
“The words to country songs are very earthy, like the blues, see, very down,” Ray Charles explained to Rolling Stone’s Ben Fong-Torres during a 1973 interview. “They’re not as dressed up, and the people are very honest and say, ‘Look, I miss you, darlin’, so I went out and I got drunk in this bar.’ That’s the way you say it.”
In 1962, the very notion of a Black R&B singer recording an album of country and western standards at the height of his career was nothing short of implausible. Ray Charles was a master at interpreting the works of others, using his signature combination of blues, jazz, and gospel, creating a sound that was nearly impossible to duplicate. For example, any attempt to cover his smash hit “What’d I Say” pales compared to the original.
1959 saw Charles walk away from Atlantic Records to sign a groundbreaking deal with ABC-Paramount, which gave him unprecedented artistic control. The deal also gave Charles ownership of his masters and his own publishing company, something record labels didn’t give away easily.
Charles’ Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music was the kind of risky and brash statement made amid tremendous success that only the great ones dare to make. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On (1971) comes to mind as an example and to a lesser degree, Buddy Holly using strings on “True Love Ways.”
When Modern Sounds was released, country music was pretty much a gated community in the entertainment industry, with its roots planted firmly in the white south. When word got out that Charles had intended to make an album of country music standards, the news was not received well on all fronts. ABC-Paramount feared that Charles would alienate his fan base by singing old country songs, but he felt strongly about making the record.
Charles grew up a fan of country music by listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. He was no stranger to taking genres and flipping them on their heads. During his tenure at Atlantic Records, Charles mixed blues, jazz and gospel and created a sound that was to be the foundation for soul music going forward into the ‘60s. It didn’t exactly endear to churchgoing folk, but it was a sound that caught on with everyone else.
The genius part of Charles’ plan in making Modern Sounds was taking country songs that had fairly decent exposure on the pop charts from the previous 20 years and putting his own spin on them. He took his big band sound, added strings and a myriad of background singers, which sounds like it could have been too dense, but it worked to perfection. The lead single, Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” was #1 on the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts, but could not get airplay on any country music radio stations. It would take another five years before Charley Pride would become the only Black performer allowed on country music stations.
Despite being ignored by country music radio stations, Modern Sounds broadened Charles’ fanbase worldwide and turned him into a national treasure. This album’s influence on the music business extended beyond the material. Charles’ deal with ABC-Paramount gave him complete control over his career. He owned his publishing, the masters for his records, and his own boutique label, Tangerine Records. It was the kind of deal many artists could only dream of.
In an interview with CMT for their special CMT 100 Greatest Love Songs, Willie Nelson sang the praises of Modern Sounds, arguing that “Ray Charles’ album did more for country music than any one artist has ever done.” Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music was a high point in Charles’ career and influenced others in ways no one could have imagined back in 1962.
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