"Confession Blues" is a song by ''The McSon Trio'' released in 1949 as a single on the Down Beat Records label (later known as "Swing Time Records"). The single featured American

Rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

musician

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

on piano and vocals, and was also written by Charles himself under his birth name ''Ray Charles Robinson'' (listed on the recording credits as ''R. C. Robinson''). Charles moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

in 1948, where he founded "The McSon Trio" with guitarist ''G. D. "Gossie" McKee'' and bassist ''Milton S. Garret''. In late 1948, Jack Lauderdale of Down Beat Records heard Charles play at the Seattle jazz club, "The Rocking Chair". The next day, Lauderdale took Charles and his trio to a Seattle recording studio where they recorded "Confession Blues" and "I Love You, I Love You". In February 1949, the two songs were released as Down Beat record number 171 with "Confession Blues" as the B-side. The band name — The McSon Trio — was unwillingly listed as ''The Maxin Trio'' on the record. The song became the first single recorded by Charles to chart. "Confession Blues", as well as much of Charles' early work, was grounded in the style of jazz musicians like

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

and Charles Brown. The song entered the charts in early April 1949 at No. 11 on "the ''Billboard'' Best Selling Retail Race Records chart" (renamed "the Retail Rhythm & Blues Records chart" a short time later). It peaked at No. 5 in mid-May 1949.

References

{{authority control 1949 singles Ray Charles songs Songs written by Ray Charles 1949 songs