The discography of American musician
Ray Charles consists of 62 studio albums, 7 live albums, 39 compilations albums, and 127 singles
Overview
Ray Charles first appeared on a ''Billboard'' chart in 1949, when — as part of the Maxin Trio with G.D. McKee and Milton Garred — he charted his first single with "Confession Blues." It reached No. 2 on the R&B chart, then called the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records. In 1952, Charles signed with
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
and went on to top ''Billboard''s pop, country, R&B, jazz, and dance charts.
In the early 1960s, after leaving Atlantic Records to sign with
ABC–Paramount, he negotiated for ownership of his own master recordings. He also established his own labels.
Tangerine came first, which evolved into CrossOver Records. As a songwriter, Charles penned nearly 200 songs. He also operated his own publishing companies, Tangerine Music and Racer Music.
On the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, Charles had 80 hits between 1958 (the year the chart began) and 1990, when "
I'll Be Good to You" became his last Hot 100 single, reaching No. 18. His biggest hit, "
I Can't Stop Loving You", spent five weeks at No. 1 in 1962. He also topped the Hot 100 with the singles "
Hit the Road Jack" and "
Georgia on My Mind
"Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, and first recorded that same year by Carmichael at the RCA Studios New York#24th St, RCA Victor Studios at 155 East 24th Street in New York City. The song has ...
".
Among all acts, he charted the third-most singles on the Hot 100; only
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
(with 108) and
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
(91) had more.
On
''Billboard''s R&B chart, Charles had 86 hits, including 11 chart-toppers such as "
I've Got a Woman", "
What'd I Say (Part 1)", "Hit the Road Jack", and "
You Are My Sunshine."
Charles also reached No. 1 on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart in 1985 with "
Seven Spanish Angels", a duet with
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
. The single appears on Charles' duets album, ''
Friendship
Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague.
Althoug ...
'', which reached No. 1 on Top Country Albums. His 1962 album, ''
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music'', became his first album to top the
''Billboard'' 200.
In 1990, Charles had a No. 1 on the
Hot Dance Club Songs
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set list ...
chart with "I'll Be Good to You", a collaboration with
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...
and
Chaka Khan.
Albums
The Atlantic years
The ABC years
1973–2004
Posthumous albums
Compilations
Hundreds of Ray Charles compilations and "Greatest Hits/Best Of" albums have been released and continue to be produced and released by various labels around the world. Some of the more notable compilations include:
*1958: ''Ray Charles'' (Coronet)
*1959: ''The Original Ray Charles'' (Hollywood)
*1959: ''The Fabulous Ray Charles'' (Hollywood)
*1961: ''
Do the Twist! with Ray Charles'' (Atlantic)
eissued as ''The Greatest Ray Charles''*1962: ''The Ray Charles Story, Volume One'' (Atlantic)
*1962: ''The Ray Charles Story, Volume Two'' (Atlantic)
*1963: ''The Ray Charles Story, Volume Three'' (Atlantic)
*1964: ''The Ray Charles Story, Volume Four'' (Atlantic)
*1967: ''
A Man And His Soul'' (ABC)
*1970: ''
The Best of Ray Charles'' (Atlantic) (BPI: Silver)
*1971: ''A 25th Anniversary in Show Business Salute to Ray Charles'' (ABC)
*1973: ''
Ray Charles Live'' (Atlantic)
*1978: ''The Tender Side of Ray Charles'' (Suffolk Marketing, Inc.)
*1980: ''Heart to Heart'' (Endeavour) (AUS #46)
[
*1982: ''A Life in Music'' (Atlantic/Deluxe)
*1987: ''Ray Charles – His Greatest Hits, Volume 1/Volume 2'' (DCC Compact Classics)
*1988: '' Ray Charles Anthology'' ( Rhino) 960–1972 ABC material*1989: ''Seven Spanish Angels and Other Hits'' (Columbia)
*1990: ''The Collection'' (Castle Communications) (AUS #34)]
Singles
Down Beat, Swing Beat, Swing Time releases
1949: The McSon Trio ( Maxin Trio and Maxim Trio):[''Ray Charles, The Way I Feel'' liner notes]
link
*"I Love You, I Love You (I Will Never Let You Go)" / " Confession Blues"
:''"Confession Blues" reached No. 2 on the U.S. R&B charts.''
*"Blues Before Sunrise" / " How Long Blues"
*"A Sentimental Blues" / "You'll Never Miss the Water (Until the Well's Gone Dry)"
*"Alone in the City" / "Can Anyone Ask for More?"
*"Rockin' Chair Blues" / "Let's Have a Ball" (a.k.a. "Here I Am")
*"If I Give You My Love" / "This Love of Mine" (a.k.a. "The Honey Bee")
*"Ain't That Fine" / "Don't Put All Your Dreams in One Basket"
1949–1953: Ray Charles, The Ray Charles Trio:
*"I've Had My Fun (Going Down Slow)" / " Sitting on Top of the World (Now She's Gone)" (1949)
*" See See Rider" / "What Have I Done?" (1950)
*"She's on the Ball" / "Honey, Honey" (1950)
*"Th' Ego Song" ("Sweet as Can Be") / "Late in the Evening" (1950)
*"Some Day" (a.k.a. " Worried Life Blues"/"Someday Baby") / "I'll Do Anything but Work" (1950)
*" I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" / "All to Myself" (1951)
*"Lonely Boy" / "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951)
:''"Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" reached No. 5 on the U.S. R&B charts.''
*"I'm Glad for Your Sake" / "Kissa Me Baby" (1952)
:''"Kissa Me Baby" reached No. 8 on the U.S. R&B charts.''
*"Baby Won't You Please Come Home
"Baby Won't You Please Come Home" is a blues song written by Charles Warfield and Clarence Williams in 1919. The song's authorship is disputed; Warfield claims that he was the sole composer of the song.
The song has been covered by many musicia ...
" / "Hey Now" (1952)
*"Baby Let Me Hear You Call My Name" / "Guitar Blues" (B-side by Rufus Beacham Orchestra) (1952)
*"I Can't Do No More" / "Roly Poly" (a.k.a. "Back Home") (B-side by Rufus Beacham Orchestra) (1952)
*"Walkin' and Talkin' to Myself" / "I'm Wonderin' and Wonderin'" (1952)
*"Misery in My Heart" / "The Snow Is Falling (Snowfall)" (1953)
Atlantic releases
The list of singles below are songs Ray Charles released while on the Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
label between 1952 and 1980.
ABC releases
This list below is of songs Ray Charles released on the ABC-Paramount, ABC, and subsidiary Impulse and Tangerine/TRC labels from 1960 to 1973.
*AThrough a period between November 1963 and January 1965, Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...
did not publish an R&B singles chart. Positions shown are from the Cashbox RnB Charts during this period.
CrossOver releases
This list below is of songs Ray Charles released while on the CrossOver label from 1973 to 1976.
Columbia releases (all country music)
Listed below are songs Ray Charles released during his tenure which was spent on the country singles chart.
Other releases
Listed below are songs Ray Charles issued on various labels where the pop and R&B charts are concerned.
''Billboard'' Year-end performances
Video performances
*''O Genio – Live in Brazil 1963'' (Rhino) 1963 São Paulo performance
*''The Dick Cavett Show – Ray Charles Collection'' (Shout! Factory Theatre) 1972 and 1973 TV appearances
*''Soul of the Holy Land'' (Xenon) 1973 Israel tour
*''Ray Charles Live – In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony'' (Eagle Rock) 1981 performance
*''Ray Charles – 50 Years in Music'' (Image Entertainment) 1991 Pasadena, CA performance
*''Live at Montreux, 1997'' (Eagle Rock, Sunset Home Visual Entertainment)
*''Ray Charles, Live at the Olympia, 2000'' (XIII Bis) 2000 Paris performance
*''Ray Charles in Concert'' (with special guest Diane Schuur) (Image Entertainment) 1999 Miami, FL 'Lighthouse for the Blind' benefit
*''Ray Charles Celebrates a Gospel Christmas with Voices of Jubilation'' (Urban Works, Medialink Entertainment, LLC) 2002 Green Bay, WI performance
*''The Legend Lives On'' (Immortal) video compilation of various performances
References
External links
Album Discography at RayCharles.com
* Ray Charles Discographyat AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
.
Robert Christgau reviews of several Charles albumsRay Charles lyrics
at Yahoo! Music
Atlantic Records discography at jazzdisco.org
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Ray
Discography
Discographies of American artists
Pop music discographies
Rock music discographies
Rhythm and blues discographies