Ray Charles

Ray Charles (born Charles Raymond Offenberg; September 13, 1918 – April 6, 2015) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and conductor who was best known as organizer and leader of the Ray Charles Singers, who accompanied Perry Como on his records and television shows for 35 years and were also known for a series of 30 choral record albums produced in the 1950s and 1960s for the MGM, Essex, Decca and Command labels. As a songwriter, Charles was best known for the choral anthem "Fifty Nifty United States" in which he set the names of the states to music in alphabetical order. It was originally written for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall. He is also known for "Letters, We Get Letters",

In his later years, he continued to serve as a musical consultant to television programs, most notably for 31 years on the Kennedy Center Honors. Charles was acknowledged as an authority on American popular music.

By 1944, he was doing 10 radio shows a week. At this time, close harmony singing was popular, and Charles became the arranger and tenor for the Double Daters, a vocal quartet featured on Million Dollar Band.

In May 1944, Offenberg changed his name to Ray Charles. This was several years before the rhythm and blues singer Ray Charles first recorded under the same name in the early 1950s. Drafted into the Navy in 1944, Charles was assigned to Hunter College, where he created an entire new music library for the WAVE choruses and trained the "Singing Platoons", three choruses of 80 WAVES each, on six-week training cycles that sang on the radio, bond rallies and at local veterans hospitals. He also conducted the band on their two weekly CBS shows.

Discharged in 1946, Charles sang on New York radio ("Um Um Good" for Campbell's soups among other gigs) and on many record dates. In 1947, he was the conductor for the Broadway hit Finian's Rainbow, Charles was also a soloist and sang in the choir on Manhattan Merry-Go-Round, Tuesday on Broadway, The Prudential Family Hour, The Celenese Hour, The Schafer Beer Program and The American Melody Hour, and he wrote the theme for Danny Kaye's 7-Up Radio Show.

Early television Before its relocation to Los Angeles, Charles did some singing on the radio show Your Hit Parade. In 1950, when the show returned to New York, he became the arranger and conductor of the Hit Paraders, the choral group on the show, first on radio and later when it went to television, for seven years.

For the next 35 years, the Ray Charles Singers became a fixture on the Perry Como television show. It was a busy time with television's top variety shows, records and commercial jingles. Allan Sherman ("Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh"), a friend of Charles', was the head writer. Also on the staff was Andy Rooney. The stars were Tony Bennett (his first series), Teresa Brewer and the Four Lads.

The Ray Charles Singers In June 1959, the Ray Charles Singers, a name bestowed on them by Perry Como, began recording a series of albums. Due to advances in recording technology, they were able to create a softer sound than had been heard before and this was the birth of what has been called "easy listening". Record producer Jack Hansen used some of the singers to provide backing vocals for Buddy Holly's last songs, which Holly had composed and recorded shortly before his death in February 1959. The singers' close harmonies behind Holly's lead vocals simulated the sound of Holly's hit records with the Crickets. Six songs resulted from the Hansen sessions, led by the 45-rpm single "Peggy Sue Got Married"/"Crying, Waiting, Hoping".

On a cruise in 1964, Charles heard a Mexican song called "Cuando Calienta el Sol". He liked it, recorded it under the English title "Love Me with All Your Heart", and his recording became a hit, riding to 3 on Billboard and 2 on Cashbox. This was followed by "Al Di La", also a very popular recording. The Ray Charles Singers were not one group of vocalists. They were different combinations of singers on records, tours and TV shows. What made them the Ray Charles Singers was the conducting and arranging of Ray Charles. The group members included Alan Solokoff, Barbara Nelson, Bob Spiro, Clyde Seckler, Ed Lindstrom, Elise Bretton, Gene Lowell, Gene Steck, Jerry Duane, Lillian Clark, Lois Winter, Marilyn Palmer, Miriam Workman, Murray Kane, Peggy Powers, Rae Whitney, Rudy Williams, and Steve Steck. The group also appeared on Perry Como's television show "The Perry Como Show". They were also the voices behind many commercial jingles.

Charles decided to produce a "live" performing group to send on the road with Perry Como. The group of 12 singers opened in Las Vegas at the International Hotel and also opened the show for Como at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.

Charles wrote the music and lyrics for an album produced by the Continental Insurance Company for the 1964 New York World's Fair, titled Cinema '76. It was a companion piece to a 30-minute show about unsung heroes of the American Revolution.

Films Charles had also worked on film projects: Funny Lady and Racing With the Moon. By 1968, The Perry Como Show was doing specials, so Charles could continue working with Como while residing in California. Charles, duetting with Julia Rinker, sang the title theme song for the long-running situation comedy Three's Company.

The Muppets and Kennedy Center

Charles eventually went to London to help on The Muppet Show. His choral anthem, "Fifty Nifty United States", in which he set the names of the states to music in alphabetical order, is now a staple of school choirs.

Charles donated a collection of his personal papers, including his scripts and musical arrangements for the Kennedy Center Honors galas, to the Great American Songbook Foundation shortly before his death.

Awards

197071 Television Academy Award Lyrics and Special Material "The First Nine Months are the Hardest" 197172 Television Academy Award Lyrics and Special Material "The Funny Side of Marriage" 2004 Irwin Kostal Tribute Award from ASMAC. 2012 Honored as a Broadcasting Legend by the Pacific Pioneers. 2013 Foundation Life in Music Award from ASCAP.

Discography

Singles

Albums as the Ray Charles Singers

I Love Essex ESLP 103 Far Away Places Essex ESLP 110 Spring Is Here MGM E3162 Winter Wonderland MGM 3387 Sing A Song of Paris MGM E3484 Here We Come A-Caroling MGM E3467 Here's to My Lady MGM E3568 Autumn Moods MGM SE4163 Summertime (Songs for a Lazy Afternoon) MGM E4164 Love and Marriage Decca DL8787 Sunrise Serenade Decca DL78835 In the Evening By the Moonlight Decca DL78874 We Gather Together Decca DL78940 Deep Night Decca DL78988 Something Wonderful Command RS 33 872 1961 Something Special for Young Lovers Command RS 866 SD Al-Di-La & Other Special Songs for Young Lovers Command RS 33–870 SD 1964 Rome Revisited Command RS 839 SD Songs for Lonesome Lovers Command RS 839 SD Songs for Latin Lovers Command RS 886 SD 1965 Paradise Islands Command SH-165 Young Lovers on Broadway Command RS 890 SD 1965 One of Those Songs Command RS 898 SD 1966 What the World Needs Now is Love Command RS 903 SD A Special Something... Command RS 914 SD 1967 At the Movies Command RS 921 SD 1968 MacArthur Park Command RS SD-936 1969 Move Me, Oh Wondrous Music Command RS 949-5 Take Me Along Command RS 526 SD Slices of Life Command 9425 Love Me With All Your Heart the command performance Varèse Sarabande VSD-5626 (CD collection) 31 albums with Perry Como

Singles