On this day, February 7, 1962, Ray Charles recorded more of "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music."

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Wed Feb 7, 2024, 01:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music


Studio album by Ray Charles

Released: April 1962
Recorded: February 5, 7, and 15, 1962
Studios: Capitol (New York), United Western Recorders (Hollywood)
Genre: Country, rhythm and blues, countrypolitan, pop, soul, Western
Length: 39:33
Label: ABC-Paramount
Producer: Sid Feller

Singles from Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music:
"I Can't Stop Loving You" / "Born to Lose"
Released: April 1962
"You Don't Know Me" / "Careless Love"
Released: July 1962

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is a studio album by American singer and pianist Ray Charles. It was recorded in February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City and United Western Recorders in Hollywood, and released in April of that year by ABC-Paramount Records.

The album departed further stylistically from the rhythm and blues music Charles had recorded for Atlantic Records in the 1950s. It featured country, folk, and Western music standards reworked by Charles in popular song forms of the time, including R&B, pop, and jazz. Charles produced the album with Sid Feller, who helped the singer select songs to record, and performed alongside saxophonist Hank Crawford, a string section conducted by Marty Paich, and a big band arranged by Gil Fuller and Gerald Wilson.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music was an immediate critical and commercial success. The album and its four hit singles brought Charles greater mainstream notice and recognition in the pop market, as well as airplay on both R&B and country radio stations. The album and its lead single, "I Can't Stop Loving You", were both certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1962, as each record had sold at least 500,000 copies in the United States.

The album's integration of soul and country challenged racial barriers in popular music at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career. In retrospect, it has been considered by critics as his best studio record and a landmark recording in American music. According to Robert Christgau, the album "transfigured pop, prefigured soul, and defined modern country & western music." It has been called one of the greatest albums of all time by publications such as Rolling Stone and Time.

{snip}

Sun Feb 5, 2023: On February 5, 1962, Ray Charles began recording "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music."

Tue Feb 15, 2022: On February 15, the second set of recording sessions took place, in Hollywood, California.

Hat tip, This Day in Country Music

1962

The second set of recording sessions for Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music took place at United Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Modern Sounds and the albums lead single, "I Can't Stop Loving You", were both certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1962, as each record had shipped 500,000 copies in the United States.

This Day in Country Music, on Facebook:

15 Feb 1962, Ray Charles recorded 'I Can't Stop Loving You' at United Studios in Hollywood, California. The tune would go on to top both the US and UK charts and would be included on the LP 'Modern Sounds In Country / Western Music', which would lead the Billboard album chart for 14 weeks.

Sat Feb 5, 2022: On February 5, 1962, Ray Charles began recording "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music."

Hat tip, This Day in Country Music

1962

The first days recording sessions for Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music took place at Capitol Studios in New York City. Regarded by many critics as Charles's best studio album, the albums lead single, "I Can't Stop Loving You", became a huge hit on country music radio stations and the record has now shipped over 500,000 copies in the United States alone.

[Walleye]

1. That record was a monster hit in all markets.

Ray Charles says something like “why can’t I record a country album,
I’m from the country”. The year that song was number one for weeks was about the same year I started going to Friday night dances, and slow dancing was a big thing