Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A Ray Charles surprise

For Christmas, my brother gave me a boxed set of Ray Charles tunes, and I have been slowly soaking them up. Much to my delight, I heard the RC version of You Are My Sunshine, a song that I sing in its traditional form to my daughter as a lullaby. It has become an instant favorite of mine! The video here is a nice tribute to Charles set to his version.




What is your favorite Ray Charles song? Or what is your favorite rendition of a song in a style different from its original genre?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love Ray Charles' music. It's tough to pick a favorite. Unchain My Heart, What'd I Say, You Are My Sunshine, You Don't Know Me, Drown In My Own Tears, Leave My Woman Alone, Shake a Tailfeather, there are just too many to name.

I'm especially fond of his early gospel-infused soul and his "Modern Sounds in Country and Western" period.

Anonymous said...

willduel -

Thanks for your list . . . I will have to check out each of those specifically!

It is funny - I was just sitting in my easy chair reading with the music in the background, and the lyrics for You Are My Sunshine just somehow grabbed my attention away from my book - I don't normally listen that closely, but I sure am glad I did!

Anonymous said...

I like the Puppini Sisters' beautiful version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass." Every punk fan should hear this at least once. (Many punk fans will consider once to be entirely enough.) But if you can imagine Debbie Harry replaced by the Andrews Sisters, you may like this.

John said...

Very nice.

trekkerjay said...

this was great!! done only as Ray Charles could!! don't really have a favorite, but his music is topnotch!!

Anonymous said...

At the other end of the scale, we find music that does not translate well at all -- such as '80s classic rock into syrupy string/piano arrangements.

Yesterday I heard an elevator version of the Alan Parson Project's "Eye in the Sky," which had an effect on me similar to that of Roseanne Barr's National Anthem on the American Legion.

Apropos of nothing -- just a great story, nicely told -- Jeffrey Zeldman, famous Web design guru, recounts some family history here.