Album of the Day

On this day in 2002, Ray Charles received an honorary degree from Albany State University in his Georgia hometown, adding to such laurels as Kennedy Center and Grammy Lifetime Achievement awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These accolades followed decades of groundbreaking R&B music, but what would it have been like to see the Genius of Soul at the beginning of his storied career? RAY CHARLES IN PERSON gives us some idea - the Atlantic album features live recordings of Ray in his late-'50s prime. All but one of the tracks was recorded by a radio dj at a WAOK-sponsored show in Atlanta, GA in May, 1959; “Yes, Indeed” hails from 1958's Newport Jazz Festival. With a hot band (including sax greats Hank Crawford and David Newman) and the Raelets behind him, Brother Ray sizzles on such songs as “What’d I Say,” “Drown In My Own Tears” and “Tell The Truth.” Soul never got more incendiary than RAY CHARLES IN PERSON.