For Ray Charles, creative freedom was as easy as ABC.  After a successful tenure at Atlantic spanning the years 1952 and 1959, the Genius was ready to move on, or hit the road, as a later album title would proclaim.  Under the auspices of Atlantic producer Ahmet Ertegun, Charles recorded a seminal series of history-making recordings in both the jazz and R&B fields, the latter a particular Atlantic specialty.  With the 1959 single “What’d I Say,” Charles crossed over to the burgeoning teen pop market, as well, poising him for the next act of his illustrious career.    At the time, Atlantic was still an independent label, and despite Charles’ great success there, his management team at Shaw Artists felt that a major label’s power was needed to ensure further crossover hits.

ABC-Paramount was that label.  Charles was easily distinguished from the label’s teen roster of acts like Paul Anka and Frankie Avalon, and had the cachet to bring other R&B and soul acts into the fold.  He was made an offer he couldn’t refuse, with lucrative terms including full ownership of his master recordings after a five-year period.  Charles signed in 1960, and remained with the label until 1972, and now, Concord and Ray Charles Enterprises are offering Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles, collecting the A and B sides of all 53 singles recorded by Charles for the label, most under the direction of the A&R man and producer Sid Feller.  The box set features a total of 106 tracks including Grammy Award winners “Hit the Road Jack,” “Busted,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Crying Time,” and “America the Beautiful.”

A full 30 songs have never previously been available on CD, and every track on the 5-CD set has been completely remastered.  Liner notes were written by music historian, singer and songwriter Billy Vera.

Valerie Ervin, president of the Ray Charles Foundation says, “This compilation provides an opportunity to hear Ray’s evolution into a full-fledged artist and creative force. The song selection was based upon the interpretation he could bring to the music and not the genre. The ABC singles comprise an epoch of essential Ray Charles music and a window into how his genius evolved.”

Although Charles had blurred the line between rhythm and blues and jazz at Atlantic, even recording with such jazz greats as Milt Jackson and David “Fathead” Newman, he took the genre blurring even further at ABC.  After a slow start with “Who You Gonna Love” b/w “My Baby” and a somewhat better showing with “Sticks and Stones” b/w “Worried Life Blues,” ABC’s gamble on Charles paid off with his third single.  “Georgia on My Mind” (with “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” on the flip), off the album The Genius Hits the Road, reached the coveted top spot on the pop charts.  Feller’s careful strategy was to cultivate both the new pop audience and the core R&B base, and Charles’ singles reflected this.  Soon, a third major fan base was in play when Charles courted the country music crowd with 1962’s album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.  He was rewarded when “I Can’t Stop Loving You” was another No. 1 song, also winning a Grammy Award.

Charles’ business pursuits grew while on ABC-Paramount.  He diversified into publishing with Tangerine Music, signing Percy Mayfield. The blues legend brought with him the song “Hit the Road, Jack.” Knowing a hit song when he heard it, Charles took his own rendition all the way to No. 1.  ABC-Paramount also offered Charles his own imprint.  Tangerine Music recorded Mayfield and other acts such as Little Jimmy Scott and Louis Jordan.  In 1966, Charles opened RPM Studios on Washington Blvd. in Los Angeles. The first song he recorded there was “Let’s Go Get Stoned.”  The famed team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson wrote the song with Jo Armstead, which has previously been recorded by Atlantic’s Coasters.  Of course, Ray Charles’ version became the song’s signature recording.  His final major hit for ABC came in 1972 with a most unexpected track that resonated with the Vietnam era: “America the Beautiful.”

Hit the jump for more on The Complete ABC Singles, plus news of a new DVD sure to please fans of The Genius!

The 5-CD Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles is housed in a linen-textured box.  It arrives from Concord Music Group and Ray Charles Enterprises on November 11, and you'll find a list of Charles' 53 ABC singles near the end of this post.

That's not all for Charles fans, though.  On October 24, Eagle Rock Entertainment and Reelin' in the Years Productions will release another essential document from the ABC years, Ray Charles - Live in France 1961.  The DVD features Charles in his prime, backed by The Raeletts and a smoking band counting David "Fathead" Newman and Hank Crawford among its members.  Produced in association with the Ray Charles State, Live in France offers a 25-song set from both the ABC and Atlantic eras, touching on jazz, soul and country.  The DVD, running over 105 minutes, is hopefully the first of many to emerge from a new partnership between Reelin’ In The Years Productions, the world’s largest library of music footage, and France’s Institut National de l’Audiovisuel  (Ina), one of Europe’s most important footage archives.

The track listing for Ray Charles' Live in France 1961 can be found following the list of Charles' ABC singles.

Ray Charles, Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles (Concord Music Group, 2011)

1. My Baby (I Love Her Yes I Do)/Who You Gonna Love (ABC Jan-60 #10081)
2. Sticks And Stones/Worried Life Blues (ABC May-60 #10118)
3. Georgia On My Mind/Carry Me Back To Old Virginny (ABC Aug-60 #10135)
4. Them That Got/I Wonder (ABC Aug-60 #10141)
5. Ruby/Hard Hearted Hannah (ABC Nov-60 #10164)
6. Hit The Road, Jack/The Danger Zone (ABC Aug-61 #10244)
7. Unchain My Heart/But On The Other Hand, Baby (ABC Nov-61 #10266)
8. Baby, It’s Cold Outside/We’ll Be Together Again (w. Betty Carter) (ABC Jan-62 #10298)
9. At the Club/Hide Nor Hair (ABC Mar-62 #10314)
10. I Can’t Stop Loving You/Born To Lose (ABC Apr-62 #10330)
11. You Don’t Know Me/Careless Love (ABC Jul-62 #10345)
12. You Are My Sunshine/Your Cheating Heart (ABC Nov-62 #10375)
13. Don’t Set Me Free/The Brightest Smile In Town (ABC Feb-63 #10405)
14. Take These Chains from My Heart/No Letter Today (ABC Mar-63 #10435)
15. No One/Without Love (There Is Nothing) (ABC May-63 #10453)
16. Busted/Making Believe (ABC Aug-63 #10481)
17. That Lucky Old Sun/Ol’ Man River (ABC Nov-63 #10509)
18. Baby, Don’t You Cry/My Heart Cries For You (ABC Feb-64 #10530)
19. My Baby Don’t Dig Me/Something’s Wrong (ABC May-64 #10557)
20. No One To Cry To/A Tear Fell (ABC Jun-64 #10571)
21. Smack Dab In The Middle/I Wake Up Crying (ABC Sep-64 #10588)
22. Makin’ Whoopee (vocal)/Makin’ Whoopee (piano) – LIVE (ABC Nov-64 #10609)
23. Cry/Teardrops From My Eyes (ABC Jan-65 #10615)
24. I’ve Got a Woman (Part 1)/I’ve Got A Woman (Part 2) LIVE (ABC Mar-65 #10649)
25. Without A Song (Part 1)/Without A Song (Part 2) (ABC Apr-65 #10663)
26. I’m A Fool to Care/Love’s Gonna Live Here (ABC Jun-65 #10700)
27. The Cincinnati Kid/That’s All I Am To You (ABC Sep-65 #10720)
28. Crying Time/When My Dream Boat Comes Home (ABC Oct-65 #10739)
29. Together Again/You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown (ABC Mar-66 #10785)
30. Let’s Go Get Stoned/The Train (ABC May-66 #10808)
31. I Chose to Sing the Blues/Hopelessly (ABC Aug-66 #10840)
32. Please Say You’re Fooling/I Don’t Need No Doctor (ABC Oct-66 #10865)
33. I Want To Talk About You/Something Inside Me (ABC Feb-67 #10901)
34. Here We Go Again/Somebody Ought to Write a Book About It (ABC Apr-67 #10938)
35. In The Heat Of The Night/Something’s Got to Change (ABC Aug-67 #10970)
36. Yesterday/Never Had Enough of Nothing Yet (ABC Oct-67 #11009)
37. Go On Home/That’s A Lie (ABC Jan-68 #11045)
38. Understanding/Eleanor Rigby (ABC May-68 #11090)
39. Sweet Young Thing Like You/Listen, They’re Playing My Song (ABC Aug-68 #11133)
40. If It Wasn’t For Bad Luck/When I Stop Dreaming (ABC Nov-68 #11170)
41. I’ll Be Your Servant/I Didn’t Know What Time it Was (ABC Feb-69 #11193)
42. Let Me Love You/I’m Satisfied (ABC Apr-69 #11213)
43. We Can Make It/I Can’t Stop Loving You, Baby (ABC Aug-69 #11239)
44. Claudie Mae/Someone to Watch Over Me (ABC Nov-69 #11251)
45. Laughin’ And Clownin’/That Thing Called Love (ABC Jan-70 #11259)
46. If You Were Mine/Till I Can’t Take it Anymore (ABC Aug-70 #11271)
47. Don’t Change On Me/Sweet Memories (ABC Feb-71 #11291)
48. Feel So Bad/Your Love Is So Doggone Good (ABC Jul-71 #11308)
49. What Am I Living For/Tired Of My Tears (ABC Nov-71 #11317)
50. Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma/America The Beautiful (ABC Jun-72 #11329)
51. Hey Mister/There’ll Be No Peace Without All Men As One  (ABC Nov-72 #11337)
52. Every Saturday Night/Take Me Home, Country Roads (ABC Jan-73 #11344)
53. I Can Make It Thru the Days (But Oh Those Lonely Nights)/Ring of Fire (ABC Apr-73 #11351)

Ray Charles, Live in France 1961 (Eagle Rock Entertainment/Reelin’ in the Years, 2011)

1. The Story
2. Doodlin’
3. One Mint Julep
4. Let The Good Times Roll
5. Georgia On My Mind
6. Sticks and Stones
7. Hallelujah, I Love Her So
8. What’d I Say
9. Hornful Soul
10. Let The Good Times Roll
11. Georgia On My Mind
12. My Bonnie
13. With You On My Mind
14. Ruby
15. Tell the Truth
16. I Wonder
17. Sticks and Stones
18. I Believe To My Soul
19. What’d I Say
20. The Story
21. Sticks and Stones
22. Yes Indeed
23. I Believe To My Soul
24. What ’d I Say
25. I Wonder

Tracks 1-8 from the performance of July 18, 1961
Tracks 9-19 from the performance of July 22, 1961
Tracks 20-24 from the performance of July 19, 1961
Track 25 from the performance of July 21, 1961