The Best of Ray Charles is a compilation album released in 1970 on the Atlantic Jazz label, featuring previously released instrumental (non-vocal) tracks recorded by Ray Charles between November 1956 and November 1958.
The instrumental, "Rockhouse" would later be covered, as "Ray's Rockhouse" (1985), by The Manhattan Transfer with lyrics by Jon Hendricks.
Track listing "Hard Times" (Mitchell) – 4:39 "Rockhouse" (Charles) – 3:50 "Sweet Sixteen Bars" (Charles) – 4:04 "Doodlin'" (Silver) – 5:49 "How Long Blues" (Carr) – 9:15 "Blues Waltz" (Charles) – 6:29
Personnel "Hard Times" Ray Charles – piano David Newman – alto sax Bennie Crawford – baritone sax Marcus Belgrave – trumpet Edgar Willis – bass Milton Turner – drums Recorded on November 5, 1958 Recording engineer: Tom Dowd Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler
"Rockhouse" Tenor sax solo by David Newman Other personnel not mentioned (possibly same as Track 4) Produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler
"Sweet Sixteen Blues" Ray Charles – piano Roosevelt Sheffield – bass William Peeples – drums Recorded on November 26, 1956 Recording engineers: Earle Brown and Tom Dowd Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler
"Doodlin'" Ray Charles – piano David Newman – tenor sax Emmott Dennis – baritone sax Joseph Bridgewater – trumpet John Hunt – trumpet Roosevelt Sheffield – bass William Peeples – drums Trumpet solo by John Hunt Arranger: Quincy Jones Recorded on November 26, 1956 Recording engineers: Earle Brown and Tom Dowd Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler
"How Long Blues" Ray Charles – alto sax and piano Milt Jackson – vibraharp (and piano during Ray Charles’ alto sax chorus and Pettiford’s first chorus on bass) Billy Mitchell – tenor sax Skeeter Best – guitar Oscar Pettiford – bass Connie Kay – drums Recorded on September 12, 1957 Recording engineer: Tom Dowd Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun
"Blues Waltz" Ray Charles – piano Bennie Crawford – baritone sax David Newman – tenor sax Lee Harper – trumpet Marcus Belgrave – trumpet Edgar Willis – bass Richie Goldberg – drums Recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, on July 5, 1958 Recording engineers: Harold Chapman and Tom Dowd Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun
Other credits Sleevenotes: Ralph J. Gleason Cover photo: Ray Ross Cover design: Loring Eutemey
Chart positions Chart (2013)Peakposition
References
Atlantic Records 1543