(Thanks Sandeep for sending me this)
I remember meeting Ray Charles on a Saturday morning at his RPM International studio on Washington Blvd.
The previous day I had taken possession of Ray's complete master reels from the Atlantic tape library, which were sent from Manhattan. It was my great responsibility and honor to deliver these reels, which were to be incorporated into Ray's personal tape vault.
I arrived and pushed the backdoor buzzer, when, to my surprise, it was Ray himself who appeared at the door, in his stocking feet.
After carefully hoofing the boxes up the steep stairs, around a few tight turns, it became rather obvious the only folks in the building were Ray and myself. I recall it being a warm day and the studio air was stuffy. I thought to myself, that's why he wasn't wearing shoes.
Ray returned to stand behind the massive mixing board in the center of the room, with his coffee cup (a large beer stein) set exactly where he had left it, as I unloaded the reels.
I somewhat nervously began a conversation with him. "What happened to your shoes, Ray?"
Without missing a beat, he replied, "Man, don't you know nothin' 'bout recording?!" Then, almost whispering, his mouth curled with his trademark grin, he said "I don't want the sound of my shoes hitting the floor to be heard on the tape."
"Now, what do you have there?"
I begin to read song titles off the tape boxes -- familiar titles that we shared like a common friend we both knew and loved -- when I come across a label dated 5/10/53. Ray said, "Hand that to me." He slid down into his office chair and rolled backwards, snagging the box from me. He pulled out the tape and spooled it on a reel-to-reel machine behind him in seconds flat.
There was a moment of silence as the leader passed over the playback head. Then, we were transported back in time, to a rehearsal session with Ahmet Ertegun in New York forty-six years earlier.
What can I say? It was a thrilling moment, certainly a life-long memory, underscored only by the incredible joy of watching and listening to Ray sing along.
As I later read aloud more song titles, we came across an Atlantic “45 RPM comp” tape of Ray and other label artists grafted onto a 12-inch reel, I mentioned a song title there by LaVern Baker. Ray began to sing a couple verses and the chorus of "Tweedlee Dee."
Yep, that's right -- I'm a lucky so-and-so.
With the greatest respect for the real deal, thank you, Ray Charles.
-- Michael Johnson
Co-Reissue Producer of The Complete Country And Western Recordings 1959-86
