Ray Charles
from Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story, page 168:
This was the happiest period of my life so far [on tour in the 1950’s]…
[I] secretly held the hope that I'd [someday] get to sing with violins and cellos ever since I'd heard Frank Sinatra do "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)." I was crazy about the song; the strings sounded so lush and beautiful. And I knew it'd be a thrill to hear all those romantic instruments behind me.
There weren't that many black singers back then who recorded with strings. I remember Nat Cole doing "Nature Boy," but us rhythm-and-blues musicians had had a label slapped on us--strings were out.
cite as
David Ritz and Ray Charles, Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story (New York, 2003), p. 168. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1427806819826 accessed: 1 September, 2024
Listeners
Listening to
hide composers'Nancy with the Laughing Face' | performed by Frank Sinatra |
'Nature Boy' | performed by Nat King Cole |
Experience Information
Originally submitted by 5011Henning on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 14:00:20 +0100
Approved on Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:41:47 +0100