I attended the taping of this event and it was just awesome to see all
these stars on one stage paying tribute to the late, great Ray
Charles.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Join host Jamie Foxx for an all-star tribute to musician Ray Charles
in GENIUS: A NIGHT FOR RAY CHARLES, airing Friday, October 22 at 9PM
ET/PT. Music superstars Mary J. Blige, Kenny Chesney, Al Green, Elton
John, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Reba McEntire, Usher and Stevie Wonder
are among the artists set to perform.

During the concert extravaganza, the many artists who have been
influenced by Ray will take the stage to celebrate the "genius" of
America's own music and cultural hero. Mos Def, Quincy Jones and Bruce
Willis will be among the stars giving special introductions to the
musical performances. Beloved songs that will be performed on the
special include "Georgia On My Mind," "Hit the Road Jack," "Night Time
is the Right Time," "I Can't Stop Lovin' You" and "Unchain My Heart,"
among others. Video clips of Ray's long and varied career will be
interspersed with clips from the upcoming feature film "Ray," in which
host Jamie Foxx portrays the American legend.

The special will also trace Ray's rise to superstardom from his
poverty-stricken roots, as well as celebrate the major influence he
had on several generations of music fans. Ray's longtime friends and
co-musicians Quincy Jones, B.B. King and David "Fathead" Newman will
reminisce about Ray's life.

http://www.cbs.com/specials/ray_charles/

(Margie)
I attended the taping of this event and it was just awesome to see all
these stars on one stage paying tribute to the late, great Ray
Charles.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Join host Jamie Foxx for an all-star tribute to musician Ray Charles
in GENIUS: A NIGHT FOR RAY CHARLES, airing Friday, October 22 at 9PM
ET/PT. Music superstars Mary J. Blige, Kenny Chesney, Al Green, Elton
John, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Reba McEntire, Usher and Stevie Wonder
are among the artists set to perform.

During the concert extravaganza, the many artists who have been
influenced by Ray will take the stage to celebrate the "genius" of
America's own music and cultural hero. Mos Def, Quincy Jones and Bruce
Willis will be among the stars giving special introductions to the
musical performances. Beloved songs that will be performed on the
special include "Georgia On My Mind," "Hit the Road Jack," "Night Time
is the Right Time," "I Can't Stop Lovin' You" and "Unchain My Heart,"
among others. Video clips of Ray's long and varied career will be
interspersed with clips from the upcoming feature film "Ray," in which
host Jamie Foxx portrays the American legend.

The special will also trace Ray's rise to superstardom from his
poverty-stricken roots, as well as celebrate the major influence he
had on several generations of music fans. Ray's longtime friends and
co-musicians Quincy Jones, B.B. King and David "Fathead" Newman will
reminisce about Ray's life.

http://www.cbs.com/specials/ray_charles/

What no Buster Poindexter? (ok bad joke, although he did a funny cover of
"Hit The Road Jack" with some success...)

Once upon a time a young John Gibson, my anchor on Fox New's "The BIg Story
With John Gibson" worked for Ahmet Ertegun, President of Atlantic Records. A
bit of info he has omitted from his Journalistic Bio for some reason! Atlantic
Records is of course such an interesting story of the Turkish Ertegun's and a
bunch of Jewish Businessmen collobrating to create one of the historically
fairest dealing R&B/Jazz labels.

Anyway seems an unsigned Ray Charles came round for an audition, and as
Gibson tells it everything he played sounded like Nat King Cole. John says
Ertegun had to keep asking him to play some of his own stuff, and it took a bit
of coaxing before Ray dropped the imitative and settled into sounding like the
classic Ray Charles everyone has known as such a distinctive voice. So I
asked Gibby, "Man, where were you when I was looking for a deal?" And he says
to me with a faraway gleam in his eye, "Vice President for Artist Development?"
Damn, John.

Maybe I should ask him if he knows Tom Dowd.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Off the Morning Show! & sleepin' In... / Fox News
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits