Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music

Description

The iconic and revolutionary albums Modern Sounds in Country And Western, combined into a single CD release in the 2000s, will be restored and released individually, as originally planned. The significance of these recordings cannot be overlooked. They are proof that great country music is malleable and open to interpretation. Volume 1 quickly became one of the best-selling albums recorded by a Black musician of the time, as well as one of the best-selling country albums. It topped the Billboard Pop Album Chart for a month and spawned four hit singles, including "I Can't Stop Loving You," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, and Adult Contemporary Charts, was nominated for Record of the Year, and won the GRAMMY for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards in 1963. "You Don't Know Me" achieved similar success. Ray Charles remains the first and only Black artist to win a GRAMMY Award and a #1 hit on the Billboard Pop Chart with a country and western song, as he did with "I Can't Stop Loving You." Volume 2 followed its predecessor by only six months and is widely regarded as just as strong, if not stronger than the first - the second was made with the confidence that this country & soul formula works. With three hit singles on the R&B and Pop charts, including the #1 hit "You Are My Sunshine," both volumes changed the course of popular music and remain a testament to Ray Charles's genius.