Feature: Ray Charles' valedictory

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Ray Charles' final CD, "Genius Loves Company," features his duets with 12 of the leading contemporary singers of soul, pop and jazz -- and producers said the line of artists who wanted to participate was so long that there might well have been a second volume of duets if Charles had lived long enough to record it.

Charles, a 12-time Grammy winner who pioneered the blending of country and R&B, died at age 73 on June 10 at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He died of complications following hip-replacement surgery.

The CD pairs Charles with a lineup that includes B.B. King, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Van Morrison, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole and Willie Nelson. By some counts, the artists on the CD have won a combined 79 Grammy Awards.

The album is a co-production of Concord Records and Starbucks' music arm, Hear Music, which has distributed records in the past but had never produced an album before teaming with Charles for "Genius Loves Company."

John Burk, who produced most of the tracks on the CD, told United Press International that when word spread that Charles was lining up duet partners, singers reached out to try to get in on the project. Burk said Paul McCartney wanted to do a duet with Charles and Lenny Kravitz wanted to sing "Soul Man" for the project.

"James Taylor actually called us," said Burk. "He said, 'I have to be on this record. How do we put it together?' James told me that on his list of all-time five favorite singers, Ray Charles was No. 1, 2 and 3."

Taylor and Charles ended up singing "Sweet Potato Pie" for the project.

"The number of artists just got bigger and bigger," said Concord Records general manager Gene Rumsey, "and we had enough artists (interested) to do volume two."

Grammy-winner Phil Ramone produced sessions with Krall, John, Cole, Raitt and a live performance of Morrison's "Crazy Love" -- the first duet recorded for the CD. Burk said the logistics involved for that date were typical of the challenge involved in getting Charles and his duet partners in the same place at the same time to record songs.

"We wanted the chemistry that comes from putting two artists together," he said. "Ray and Van were both on the road -- not even close to being in the same city. Phil was producing a TV show for the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Van Morrison was being honored. Van had said to Phil's people, 'I'll come and accept the award if Ray Charles will present it to me.'"

Not all the scheduling was so problematic. The studio date with King, to sing "Sinner's Prayer," was a "piece of cake," said Burk.

"B.B. was such a good friend of Ray's that you couldn't do a record like this without having B.B. on it," said Burk.

However, Burk said he found it a bit distracting -- on his first day in the studio with Charles -- to be in the company of Charles, King and Billy Preston, who played organ on the track.

"The Genius of Soul, the King of the Blues, the fifth Beatle -- not the least bit intimidating," said Burk. "I think it happened with virtually everybody who hadn't worked with him before. But it didn't last too long. He respected all these artists."

Even Johnny Mathis -- the legendary singer of such hits as "Wonderful, Wonderful" and "It's Not for Me to Say" -- confessed he was nervous when he joined Charles in the studio to record "Over the Rainbow."

"He is not just an ordinary singer, musician or icon," said Mathis. "He's the best of the best."

John, who sang his hit "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" with Charles, compared the experience to playing tennis with a better player -- it elevates one's game. The collaboration evidently benefited from the effect.

"The emotion in the room when we were recording that track was overwhelming," said Burk. "There wasn't a dry eye in the control room -- and these are very experienced people who have seen a lot of things."

That, said Burk, turned out to be Charles' last recording session. Burk said John called it one of the most impactful moments of his recording career.

Charles was not previously well-acquainted with all of his duet partners. He had never met Raitt, for example, but the pairing produced a comfortable fit on "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?"

Raitt said she had been a "devoted fan" of Charles since she was a child.

"Getting to record with Ray has been a lifelong dream, and being part of this project has been one of the proudest and most moving moments in my life," she said.

The emotional high point of the CD might be Charles' duet with Nelson, a longtime friend who collaborated with Charles on the 1984 country hit "Seven Spanish Angels." Their take on "It Was a Very Good Year" -- bittersweet and tender, with a full orchestra -- sounds almost like an intentional summing up of a life.

On some tracks, illness seems to have deprived Charles of the robustness that helped make his one of the most distinctive voices in music over the second half of the 20th century. But Burk said Charles never let illness keep him from going forward with the album.

"He was an extremely determined man," said Burk. "He wouldn't even tell anybody he was ill. There was one session he came to, with B.B. King, I was a little worried about him at first -- he didn't look too good. I said, 'If you ever want to reschedule, it's not a problem. I don't care if it's last- minute.' He said, 'John I made a commitment.' That's all he said."

The album also features duets with Norah Jones on "Here We Go Again," Michael McDonald on "Hey Girl" and Gladys Knight on "Heaven Help Us."

Charles' profile will be raised further in the coming months. Along with the new CD, he is also the subject of the movie biography "Ray," which is generating early award-season buzz for Jamie Foxx's performance in the title role.

In September, Morehouse College will host a tribute in Beverly Hills -- headlined by former President Bill Clinton, Morehouse alumnus Spike Lee and musical legend Quincy Jones -- to raise funds for the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at the school's Atlanta campus.

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