When you think of Ray Charles, do you think of country music? If not, there's a lot of loaded, complicated reasons for that. You can look at the way race plays in the genre- that requires a larger examination of how it works in America. It's a lengthy, important discussion that often goes under the radar, especially when some of Nashville's biggest stars are problematic in that way. However, blues music plays a vital role in informing what country music means and its history.
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Moreover, that revolves around Black artists like Ray Charles. However, he's far too aware of the perception that also comes with marketing himself as country. In a 1998 interview on Fresh Air, he discusses how his roots may fit the scene. But at the end of the day, he also understood where he fit in the larger system of things. Record labels needed to sell him as anything other than country so he could keep selling records. Unfortunately, he understood all perspectives, even if country fit him. Still, he went for it anyway.
Ray Charles Talks About His Country Roots and Not Fitting in The Industry
"I've always loved it as a kid," Charles says of country music. "That was the only time my mom would let me stay up past 9:00 on Saturday night to listen to the Grand Ole Opry. I was very fascinated by country music. It's strange, and I know it's quite unusual, but that was the way it was."
Unfortunately, Ray understood all too well the perception that came with trying to market himself in a genre he loved so earnestly. "I was a pretty good selling artist over at ABC at the time. And - but that concern was - is that I was a, quote, 'rhythm and blues artist,' unquote. And they thought if I start doing country music that I would lose a lot of fans. And, of course, if I lose fans, that means they would lose a lot of business, too. So they did have - I thought their concern was legit," Ray Charles explains.
Regardless, he was firm about his stance. He'd rather give it a swing, regardless if Sam Clark, the president at the label at the time thought of it as a career ender. "And my attitude was, well, Sam, you know, you probably could be right, but I think that I'll gain more fans that I'll lose if I do it right. So he said, 'OK, it's your career. If you want to try it, go ahead and do it,'" Ray adds.
