The Genius Hits the Road is a 1960 album by
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
. It is a concept album of sorts with the theme revolving around various parts of the U.S. The album peaked at #9 on the
pop album chartsThe Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and produced the hit single
Georgia on My Mind"Georgia on My Mind" is a song written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell . It is the official state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael . However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state...
.
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The Genius Hits the Road is a 1960 album by
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
. It is a concept album of sorts with the theme revolving around various parts of the U.S. The album peaked at #9 on the
pop album chartsThe Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and produced the hit single
Georgia on My Mind"Georgia on My Mind" is a song written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell . It is the official state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael . However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state...
.
Original LP release
- "Alabamy Bound
"Alabamy Bound" is a Tin Pan Alley tune written in 1924, with music by Ray Henderson and words by Buddy DeSylva and Bud Green. Written for the vaudeville stage it was made famous by Al Jolson. "Alabamy Bound" opens with:...
" (DeSylva, GreenBud Green was an Austrian-born songwriter. Bud Green grew up in Harlem at 108th & Madison Ave. at the turn of the century, the eldest of seven. He dropped out of elementary school to sell newspapers and help the family...
, HendersonRay Henderson , was an American songwriter.Born Raymond Brost in Buffalo, New York, Henderson moved to New York City and became a popular composer in Tin Pan Alley...
) – 1:55
- "Georgia On My Mind
"Georgia on My Mind" is a song written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell . It is the official state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael . However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state...
" (CarmichaelHoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust" , "Georgia On My Mind," and "Heart and Soul", three of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the American popular song,...
, GorrellStuart Gorrell was an American composer and lyricist, best known for writing the lyrics for the song Georgia on My Mind....
) – 3:35
- "Basin Street Blues
"Basin Street Blues" is a song often performed by Dixieland jazz bands, written by Spencer Williams. The song was published in 1926 and made famous in a recording by Louis Armstrong in 1928...
" (WilliamsSpencer Williams was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. His hit songs include "Basin Street Blues", "She'll Be Comin Around That Mountain", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Royal Garden Blues", "Mahogany Hall Stomp", "I've Found a New Baby", "Everybody Loves My Baby", "Squeeze...
) – 2:46
- "Mississippi Mud
Mississippi Mud is a 1927 song written by Harry Barris and James Cavanaugh , first made popular by Bing Crosby when he was still a member of The Rhythm Boys. It was sung by The Rhythm Boys in the 1930 film King of Jazz...
" (Barris, Cavanaugh) – 3:24
- "Moonlight In Vermont
"Moonlight in Vermont" is a popular song about the U.S. state of Vermont, written by John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf and published in 1943.The lyrics are very unusual for an American pop song of the 1940s, because they do not rhyme and are impersonal, focusing mostly on the sensory appeal of the...
" (BlackburnJohn M. Blackburn was a lyricist, perhaps best remembered for writing the lyrics to "Moonlight in Vermont".He was raised in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio....
, SuessdorfKarl Suessdorf, born 28 April 1921 - died 1982, Riverside, California, was a composer best known for his collaboration with lyricist John Blackburn in composing the jazz standard "Moonlight in Vermont", which was first recorded in 1943 by Billy Butterfield's Orchestra featuring Margaret Whiting...
) – 3:02
- "New York's My Home" (Jenkins) – 3:05
- "California, Here I Come
California, Here I Come is a studio recording by Al Jolson. It was recorded in 1924 and was soon added to the Broadway musical Bombo during the show's run. The song was written by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer, with Jolson often listed as a co-author...
" (DeSylva, JolsonAl Jolson was an American singer, comedian, and actor. According to PBS, he is considered the "first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in America"...
, MeyerJoseph Meyer was an American songwriter who wrote some of the most notable songs of the first half of the twentieth century....
) – 2:10
- "Moon Over Miami
The popular Jazz song Moon Over Miami was written in 1935 by songwriters Joe Burke and Edgar Leslie.There were several different recordings available on 78 rpm during the early months of 1936. The most popular version was by Eddy Duchin and his Orchestra...
" (BurkeJoseph A. Burke was an American actor, composer and pianist. He was born in Philadelphia and died in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and started a career in acting. His first acting break was in the 1915 film The Senator, his last was The Show of Shows...
, LeslieEdgar Leslie was an American songwriter. His first song Lonesome in 1909 was an immediate success, recorded by the Haydn Quartet and again by Byron G. Harlan. Other notable artists he worked with are:...
) – 3:20
- "Deep in the Heart of Texas
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song elaborating on the merits of the state of Texas.The 1941 song features lyrics by June Hershey and music by Don Swander. The song was recorded by Perry Como with Ted Weems and His Orchestra on December 9 of that year for Decca Records in Los...
" (Hershey, Swander) – 2:28
- "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song which was written by James A. Bland , an African American minstrel who wrote over 700 folk songs...
" (BlandJames Alan Bland , also known as Jimmy Bland, was an African American musician and song writer. He was one of 8 children born in Flushing, New York to a free family James Alan Bland (12 October 1854 – 5 May 1911), also known as Jimmy Bland, was an African American musician and song writer. He was...
) – 2:02
- "Blue Hawaii
"Blue Hawaii" is a popular song written by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger for the 1937 Paramount Pictures film Waikiki Wedding, starring Bing Crosby and Shirley Ross...
" (RaingerRalph Rainger was an American composer of popular music principally for films.-Biography:Born Ralph Reichenthal in New York City, Rainger embarked on a legal career before escaping to Broadway where he became Clifton Webb's accompanist...
, RobinLeo Robin was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938.-Biography:Robin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and...
) – 2:58
- "Chattanooga Choo Choo
"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a big-band/swing song which was featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle and Joan Davis...
" (GordonMack Gordon was a Jewish-American composer and lyricist of songs for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times, including six consecutive years between 1940 and 1945, and won the award once, for "You'll Never Know"...
, WarrenHarry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
) – 3:05
1997 Rhino CD re-issue bonus tracks
- "Sentimental Journey
"Sentimental Journey" is a popular song, published in 1944. The music was written by Les Brown and Ben Homer, and the lyrics were written by Bud Green....
" (BrownLes Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University...
, GreenBud Green was an Austrian-born songwriter. Bud Green grew up in Harlem at 108th & Madison Ave. at the turn of the century, the eldest of seven. He dropped out of elementary school to sell newspapers and help the family...
, Homer) – 2:58
- "Hit The Road Jack
"Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by rhythm and blues artist Percy Mayfield and recorded by singer, pianist Ray Charles. It hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. The song was also number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks, becoming...
" (MayfieldPercy Mayfield was an American songwriter famous for the songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", as well as a successful rhythm and blues artist known for his smooth vocal style.-Career:...
) – 2:00
- "Blue Moon of Kentucky
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1946 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, The Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by John Fogerty, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Ronnie Hawkins, Rory Gallagher, LeAnn Rimes, Paul McCartney, Boxcar Willie, Ray Charles,...
" (MonroeWilliam Smith Monroe was an American musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and...
) – 2:12
- "Rainy Night in Georgia
"Rainy Night in Georgia" is a song written by Tony Joe White in 1962 and popularized by R&B vocalist Brook Benton in 1970.In 1969, after several years without a major hit, Benton had signed to a new record label, Cotillion Records...
" (WhiteTony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie", "Rainy Night in Georgia" which he wrote but was firstly made popular by Brook Benton in 1970, and "Steamy Windows" - a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
) – 6:16
- "I'm Movin' On
"I'm Movin' On" is a 1950 country standard written by Hank Snow. The song, a 12-bar blues, reached number-one on the Billboard country singles chart and was the first of seven number-one hits Snow scored throughout his career on that chart....
" (SnowClarence Eugene Snow , better known as Hank Snow, was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
) – 2:29
- "Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'Bout That River)" (Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
)– 2:20
- "Lonely Avenue
"Lonely Avenue" is a popular song written by Doc Pomus that became a rhythm and blues hit for Ray Charles in 1956. Formerly less than successful as a songwriter, this song drew the attention of the music business to Doc Pomus.-Covers:...
" (PomusDoc Pomus was a twentieth century American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category of non-performer in 1992. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992...
) – 2:34
2009 Concord CD re-issue bonus tracks
- "Hit The Road Jack
"Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by rhythm and blues artist Percy Mayfield and recorded by singer, pianist Ray Charles. It hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. The song was also number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks, becoming...
" (MayfieldPercy Mayfield was an American songwriter famous for the songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", as well as a successful rhythm and blues artist known for his smooth vocal style.-Career:...
) – 2:00
- "Sentimental Journey
"Sentimental Journey" is a popular song, published in 1944. The music was written by Les Brown and Ben Homer, and the lyrics were written by Bud Green....
" (BrownLes Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University...
, GreenBud Green was an Austrian-born songwriter. Bud Green grew up in Harlem at 108th & Madison Ave. at the turn of the century, the eldest of seven. He dropped out of elementary school to sell newspapers and help the family...
, Homer) – 2:58
- "Blue Moon of Kentucky
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1946 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, The Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by John Fogerty, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Ronnie Hawkins, Rory Gallagher, LeAnn Rimes, Paul McCartney, Boxcar Willie, Ray Charles,...
" (MonroeWilliam Smith Monroe was an American musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and...
) – 2:13
- "Rainy Night in Georgia
"Rainy Night in Georgia" is a song written by Tony Joe White in 1962 and popularized by R&B vocalist Brook Benton in 1970.In 1969, after several years without a major hit, Benton had signed to a new record label, Cotillion Records...
" (WhiteTony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie", "Rainy Night in Georgia" which he wrote but was firstly made popular by Brook Benton in 1970, and "Steamy Windows" - a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
) – 6:16
- "The Long and Winding Road
"The Long and Winding Road" is a ballad written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' album Let It Be. It became The Beatles' last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet...
" (LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon, MBE was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter, author, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles...
, McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE , is an English singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music...
) - 3:14
- "I Was on Georgia Time" (Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
) - 3:28
- "Take Me Home, Country Roads
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" is a song written by John Denver, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, and initially recorded by John Denver. It was included on his 1971 breakout album Poems, Prayers and Promises; the single went to #2 on the U.S...
" (DanoffBill Danoff is an American songwriter and singer. His best known song as a performer is "Afternoon Delight", which Danoff performed as a member of the Starland Vocal Band...
, DenverJohn Denver was an American country music/folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician. He was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s in terms of record sales, recording and releasing around 300 songs, of which about 200 were composed by him. He was named Poet Laureate of Colorado...
, NivertTaffy Nivert was born October 25, 1944, in Washington, DC.She attended College of Steubenville before becoming a member of folk singing duo called Fat City with her then-husband Bill Danoff....
) - 3:34
Personnel
- Ray Charles – piano
The piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocals
- Edgar Willis – bass
The double bass, also called the upright bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The name, "double bass," derives from the early use of the instrument to double—an octave lower where possible—the bass part written...
- Milt Turner – drums
- David 'Fathead' Newman
David "Fathead" Newman was an American saxophonist.-Biography:Born in Corsicana, Texas, his professional career began in 1954 as a member of Ray Charles' Band....
– tenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, is the most common type of saxophone. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef,...
- Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. was an American R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, soul jazz alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter...
– alto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by the Belgian instrument designer in 1841 Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the tenor, is the most common size of saxophone...
, baritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the larger and lower pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax...
- Leroy Cooper – baritone saxophone
- John Hunt – trumpet
The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...
- Marcus Belgrave – trumpet
- Ralph Burns – arranger, conductor
- Sid Feller – producer
1997 Rhino CD re-issue bonus track personnel
- Ray Charles – piano, vocals
- Edgar Willis – bass (tracks 14, 17, 18)
- Roosevelt Sheffield – bass (track 19)
- Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis was a drummer, jazz musician and band leader. He was born in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents. His birth name was Melvin Sokoloff.-Biography:...
– drums (track 14)
- Teagle Fleming – drums (tracks 17)
- William Peeples – drums (tracks 18, 19)
- David 'Fathead' Newman – tenor saxophone (tracks 14, 17 to 19), alto saxophone (tracks 18, 19)
- Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. was an American R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, soul jazz alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter...
– alto saxophone (tracks 14, 17), baritone saxophone (track 17)
- Leroy Cooper – baritone saxophone (track 14)
- Emmet Dennis – baritone saxophone (tracks 18, 19)
- John Hunt – trumpet (tracks 14, 17, 19)
- Marcus Belgrave – trumpet (track 17)
- Joe Bridgewater – trumpet (tracks: 18, 19)
- The Raelettes – vocals (tracks 15, 17, 19)
- The Jack Halloran
Jack Halloran was an American composer and choral director. He died at 81 of a stroke.-Early life:Born in Rock Rapids, Iowa in 1916, Halloran earned degrees in music from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and Northwestern University.-Choral and pop culture involvement:He sang with a male...
singers – vocals (track 15)
- The Cookies – vocals (track 19)
- Frank Rosolino – trombone (track 14)
- Harry Betts – trombone (track 14)
- Kenny Shroyer – trombone (track 14)
- Richard Nash – trombone (track 14)
- Bruno Carr – percussion (track 14)
- Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegun was the Turkish American co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry"...
– producer (tracks 17, 18 19)
- Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
– producer (tracks 17, 18 19)