''Genius Loves Company'' is the final

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

musician

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ...

ly released August 31, 2004, on

Concord Records Concord Records is an American record label owned by Concord and based in Los Angeles, California. Concord Records was launched in 1995 as an imprint designed to reach beyond the company's foundational Concord Jazz label. The label's artists have ...

. Billboard.com: Discography - Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-11-15. Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004. allmusic: Genius Loves Company overview All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-11-15. The album consists of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and pop

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

performed by Charles and several guest musicians, such as

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, '' Billboard'' maga ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

and

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

. ''Genius Loves Company'' was the last album recorded and completed by Charles before his death in June 2004. The album was produced by Concord A&R man,

John Burk John Burk (born January 6, 1962) is a record producer and co-founder of the American record label Concord Records. John Burk was born in Oakland, CA and attended high school at De La Salle. In 1995 Glen Barros and John Burk co-founded Concord R ...

, who approached Charles with the concept of a duets album for a collaboration of Concord Records and

Hear Music Hear Music was a record label that was founded in 2007 in a partnership between Concord Music Group and Starbucks. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999. Conce ...

, the record label owned by the coffee chain

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

.Genius Loves Company - Rick VanderKnyff
. MSN Money. Retrieved on 2005-02-06. It served as the first original non-compilation release by Hear Music, as well as one of Ray Charles' most commercially successful albums. On February 2, 2005, ''Genius Loves Company'' was certified triple-platinum in sales by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

following sales of over three million copies in the United States.RIAA Searchable Database: Gold & Platinum
. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2008-15-08. It also became Charles' second to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, after '' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music'' (1962). On February 13, 2005, the album was awarded eight Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

Reception

Commercial performance

''Genius Loves Company'' proved to be a comeback success for Ray Charles, in terms of sales and critical response, quickly becoming his first top-10 album in forty years and the best-selling record of his career. The release of ''Genius Loves Company'' served as Charles' two-hundred fiftieth of his recording career, as well as his last recorded effort before his death on June 10, 2004.Sales Blizzard: Consumers Taking It Home for the Holidays 11/24/04
. Ray Charles Enterprise, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-11-08. Within its first week of release, the album sold over 200,000 copies in the United States alone, while it debuted at #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, eventually ascending to #1 on March 5, 2005, becoming Charles' first #1 album since '' Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music'' in 1962. ''Genius Loves Company'' also received a significant amount of

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

, R&B,

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

and

radio stations, as well as critical praise from well-known publications and music outlets. By the first month of its release, the album had shipped over two million copies in the United States and shipped more than three million worldwide, receiving gold, silver and platinum certifications across North America, Europe and several other regions. The massive commercial success of the album (over 5.5 million copies were sold worldwide up to 2007) was attributed in part to it being distributed and promoted via Starbucks coffeehouses, as well as the distribution and marketing relationship between

and the Starbucks Hear Music label. The Starbucks Coffee Company proved to be singularly responsible for nearly thirty-percent of the total domestic sales of the album. Following several certifications of gold, platinum and multi-platinum in the United States during the fall of 2004, ''Genius Loves Company'' earned a triple-platinum sales certification by the

(RIAA) on February 2, 2005. For the week ending September 18, 2004, ''Genius Loves Company'' sold 202,000 copies, ranking second on the ''Billboard'' 200. This was Charles' highest charting album in over 40 years and represented an opening week record for a duets album (since

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

began tracking such statistics in 1991).

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

's 1993 ''

Duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episo ...

'' sold 339,000 during the Christmas week, eight weeks after its 173,500-unit opening. The initial shipment of 733,000 units was an all-time record for the 31-year history of

and the sales represented a Soundscan record for the company. In addition, the album placed at number five on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

for Charles' highest placement since '' A Portrait of Ray'' peaked at fifth in 1968. These albums sales occurred despite digital singles sales that saw 12 of the 13 tracks on the album make the Hot Digital Tracks Top 50 chart. The previous record for most tracks from the same album was 9 by

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by wh ...

with their 2003 '' Greendale'' album. " Here We Go Again" was the download sales leader among the album's tracks, but the 12 tracks totaled 52,000 digital downloads.

Grammy Awards

In December 2004, announcements were made that the album had earned ten

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations. At the

47th Grammy Awards The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004. They were hosted by Queen Lati ...

on February 13, 2005, ''Genius Loves Company'' led the annual ceremony with a total of nine awards, including Album of the Year, while its hit single "Here We Go Again" won a

Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

. Awards won are as listed below: *

Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regar ...

: John Burk, Phil Ramone, Herbert Waltl, Don Mizell (producers), Terry Howard (producer & engineer/mixer), Robert Fernandez, John Harris, Pete Karam, Joel Moss, Seth Presant, Al Schmitt, Ed Thacker (engineers/mixers), Robert Hadley, Doug Sax (mastering engineers) *

Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...

: Ray Charles and various artists *

Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical The Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes: * In 1959, the award was known as Best Engineered Record – Non-Classical * In 1960, it was awarded as Best Engineeri ...

: Robert Fernandez, John Harris, Terry Howard, Pete Karam, Joel Moss, Seth Presant, Al Schmitt & Ed Thacker (engineers) *

Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album The Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album (until 2018: ''Best Surround Sound Album'') was first awarded in 2005, as the first category in a new "Surround Sound" field. This field currently holds the Best Immersive Audio Album award as its s ...

: John Burk (Producer), Al Schmitt (surround mix engineer), Robert Hadley & Doug Sax (surround mastering) *

: John Burk (producer), Terry Howard, Al Schmitt (engineers/mixers), Ray Charles & Norah Jones for "Here We Go Again" *

Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers ...

: Ray Charles and Norah Jones for "Here We Go Again" *

: Ray Charles and Elton John for "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (nominated) *

Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance The Grammy Award for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards descr ...

: Ray Charles & Gladys Knight for "Heaven Help Us All" *

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by ...

: Victor Vanacore (arranger) for "Over the Rainbow" performed by Ray Charles & Johnny Mathis The Album of the Year award was presented to coproducer John Burk, who accepted on behalf of himself and coproducer

Phil Ramone Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business par ...

, who was unable to make the trip to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for the Grammy ceremony. The cover featured an iconic image by photographer

Norman Seeff Norman Seeff (born March 5, 1939, in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a photographer and filmmaker. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative ...

Track listing

In UK, this album was also published as LP record, where track 1 to 7 were on side A and the rest of tracks were on side B.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Certifications

Personnel

*John Acevedo - Viola *John Acosta - Cello *Sai Ly Acosta - Violin *Tawatha Agee - Vocals, Singer *Abbey Anna - Design, Design Consultant *Miguel Atwood - Ferguson Viola *Briana Bandy - Viola *Rick Baptist - Trumpet *Michael Bearden - Keyboards *Leanne Becknell- Oboe *Brian Benning - Violin *Brian Bennison - Copyist *Robert Berg - Viola *Wayne Bergeron - Trumpet *David Blumberg - Arranger, String Arrangements *Charles Boito - Clarinet *Reverend Dave Boruff - Saxophone *Ray Brinker - Drums *Leslie Brown - Violin *John Burk - Producer, Liner Notes, Executive Producer *James Chip Burney - Choir, Chorus *Rosemary Butler - Choir, Chorus *Kristy Cameron - Design *Ray Charles - Piano, Keyboards, Vocals, Author *Daphne Chen - Violin *Elenore Choate - Harp *Tim Christensen - Double Bass *Ronald Clark - Violin *Janey Clewer - Choir, Chorus *Reginald Clews - Violin *

- Author, Guest Appearance *Mark Converse - Percussion *Larry Corbett - Cello *Franklyn d'Antonio - Violin *Charlie Davis - Trumpet *Jill Dell'Abate - Production Coordination *Greg Dennon - Assistant Engineer *Joel Derouin - Violin *Ken Desantis - Assistant Engineer *Steve Deutsch - Digital Editing *George Doering - Guitar *Assa Dori - Concert Master *Kevin Dorsey - Choir, Chorus *Assa Drori - Concert Master *DeAnte Duckett - Choir, Chorus *Chris Dunn - A&R *Clydene Jackson Edwards - Choir, Chorus *Michael Eleopoulos - Assistant Engineer *Alan Ellsworth - Violin *Alicia Engley - Violin *Charles Everett - Violin *Dennis Farias - Trumpet *Charles Fearing - Guitar *Andrew Felluss - Assistant Engineer *Robert Fernandez - Engineer *

Brandon Fields Brandon David Fields (born May 21, 1984) is a former American football punter who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Michigan State University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He ...

- Baritone Saxophone *Kirstin Fife - Violin *Stefanie Fife - Cello *Mark Fleming - Engineer *Ronald Folsom - Violin *Samuel Formicola - Viola *Bruce Fowler - Trombone *Tom Fowler - Bass *Walt Fowler - Trumpet *

James Gadson James Gadson ( James Edward Gadson; born June 17, 1939) is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B. He is also a singer and ...

- Drums *Armen Garabedian - Violin *Berj Garabedian - Violin *Steve Genewick - Assistant Engineer *

Jim Gilstrap James Earl Gilstrap (born November 10, 1946)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American singer, considered one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known for ...

- Choir, Chorus *Suzanna Giordono - Viola *Gary Grant - Trumpet *Nick Grant - Violin *Keith Gretlein - Assistant Engineer *Ken Gruberman - Copyist *Amy Wickman Guerra - Violin *Robert Hadley - Mastering *Larry Hall - Trumpet *Trevor Handy - Cello *John Harris - Engineer *David Hayes - Bass *Xiao Niu He - Violin *Trey Henry - Bass, Double Bass *Scott Higgins - Timpani *Gerry Hilera - Violin *Mary Hogan - A&R *Matt Holland - Trumpet *Terry Howard - Producer, Engineer *Greg Huckins - Flute *Alexander Isles - Trombone *Danny Jacob - Guitar *John Jennings - Photography *

- Author, Guest Appearance *

Bashiri Johnson Bashiri Johnson (born May 12, 1955) is a New York City-based percussionist, whose work has appeared on many records, as well as in commercials, films, television, videogames, and concert performances. He is known to be one of the most recorded ...

- Percussion *

- Piano, Author, Guest Appearance *Tony Kadleck - Trumpet *Hardi Kamsani - Assistant Engineer *Pete Karam - Engineer *Suzie Katayama - Cello *Leslie Brown Katz - Violin *Bill Kaylor - Assistant Engineer *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...

- Drums *Jaroslav Kettner - Violin *Jeff Kievit - Trumpet *David Kilbride - Violin *

- Guitar, Author, Guest Appearance *

- Author, Guest Appearance *Raymond Kobler - Violin *

- Author, Guest Appearance *Irvin "Magic" Kramer - Rhythm Guitar *Johana Krejci - Violin *John Krovoza - Cello *Armen Ksadjikian - Cello *Steve Kujala - Flute *Lisa Laarman - Creative Director *

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

- Bass *

Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitch ...

- Guitar *Timothy Landauer - Cello *Songa Lee - Violin *Tricia Lee - Violin *David R. Legry - Liner Notes *Martha Lippi - Cello *Irene Madison - Choir, Chorus *Paul Manaster - Violin *Shawn Mann - Viola *George Marinelli - Guitar, Photography *Don Markese - Clarinet *Edith Markman - Violin *Michael Markman - Violin *Andrew Martin - Trombone *Fred Martin & the Levite Camp - Choir, Chorus *

Rob Mathes Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ( ...

- Conductor *

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

- Author, Guest Appearance *Robert Matsuda - Violin *Bob McChesney - Trombone *

Clarence McDonald Clarence "Mac" McDonald (1944 or 1945 – July 21, 2021) was a Los Angeles-based American pianist, composer, arranger, and producer. McDonald was known for his musical diversity, enduring melodies and signature groove. His most famous composition ...

- Piano, Arranger * Michael McDonald - Keyboards, Author, Guest Appearance *Joe Meyer - French Horn *Alethea Mills - Choir, Chorus *Jeff Mironov - Guitar *John Mitchell - Bassoon * Don Mizell - Producer *Dennis Molchan - Violin *Suzette Moriarty - French Horn *Charlie Morillas - Trombone *Horia Moroaica - Violin *Chavonne Morris - Choir, Chorus *Seven Morris - Choir, Chorus *

- Author, Guest Appearance *Joel Moss - Engineer *Jennifer Munday - Violin *Vitaliano Napolitano - Photography *

- Guitar, Author, Guest Appearance *Maria Newman - Viola *Aminah Ofumbi - Choir, Chorus *Igor Pandurski - Violin *

Alan Pasqua Alan Pasqua (born June 28, 1952) is an American rock and jazz pianist. He studied at Indiana University and the New England Conservatory of Music. His album ''Standards'' with drummer Peter Erskine was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008. As a ...

- Piano *Todor Pelev - Violin *Shawn Pelton - Drums *Edward Persi - Viola *Robert Peterson - Concert Master *Casey Phariss - Assistant Engineer *Darryl Phinnessee - Choir, Chorus *Andrew Picken - Viola *Charles Pillow - Tenor Saxophone *Vladimir Polimatidi - Violin *Seth Presant - Digital Editing *

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

- Hammond Organ *

- Slide Guitar, Author, Guest Appearance *

- Producer *Shanti Randall - Viola *Michele Richards - Violin *Steve Richards - Cello *David Riddles - Bassoon *Carolyn Riley - Viola *Kathleen Robertson - Violin * John "4 Daddman" Robinson - Drums *Julie Rogers - Violin *Anatoly Rosinsky - Violin *Nancy Roth - Violin *Robert Sanders - Trombone *Tom Saviano - Saxophone *Doug Sax - Mastering *Kenny Scharf - Trumpet *

Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...

- Engineer, Mixing, String Engineer *

- Photography *Richard Shaw - Double Bass *Bob Shepard - Saxophone *Dennis Shirley - Photography *Jaime Sickora - Assistant Engineer *Joel Singer - Assistant Engineer *Jamie Siskkora - Assistant Engineer *Patricia Skye - French Horn *Bill Airey Smith - Assistant *Wally Snow - Percussion *Kurt Snyder - French Horn *Joe Soldo - Contractor *Jay Spears - Assistant Engineer *Edmund Stein- Violin *Rudolph Stein - Cello *David Stenske - Violin, Viola *Dave Stone - Double Bass *Joseph Stone - Horn (English), Oboe *

- Author, Guest Appearance *Ed Thacker - Engineer *

Vaneese Thomas Vaneese Yseult Thomas (born August 24, 1952) is an American R&B, jazz and soul blues singer, best known for her 1987 US ''Billboard'' R&B chart hit single, "Let's Talk It Over". In addition, in more recent times, she has supplied backing vocal ...

- Vocals, Singer * Michael Thompson - Guitar *

Fonzi Thornton Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is a U.S. songwriter/producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the recordings of Are ...

- Vocals, Singer *Darrell Thorp - Assistant Engineer *Raymond Tischer - Viola *Richard Todd - French Horn *Kevan Torfeh - Cello *Francisco Torres - trombone *Mike Vaccaro - Contractor *David Vanacore - Score Assistance *Victor Vanacore - Arranger, Score Assistance *Karl Vincent - Double Bass *Irina Voloshina - Violin *

Randy Waldman Randy Waldman (born September 8, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor. In 2019, Waldman's arrangement of the " Spider-Man Theme" on his ''Superheroes'' album garnered the Grammy Award f ...

- Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Rhythm Arrangements *David F. Walther - Viola *Herbert Waltl - Producer *Jennifer Walton - Violin *Zheng Wang - Violin *Clarissa Watkins - Choir, Chorus *Dynell Weber - Violin *John West - Choir, Chorus *Ken Wild - Double Bass *Martin Winning - Tenor Saxophone *North Wood - Violin *Terry Woods - Choir, Chorus *Margaret Wooten - Violin *Alwyn Wright - Violin *Phil Yao - French Horn *Ken Yerke - Violin *Yang-Qin Zhao - Cello

Notes

References

External links

Song by song analysis by Ray Charles - CD notes at Discogs.comGenius Loves Company : Ray Charles : Concord Music Group
{{Authority control 2004 albums Ray Charles albums Hear Music albums Albums produced by Phil Ramone Vocal duet albums Albums published posthumously Grammy Award for Album of the Year Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical