Fact #111926
When:
Short story:
Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand by Ray Charles peaks at No5 on Billboard
Full article:
Ahmet Ertegun : At the time I went after Ray Charles, no one was looking for Ray Charles. Ray Charles had made some records but they didn't sell. In 1949 or '50, I heard "Baby, Let me Hold Your Hand" once and I said this is the most fabulous singer alive today. A booking agent named Billy Shaw said to me, "We have Ray Charles but we can't book him as a headliner. Do you think you can make hit records with him?" and I said, "I know I can make hit records with him." Now you must realize that I was the only one who thought so.
When he came to our office I said, "Ray Charles, you are the greatest singer. You're the greatest piano player. Man," I said, "you are home now!" And he said, "Man nobody's ever talked to me like that before." In those days, I was living in Harlem.
(Source : interview by Ann Louise Bardach, Slate, Feb 25, 2005)
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When he came to our office I said, "Ray Charles, you are the greatest singer. You're the greatest piano player. Man," I said, "you are home now!" And he said, "Man nobody's ever talked to me like that before." In those days, I was living in Harlem.
(Source : interview by Ann Louise Bardach, Slate, Feb 25, 2005)