There was a wonderful skit on Saturday Night Live when Ray Charles was the host. It was from the early years of the show and I hope they replay it again.
Ray Charles was singing and playing the piano, as usual, but the backup group assigned to him for a recording session was "The Young Caucasians", an overly neatly dressed all-American singing group with inappropriate cheerleader-style smiles and playfulness, played by the SNL cast members Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Laraine Newman, etc. Ray's blues/R&B/soul style and material was such a mismatch for the backup group, which you'd more likely see performing at Disneyland, that the skit was hilarious. And it highlighted just how much feeling went into Ray's singing as compared with the plastic manufactured music too many groups produce.
Thanks, Ray, for that laugh and that message.
Ray Charles was singing and playing the piano, as usual, but the backup group assigned to him for a recording session was "The Young Caucasians", an overly neatly dressed all-American singing group with inappropriate cheerleader-style smiles and playfulness, played by the SNL cast members Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Laraine Newman, etc. Ray's blues/R&B/soul style and material was such a mismatch for the backup group, which you'd more likely see performing at Disneyland, that the skit was hilarious. And it highlighted just how much feeling went into Ray's singing as compared with the plastic manufactured music too many groups produce.
Thanks, Ray, for that laugh and that message.
