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RAY CHARLES

Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)

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"...this landmark set captures the evolution of one of the great stylists in all of American pop..." -- Los Angeles Times

Ray Charles is an American legend beyond compare. This deluxe eight-disc box set proves it by encompassing Ray's entire Atlantic Records repertoire on the first six CDs. Additionally, the set includes an entire disc (27 tracks, all but three previously unreleased) of outtakes, live recordings, and alternate versions. Plus, there's a bonus DVD that features Ray live at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 and an exclusive interview with Ahmet Ertegun, conducted by Ray Director Taylor Hackford. Special packaging features a record player-style box and a linen-bound hardback book.

A ten-time Grammy-winning superstar who virtually single-handedly laid the groundwork for soul music, Ray Charles proved his mastery with countless jazz, country, R&B, and pop masterpieces as well. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the first year that the honor was created, and his extraordinary career spanned seven decades. Ray's remarkable life was celebrated in the Oscar-winning 2004 biopic Ray, and now the Genius shines in this comprehensive collection of his seminal Atlantic output. As preeminent music writer David Ritz notes inside, "These are the historic years of his creative explosion, the time when he reinvented himself as a musical revolutionary. These records will live forever." 

Selection # 74731

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