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1959 Ray Charles records “What’d I Say” at Atlantic Records
The phone call that Ray Charles placed to Atlantic Records in early 1959 went something like this: “I’m playing a song out here on the road, and I don’t know what it is—it’s just a song I made up, but the people are just going wild every time we play it, and I think we ought to record it.” The song Ray Charles was referring to was “What’d I Say,” which went on to become one of the greatest rhythm-and-blues records ever made. Composed spontaneously out of sheer showbiz necessity, “What’d I Say” was laid down on tape on this day in 1959, at the Atlantic Records studios in New York City.
The necessity that drove Ray Charles to invent “What’d I Say” was simple: the need to fill time. Ten or 12 minutes before the end of a contractually required four-hour performance at a dance in Pittsburgh one night, Charles and his band ran completely out of songs to play. “So I began noodling—just a little riff that floated into my head,” Charles explained many years later. “One thing led to another and I found myself singing and wanting the girls to repeat after me….Then I could feel the whole room bouncing and shaking and carrying on something fierce.”
What was it about “What’d I Say” that so captivated the audience at the Pittsburgh dance that night and the rest of humanity ever since then? Charles always thought it was the sound of his Wurlitzer electric piano, a very unfamiliar instrument at the time. Others would say it was the call-and-response in the song’s bridge—all unnnhs and ooohs and other sounds not typically found on the average pop record of 1959. Whatever it was, it worked well enough to become Charles’ closing number from that night in Pittsburgh until his final show.
“You start ‘em off, you get ‘em just first tapping their feet. Next thing they got their hands goin’, and next thing they got their mouth open and they’re yelling, and they’re singin’ and they’re screamin’. It’s a great feeling when you got your audience involved with you.”
“What’d I Say” was a sure-fire hit with live audiences and with record-buyers. It was a #1 R&B hit for Ray Charles in 1959 and a #6 pop hit as well—his first bona fide crossover hit, but certainly not his last.
Source: www.history.com
This summer the plant trials have been riotous in their displays of colors in the recipe section.
One that caught my eye this year was Merry Go Round which was full of colors from the hot side of the color wheel. One featured plant was Campfire Red Ember.
Red Ember is one of the three in the Campfire series. Campfire Marshmallow, Campfire Flame and Campfire Red Ember. They are known botanically as Bidens and are native to Mexico and the Southwest.
I don’t think any of us need the government to tell us groceries are expensive. We know it when we stand in the meat aisle and lower our standards real fast from 90% lean to 80% lean hamburger meat.
Still, the numbers are interesting.
According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report, grocery prices in July were 2.7% higher than they were a year ago. Beef is where things really hurt. Beef prices were up 9.4% from last July, and uncooked ground beef was up 9%.
Chicken, on the other hand, was actually down 2.7% over the same period, which makes it one of the better bargains in the meat case right now.
The BLS average-price survey puts a pound of ground chuck at $6.85 in July. Two years ago, in July 2024, that same national average was $5.47.
So maybe it is time to resurrect something our mothers and grandmothers understood very well.
Read the full On the Table feature in the Sept. 17 Bowie News.
Big-Pan Chicken Spaghetti
A pound of diced chicken can disappear beautifully through an entire pan of pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken, diced
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can Rotel-style tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Cook spaghetti just until tender and drain.
Meanwhile, sauté diced chicken and onion until chicken is cooked through.
Mix spaghetti, chicken, soups, tomatoes, broth, garlic powder and 1 cup cheese. Spread into a greased 13×9 pan.
Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Have half a bag of frozen peas, broccoli or mixed vegetables lingering in the freezer? Throw them in. This is a forgiving recipe.
Serves 8 to 10.
Perfect Score, Director’s Select, Best of the Best and Leader of the Pack are just a few of the awards for Superlophus. I’m also reasonably sure you are thinking: What is a Superlophus?
Superlophus Sunglow is the official name botanically known as an Oenothera commonly called Texas Primrose. That’s right: This golden yellow flower that is a non-stop bloomer and tough-as-nails is a native selection and winner of 15 awards from Canada to Mississippi.
Read the full Garden Guy feature in the Thursday Bowie News.
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