In February 1959, Ray walked into the studio to record a song that had basically "written itself" during an improvised set in Pittsburgh the year before. "What’d I Say" was a lightning bolt. The Sound: It featured the then-uncommon Wurlitzer electric piano
Put on headphones. Listen to the raw, leaking saxophone on "What'd I Say." Listen to the way he grunts. Listen to the way the backup vocalists—The Raelettes—scream like they are in a Pentecostal church on fire. ray charles 1959
This was not a jump-blues band; this was a vocal band . The horn section played like a choir. They didn't just back up Ray; they answered him. Listen to "Tell the Truth" (1959). The horns don't play a riff; they sing a counter-melody. That is gospel music. That is the birth of Soul. In February 1959, Ray walked into the studio