The Raelettes: Hits and Rarities (1993)

As the longtime backing singers behind Ray Charles, the Raelettes deftly navigated the tightrope separating the sacred and the profane, infusing their gospel-inspired call-and-response vocals with a powerful eroticism that vaulted Charles to new levels of commercial and creative triumph. The roots of the Raelettes lie in another girl group, the Cookies, formed in 1954 by vocalists Earl-Jean McCrea, Margie Hendrix, and Pat Lyles. Later on, Mary Ann Fisher would join the group and the new lineup would be rechristened the Raelettes. When Fisher and Hendrix opted to remain with Charles full-time, the remaining Cookies returned to their own recording career, creating an opening for Della Bea Robinson and Darlene McRae to join. The Raelettes' musical contributions are undeniable: it is impossible to imagine classics like ‘The Right Time,’ ‘What'd I Say,’ or ‘Hit the Road, Jack’ scaling such heights without their involvement. Although they never gained fame for their own singles, they actually had a number of pop and R&B hits, but the group's revolving-door lineup - famous alumni include Minnie Riperton, Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Edna Wright, latter-day Supreme Susaye Greene and Mable John - effectively crippled its momentum. This Italian compilation collects all of the Raelettes’ singles plus some rarities recorded for the Tangerine label between 1967 and 1972. ‘I'm Getting 'Long Alright’, featured here, was their only top 40 appearance; other cuts like ‘One Hurt Deserves Another’/ ‘Bad Water’ and ‘I Want To (Do Everything For You)’ all cracked the hot 100, but deserved better. Highlights would have to be the tough as nails version of Charles' ‘Leave My Man Alone’ and their heartbreaking take on Jimmy Cliff's ‘Many Rivers to Cross’, but honestly this set is just fantastic from start to finish, filled with many hard-to-find gems. http://www.allmusic.com/, http://www.rootsandrhythm.com/, http://www.amazon.com/

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The Raelettes (Vernita Moss, Susaye Green, Mable John, Dorothy Berry & Estella Yarbrough) with Ray Charles singing 'Shake' on The Dick Cavett Show, 1972:

Ray Charles and the original Raelettes introducing 'Hit the Road Jack' to the American TV audience. This would later be one of the biggest hits for Charles: