Sample Early Blues by Ray Charles Before His Rise to Fame

The Maxin Trio’s "Confession Blues" became the very first song written by Charles to reach the charts. The song reached a #11 position on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Race Records in 1949. He spent the following years touring with Lowell Fulson as his musical director. That's when the sound of Ray Charles started to toughen with his heartfelt blues moans, backed by horn arrangements—and major label budgets after signing to Atlantic Records in 1952.