Ray Charles: soul of the Holy Land

United States, 1973

Film
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Lost documentary concert footage of the great Ray Charles shot during a tour to Tel Aviv and historic religious sites in 1973. Not uncovered until 30 years after being filmed, Ray and his big band (also featuring some awesome back-up singers the “Raylettes”) give a great performance of blues, soul and even a couple of Beatles tunes. Segments of the concerts are intercut with footage of Ray visiting religious sites and mixing with the locals. Note that some of the film is a bit scratchy due to the archival nature of footage. Tracks include “Let the good times roll”, “Yesterday”, “Shake” and “I can’t stop loving you”.

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