Ray Charles Is In Town – Chronology 1976
1976
America The Beautiful peaks at #98 on R&B chart.
Porgy And Bess (with Cleo Laine) peaks at #138 on Pop Album Chart.
Interviewed for Australian television. See this.
Performing guest on A Touch Of Gold. See this.
January 1976
On tv show A Touch Of Gold. See this.
‘Soul of Amercica’ commercial for McDonnalds.
7 January 1976
Toronto [? according to photo caption, but unusal date for a concert].
Embed from Getty Images“Ray Charles… he made it a concert”. Photo by Reg Innell/Toronto Star/ Getty Images.
25 January 1976
Performing on Celebration: The American Spirit (air date), filmed on Hollywood hilltop. See this.
February 1976
Release of the single America the Beautiful / Sunshine.
Presenter at 9th Annual NAACP Image Awards at Hollywood Palladium.
28 February 1976
Wins Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Grammy award for Living For The City. See this.
??4 March 1976??
Fundraiser for Jackie Wilson at Hollywood Palladium (Ray was announced, but probably didn’t make it).
25 March 1976
On The Tonight Show. See this.
5 April 1976
Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg MB; read review here.
7 April 1976
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary AB
9 April 1976
On The Comedy In America Report. See this.
13 April 1976
In Chicago, receiving Music Icon Goodwill Award from Richard S. Bull:
12 – 18 April 1976
Guest on The Hollywood Squares (air dates). See this.
On or around 16 April 1976
At his auditorium, probably in St. Petersburg (FA):
17 April 1976
Two concerts for inmates of Sybil Brand Institute for Women (women’s jail), Los Angeles CA.
19 April 1976
National Arts Center, Ottawa ON (“rip-off”; read this and this).
20 to 23 April 1976
Recording Porgy & Bess with Cleo Laine at RCA Recording Studio in Hollywood.
25 April 1976
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo NY.
28 April 1976
“In Celebration” benefit concert at Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
30 April 1976
Co-hosting Midnight Special (air date). See this.
Carnegie Hall, New York City NY.
3 to 9 May 1976
Latin Casino (with B.B. King), Cherry Hill NJ.
14 May 1976
Headlining the Bob Hope Bicentennial Preakness Spectacular at the Civic in Baltimore, MD.
17 May 1976
Meets Billy Carter. See this.
25 to 31 May 1976
Bachelors III Club, Fort Lauderdale CA.
3 June 1976
On Mike Douglas Show. See this.
10 June 1976
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco CA.
11 June 1976
Charity concert for the Life Institute For The Blind; with The Four Tops and Dorothy Moore.
12 – 13 June 1976
Grove, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles CA.
13 June 1976
Hutchinson.
14 June 1976
Assembly Hall, Champaign IL.
20 June 1976
The Brothers Four, Nashua (“Superb”; read revies here).
19 June 1976
Benefit at Olympia Stadium in Detroit canceled, but Charles’manager “doesn’t want to acquire a no-show reputation” and demands $ 7.750 payment (later suing them for an additional $ 6.000).
20 June 1976
The Brothers Four, Nashua NH.
22 June 1976
Marc Antony’s Cafe, Hartford CT.
27 June 1976
B’nai B’rith Man of The Year event at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, L.A.
July 1976
Release of album Live In Japan.
Broadcast of third Dick Cavett Show. See this.
2 July 1976
Music Mill Theater, Six Flags Texas TX.
4? July 1976
Circle Star Theatre, San Carlos.
10 July 1976
Kool Jazz Festival, Royals Stadium, Kansas City MO.
11 July 1976
Recording instrumentals for Porgy & Bess at RCA Recording Studio in Hollywood.
Manning Bowl, Lynn MA (with The Four Tops).
16 July 1976
First night of first edition of North Sea Jazz Festival (5,000 visitors). Ray Charles performs at PWA Zaal of Congresgeboouw, in The Hague, receiving $12,000, Count Basie gets $7,500, Lionel Hampton and Sarah Vaughan $6,000.
17 and 18 July 1976
Jazz à Juan festival, Antibes.
20 July 1976
Salon-de-Provence.
22 July 1976
Évian-les-Bains.
24 July 1976
Le Grand Mottey.
26 July 1976
Casino Prado, Sitges; aired on RTVE. See this.
27 July 1976
Arcachon.
30 July 1976
Festival International de Carthage, at Théâtre, Carthage.
3 August 1976
Start of Italian tour in Viareggio. Read this.
4 August 1976
Teatro Bussola Domani, Lido di Camaiore Camaiore. Read review here.
7 August 1976
1st Annual Pontiac Kool Jazz Festival, Pontiac MI, with “6 giant closed-circuit TV screens”.
8 August 1976
Double concert in Versilia.
16 August 1976
At Altromondo in Rimini.
25 August 1976
Paramount Theatre, Portland OR.
26 August 1976
High School Auditorium, Southland.
End of August – early September 1976
Tours North-West, with oncerts Vancouver, Prince George, Fairbanks, Walla Walla, Ocean Shore.
29 August 1976
West High Auditorium, Anchorage AK.
3 September 1976
Paramount-Northwest Theatre, Seattle WA.
12 September 1976
Honorary chairman of tribute to Ella Fitzgerald at NASCD awards dinner at Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills (in other source dated on October 17).
16 – 18 September 1976
Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas NV.
19 September 1976
Paul Anthony’s International Club, Pico Rivera.
26 September 1976
Ostseehalle, Kiel.
27 September 1976
Robert Schumann Saal, Dusseldorf.
28 September 1976
Stuttgart, Liederhalle (taped for a radio broadcast; bootlegged). See this. Photos taken at press conference; read interview here.
October 1976
Release of the single Oh, Lawd, I’m On My Way / Oh Bess, Where’s My Bess (with Cleo Laine).
1 October 1976
Deutsches Museum, Munich (part of the TZ Music Festival 76).
3 October 1976
Deutschlandhalle, Berlin.
5 October 1976
In A Salute To American Imagination (air date). See this.
Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt.
9 October 1976
Southport.
10 or 11 October 1976
Palladium, London.
16 October 1976
Macomb IL.
17 October 1976
Chase-Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis MO.
23 October 1976
Civic Center, Atlanta GA.
27 October 1976
At the Aitken Centre, UNB, Fredericton NB.
“This was a truly rare event – held – to Ray’s expressed amazement, where there was ice covered with carpet, and metal chairs. He said to the audience that if we would sit on those chairs, on ice, to hear him, he was going to do his best concert ever. It was mind blowing.”
November 1976
Release of album Porgy & Bess.
12 to 20 November 1976
Turn of the Century, Denver CO.
14 November 1976
Ft. In The Oscar Peterson Superspecial (air date; taping was in September). See this.
26 November – 2 December 1976
1-week stint at Ontario Place Forum in Toronto ON. Photo here.
5 December 1976
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City NY (2 shows). Read review here.
14 to 20 December 1976
Trojan Horse, Seattle WA.
24 December 1976
With Sara Jordan Powell, in Christmas In Ettal – A Black Ceremony.
31 December 1976
Miami Beach FL.
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