Ray Charles On The Joey Bishop Show (1968, 1969)

Ray with Joey Bishop.

The Joey Bishop Show had a few runs, in different formats – first as a sitcom broadcast by NBC (1961–64) and CBS (1964–65), then as a late night talkshow aired from April 1967 to December 1969, taped at the ABC Studios in Hollywood. Ray Charles guested at least four times in the 1968 and 1969 seasons.
I don’t know if the shows have survived on video, but a friend recently send me an audio tape (with an acceptable sound quality) with Ray’s contributions to the first three shows listed below.

1.In the show of  March 26, 1968 (the Atlanta Daily World announced the show for March 21), Ray played two rare medleys, and he accompanied George Burns on 2 tunes:

1. I’ve Got A Woman (with Für Elise intro)/Hallelujah I love Her So/What’d I Say

2. I Can’t Stop Loving You/Georgia On My Mind 

3. Ain’t Misbehavin’ – George Burns with Ray Charles (p)

4. Willie The Weeper – George Burns with Ray Charles (p)

For the medleys he was backed by Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Jack Sterling on drums. George Burns’ renditions of the 3d and 4th tune were part of a not-so-funny stand-up; Charles had a minor role, both talking and playing the piano.

2.On July 18, 1968 Ray performed:

1. You Made Me Love You
2. The Bright Lights And You Girl

3. I Can’t Stop Loving You (with Joey Bishop)

He was backed by the Johnny Mann orchestra, again with Ellis, Brown, and Sterling as the rhythm section. 

3.On February 20, 1969 Brother Ray came back to play:

1. Sweet Lorraine

2. Jazz jam (with Johnny Mann band and trio w. Ray Brown)

Sweet Lorraine got an extremely delicate treatment in Ray’s best Nat Cole mode, again supported by the Johnny Mann orchestra, Ellis and Brown, but this time with Louie Bellson on drums. The Genius then, to his obvious pleasant surprise, was lured into a great jazz jam with the orchestra and the trio.

The rendition of Lorraine is a hapax in Ray’s oeuvre. If the video mother tape of the show still exists, it certainly deserves a record release.

4.The precise contents of the show on August 26, 1969 are unknown to me, except for the guest list, with Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows and Billy Preston. I suppose Ray performed (something) together with the latter. I doubt if any footage of this show has survived.