Question: Ray Charles FAQ -- "What'd I Say"
Answer: If you've seen the movie "Ray," the version there is essentially correct; Ray Charles' biggest hit, "What'd I Say," was made up at one in the morning during a gig. The band, which was huge and required arrangements for everyone to do his part, had simply run out of songs to play. But the crowd demanded more, and there were ten minutes left in the set that the group was contractually obligated to play. So Ray began playing something on his electric piano, and instructed the band, including the Raelettes, to follow his lead. Incorporating blues couplets, Latin rhythms, and gospel "call-and-response" with his girls, the song tore the house down. When the group returned to New York a few months later, they cut it as it was -- although it only comes out to 6:28, not ten minutes, on record.
