The music recordings of American musician Ray Charles include 54 studio albums, 7 live albums, 39 compilations albums, and 127 singles.

Overview

Ray Charles first appeared on a Billboard chart in 1949. At that time, he was part of the Maxin Trio with G.D. McKee and Milton Garred. His first single, "Confession Blues," reached No. 2 on the R&B chart, which was previously known as the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records. In 1952, Charles signed with Atlantic Records and later topped Billboard's pop, country, R&B, jazz, and dance charts.

In the early 1960s, after leaving Atlantic Records to sign with ABC–Paramount, Charles negotiated to own his own master recordings. He also created his own record labels, starting with Tangerine, which later became CrossOver Records. As a songwriter, Charles wrote nearly 200 songs. He also managed his own publishing companies, Tangerine Music and Racer Music.

On the Billboard Hot 100, Charles had 80 songs chart between 1958 (when the chart began) and 1990, when "I'll Be Good to You" became his final Hot 100 single, reaching No. 18. His most successful hit, "I Can't Stop Loving You," spent five weeks at No. 1 in 1962. He also reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 with "Hit the Road Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." Among all artists, Charles charted the third-most singles on the Hot 100; only Elvis Presley (108) and James Brown (91) had more.

On Billboard's R&B chart, Charles had 86 hits, including 11 songs that reached No. 1, such as "I've Got a Woman," "What'd I Say (Part 1)," "Hit the Road Jack," and "You Are My Sunshine."

Charles also reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1985 with "Seven Spanish Angels," a duet with Willie Nelson. The song appears on Charles' duets album, Friendship, which reached No. 1 on Top Country Albums. His 1962 album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, was his first to top the Billboard 200.

In 1990, Charles had a No. 1 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart with "I'll Be Good to You," a collaboration with Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan.

Studio albums

Many collections of Ray Charles's music and "Greatest Hits/Best Of" albums have been created and are still being made and sold by different companies around the world. Some of the most famous collections are:

Singles

In 1949, the McSon Trio (also known as the Maxin Trio and Maxim Trio) released the following songs:

• "I Love You, I Love You (I Will Never Let You Go)" / "Confession Blues"
• "Blues Before Sunrise" / "How Long Blues"
• "A Sentimental Blues" / "You'll Never Miss the Water (Until the Well's Gone Dry)"
• "Alone in the City" / "Can Anyone Ask for More?"
• "Rockin' Chair Blues" / "Let's Have a Ball" (also known as "Here I Am")
• "If I Give You My Love" / "This Love of Mine" (also known as "The Honey Bee")
• "Ain't That Fine" / "Don't Put All Your Dreams in One Basket"

From 1949 to 1953, Ray Charles and The Ray Charles Trio released these songs:

• "I've Had My Fun (Going Down Slow)" / "Sitting on Top of the World (Now She's Gone)" (1949)
• "See See Rider" / "What Have I Done?" (1950)
• "She's on the Ball" / "Honey, Honey" (1950)
• "Th' Ego Song" ("Sweet as Can Be") / "Late in the Evening" (1950)
• "Some Day" (also known as "Worried Life Blues" / "Someday Baby") / "I'll Do Anything but Work" (1950)
• "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" / "All to Myself" (1951)
• "Lonely Boy" / "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951)
• "I'm Glad for Your Sake" / "Kissa Me Baby" (1952)
• "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" / "Hey Now" (1952)
• "Baby Let Me Hear You Call My Name" / "Guitar Blues" (B-side recorded by the Rufus Beacham Orchestra) (1952)
• "I Can't Do No More" / "Roly Poly" (also known as "Back Home") (B-side recorded by the Rufus Beacham Orchestra) (1952)
• "Walkin' and Talkin' to Myself" / "I'm Wonderin' and Wonderin'" (1952)
• "Misery in My Heart" / "The Snow Is Falling (Snowfall)" (1953)

The following list includes songs Ray Charles released while working with the Atlantic label from 1952 to 1980.

The following list includes songs Ray Charles released while working with the ABC-Paramount, ABC, and other labels like Impulse and Tangerine/TRC from 1960 to 1973.

During November 1963 to January 1965, Billboard Magazine did not publish an R&B singles chart. Chart positions listed during this time are from the Cashbox RnB Charts.

The following list includes songs Ray Charles released while working with the CrossOver label from 1973 to 1976.

The following list includes songs Ray Charles released during his time with Columbia Records, which were included on the country singles chart.

The following list includes songs Ray Charles released on various labels, with chart positions noted for both pop and R&B charts.