WNAP Indianapolis Salutes Ray Charles, 1970 (16:33)

. . . If I had to take any records with me, I'd probably just say forget the whole thing, I don't want to be bothered . . .

[Description by Uncle Ricky]

This special REELRADIO feature was composited from three different sources. It begins with a portion of The History of Rock and Roll, as broadcast in Indianapolis on WNAP in August of 1970. Contributor Dan Kincaid wrote that his recording was on quarter-track reel at 3-3/4 IPS. When Dan contributed it to REELRADIO in 1999, he transferred the reels to HI-FI VHS.

A montage of Ray Charles Music, comments from Ray Charles, three of his classic hits, and narration are included. Who narrated this version of the legendary special? If WNAP was not an RKO station, was it one of the first non-RKO stations to broadcast this special? The reverb you'll hear on this part of the feature is the authentic WNAP reverb in use at the time of broadcast.

The HORR segment is followed by a brief excerpt of ABC Radio News from June 10, 2004, the date of Charles' passing. You'll hear a comment from Stevie Wonder, followed by a rendition of America The Beautiful, performed by "The Genius" — Ray Charles.