Artist	Song
Van Morrison	Crazy Love
from Moondance (2007)
Rod Stewart	'Till There Was You
from As Time Goes By - The Great American Songbook, Vol. II (2003)
Norah Jones	Cold Cold Heart
from Come Away With Me (2002)
Aretha Franklin	(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
from The Best of Aretha Franklin (2009)
Joe Cocker	The Letter
from Mad Dogs & Englishmen (Live 1970 Fillmore East) [Deluxe Edition] (2005)
Billy Preston	Nothing from Nothing
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billy Preston (2002)
Bobby "Blue" Bland	Turn On Your Love Light
from Bobby Blue Band: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 - The Duke Recordings (2007)
Billy Joel	The River of Dreams
from River of Dreams (1993)
Taylor Hicks	The Right Place
from Taylor Hicks (2006)
Engelbert Humperdinck	Release Me
from Gold: Engelbert Humperdinck (2005)
Joss Stone	Some Kind of Wonderful
from The Soul Sessions (2003)
Stevie Wonder	Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
from Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection (2002)
The Animals	We Gotta Get Out of This Place
from Retrospective (2005)
David Newman	Hard Times
from Fathead Ray Charles Presents David Newman (2005)
Ronnie Milsap	Since I Fell for You
from Just for a Thrill (2004)
James Hunter Band	Let Me Know
from Believe What I Say (1996)
Michael McDonald	I Can Let Go Now
from If That's What It Takes (2010)
Steve Winwood	Back In the High Life Again
from Back In the High Life (1986)
Raul Malo	Husbands and Wives
from After Hours (2007)
Gregg Allman, Ed Freeman & Orchestra	Please Call Home
from Laid Back (2001)

Comment:

Considering the massive shadow he cast over virtually every aspect of pop music, it'd almost be easier to compile a list of people who [i]weren't[/i] influenced by Ray Charles than folks who were. Van Morrison says Ray taught him that "it's not just the singing, it's what goes [i]into[/i] the singing," and on "Crazy Love" the poet laureate of Belfast opens a window into his surprisingly vulnerable heart. (Also, be sure to check out Van's duet with The Man Himself in our Duets playlist.) Not only did Norah Jones tear a chapter from Ray's playbook by blurring the lines between jazz, blues, country, and soul; she's even dipped into some of the same sources for inspiration in her sultry vamp on Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart." And the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, unites the gospel spirit's fire with a rather more earthy desire in "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." But don't stop there; from Rod Stewart to Taylor Hicks, from Steve Winwood to Joss Stone, we've got all of Ray's musical admirers, apprentices, and offspring right here.

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