The Raelettes

As the longtime backing singers behind R&B immortal <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Ray Charles</a>, the Raelettes deftly navigated the tightrope separating the sacred and the profane, infusing their gospel-inspired call-and-response vocals with a powerful eroticism that vaulted <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a> to new levels of commercial and creative triumph. The roots of the Raelettes lie in another girl group, <a href="spotify:artist:1xbffduk2SYqON9nXu6jLt">the Cookies</a>, formed in Brooklyn in 1954 by vocalists Earl-Jean McCrea, Margie Hendrix, and Pat Lyles. After making their debut by taking top honors at the famed Apollo Theater's Amateur Night, <a href="spotify:artist:1xbffduk2SYqON9nXu6jLt">the Cookies</a> signed to Atlantic Records, backing <a href="spotify:artist:0V6zo2mJw9FdwWLClKC9yw">LaVern Baker</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1DTgcOxytJHD8p17mhSgd7">Big Joe Turner</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4EYVgfZJ8wKXWmIvCx3gOY">Ruth Brown</a> in addition to recording as headliners, scoring an R&B Top Ten hit with 1956's "In Paradise." In the meantime, <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a> recruited vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:7I7qDtr92tuTHyco6x3iTW">Mary Ann Fisher</a> to join him on duets, and when Atlantic session producer Jesse Stone introduced him to <a href="spotify:artist:1xbffduk2SYqON9nXu6jLt">the Cookies</a>, the singer simply added <a href="spotify:artist:7I7qDtr92tuTHyco6x3iTW">Fisher</a> to their lineup and rechristened the group the Raelettes, the name supposedly a not-so-subtle reference to <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a>' infamous infidelities -- that is, they had to "let <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Ray</a>." When <a href="spotify:artist:7I7qDtr92tuTHyco6x3iTW">Fisher</a> and Hendrix opted to remain with <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a> full-time, the remaining <a href="spotify:artist:1xbffduk2SYqON9nXu6jLt">Cookies</a> returned to their own recording career, creating an opening for Della Bea Robinson and Darlene McRae to join the Raelettes. Robinson would go on to become <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a>' second wife, although with Hendrix he also fathered a son, Charles Wayne; regardless of what went on off-stage, however, the Raelettes' musical contributions are undeniable. Their interplay with <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a> captures a palpable sexuality remarkable for its time, and it is impossible to imagine classics like "The Right Time," "What'd I Say," or "Hit the Road, Jack" scaling such heights without their involvement. When <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a> founded his Tangerine label in 1965, the Raelettes also recorded as headliners, releasing a series of singles including "That Goes to Show You," "You Have a Way with Me," and "Bad Water." A few were minor R&B chart hits, but the group's revolving-door lineup (famous alumni include <a href="spotify:artist:2i1IdHG5w0wiSmJGoqAGlj">Minnie Riperton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:71cyZ6pH0KrM2MdtO8RGmy">Merry Clayton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7IJN5W36bU8LT1UgcHolZw">Edna Wright</a>, and latter-day <a href="spotify:artist:57bUPid8xztkieZfS7OlEV">Supreme</a> <a href="spotify:artist:6Ofsn6Qqjj1BAgpbwmu6pR">Susaye Greene</a>) effectively crippled its momentum. Onetime Stax solo artist <a href="spotify:artist:2WKCi6dbtPIPiUzqSJWKRn">Mable John</a> assumed lead vocal duties in 1970, authoring the Raelettes hit "I Wanna Do Everything for You" and helming the group on a Far East tour independent of <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a>; when she left the lineup in 1976 to attend ministry school, the Raelettes returned to the background for good, with various lineup iterations backing <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Charles</a> until his 2004 death. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi