100% RARE Ray Charles-Quincy Jones Narrated 1958-59 Original Demo Recording

Description

Ray Charles–Quincy Jones Narrated Demo Recording (1958–59)

Held within The Vault Reserve, this recording is one of the rarest pieces in our entire collection: an original demo capturing a young Ray Charles speaking and performing directly for Quincy Jones, recorded during the pivotal 1958–59 period of Charles’s early career. This isn’t a commercial pressing or a re-release — it’s a piece of working history, a demo reel exchanged between two artists who would each go on to reshape American music.

The story behind this recording traces back to a defining moment on the West Coast. After saving roughly $600 from live performances, Ray Charles relocated to Seattle, where his path crossed with Quincy Jones — then a teenage trumpeter with big ambitions — and producer Bumps Blackwell, the same producer behind Little Richard’s earliest, genre-defining hits. Charles arrived in Seattle in March 1948, where under Blackwell’s tutelage he met and befriended the then 15-year-old Jones (Study.com) . The two young musicians became inseparable — so close that they gave each other lifelong nicknames, “six-nine” and “seven-oh”, a bond that would outlast their Seattle years entirely.

Charles assembled a stripped-down trio and began gigging locally (The Seattle Times) , and that trio’s sound quickly caught the attention of Jack Lauderdale, head of Downbeat Records and later Swingtime Records, after Lauderdale heard Charles’s pre-recorded version of “Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand.” This very demo reel — the one offered here — was originally recorded for Quincy Jones around 1958–59, and includes Ray Charles’s own spoken commentary directed to Jones, offering a rare, unfiltered glimpse into the creative relationship between two musicians who started out playing late-night sets together in Seattle’s jazz clubs.

Charles’s first single from this era, “Confession Blues,” became his first national hit, launching a career that would go on to define American music for decades. Quincy Jones would go on to become one of the most influential producers, composers, and arrangers in modern history, eventually working across jazz, pop, and film scoring at the highest level. Their friendship and creative partnership continued for the rest of their lives (Study.com) , resurfacing decades later on recordings and collaborations that echoed all the way back to those early Seattle nights.

A recording that captures the two of them together, at this early and formative stage, represents a genuinely significant piece of music history — not a reproduction, not a tribute, but the artifact itself. This is more than a collectible — it is a working artifact from two artists whose partnership would go on to shape decades of American music, offered here in its most complete surviving form for those who value musical history as much as the music itself.

Condition: New

Model/Format: Original Vinyl Recording, digitized for modern delivery

This item is offered exclusively in digital format. Buyers may choose physical CD delivery upon request, or instant electronic delivery straight to their email — typically within 24 hours — available in CD, MP3, or WAV audio format, preserving the full original recording along with Ray Charles’s spoken commentary.

As a Vault Reserve acquisition, this recording sits outside standard Vault Membership access due to its rarity and historical significance. It remains available for individual purchase to any member or guest, regardless of membership status — reflecting its place as one of the most valuable and singular items The Urban Stripmall has ever offered. Only one copy exists today.

For collectors, historians, and serious music enthusiasts, this is an opportunity to own a direct piece of the creative process behind two of the most important figures in American musical history. Questions about authenticity, delivery, or format options — or to order a CD copy — contact us at admin@urbanstripmall.shop. We’re glad to help before or after your purchase.