1962's Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music is regarded by many as Ray Charles' finest studio album. A departure from his earlier work for ABC and Atlantic, this LP features Charles' reworkings of country standards in his inimitable pop-R&B style. In addition to being a damn fine album, it was also a landmark release as it bridged the racial divide between country music and R&B and also marked one of the earliest albums where a black artist had complete creative and production control over their own recordings. A truly monumental piece of 20th century American music history, one that is essential to any collector of R&B or country!