Roots of R&B: Charles Brown & Ray Charles episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 30, 2025 · 49 MIN

Roots of R&B: Charles Brown & Ray Charles

from Fresh Air

All week we're revisiting archival interviews with key figures in early rock and roll, rockabilly and R&B. We listen back to a 1989 interview with singer and pianist Charles Brown. Brown is credited with creating an expressive style of music that blended rough Texas blues with the soft glamour of Hollywood. And we revisit a 1998 interview with soul singer Ray Charles, who helped shape American music, beginning with his 1955 hit, “I Got a Woman.”See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 30, 2025

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Roots of R&B: Charles Brown & Ray Charles

0:00 49:06

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Fresh Air?

This episode is 49 minutes long.

When was this Fresh Air episode published?

This episode was published on August 30, 2025.

Can I download this Fresh Air episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!