As the longtime backing singers behind R&B immortal
Ray Charles,
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
Charles to new levels of commercial and creative triumph. The roots of
the Raelettes lie in another girl group,
the Cookies, 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,
the Cookies signed to Atlantic Records, backing
LaVern Baker,
Big Joe Turner, and
Ruth Brown in addition to recording as headliners, scoring an R&B Top Ten hit with 1956's "In Paradise." In the meantime,
Charles recruited vocalist
Mary Ann Fisher to join him on duets, and when Atlantic session producer
Jesse Stone introduced him to
the Cookies, the singer simply added
Fisher to their lineup and rechristened the group
the Raelettes, the name supposedly a not-so-subtle reference to
Charles' infamous infidelities -- that is, they had to "let
Ray." When
Fisher and
Hendrix opted to remain with
Charles full-time, the remaining
Cookies 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
Charles' 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
Charles 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
Charles 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
Minnie Riperton,
Merry Clayton,
Edna Wright, and latter-day
Supreme Susaye Greene) effectively crippled its momentum. Onetime Stax solo artist
Mable John 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
Charles; when she left the lineup in 1976 to attend ministry school,
the Raelettes returned to the background for good, with various lineup iterations backing
Charles until his 2004 death. ~ Jason Ankeny