That's How Our Love Will Grow - Trudy Richards & Ray Charles (1951)

This is an example of how giving context to history helps. You have a respected choral director on one side of a duet, and a hopeful chirp wanting to get her first solo record deal on the other during her only trial for the MGM label. This is Ray Charles (the original) and Trudy Richards singing a sappy little number called "That's How Our Love With Grow", a song originally recorded by the Ewing Sisters the year prior. This version was released in March 1951 with the backing of the Joe Lipman Orchestra. Going by credit order, we have Gertrude "Trudy" Richards, born in Manhattan, New York on April 25, 1920. Not much is known about her early upbringing, but by just 10 years old, she had her professional debut on a popular radio program "Horn and Hardart Children's Hour" where she sang and performed for three years. Hanging around a radio station would expose her to all sorts of music over the years. She would take a particular fondness to jazz and its improvisational elements. At 13, she paused her music career to focus on academics, eventually attending Hunter College. She would get back into music after a prank introduction led her to take the stage at nightclub Leon and Eddie's which led to a contract. She would then be picked up to sing with Freddie Slack and his orchestra. Her first credited recording would come in 1949, singing "Gloomy Sunday" with Charlie Barnet's Orchestra. After that and other works with Charlie, she wanted to become a solo artist. She got a trial with MGM in 1951, but ultimately got picked up by Decca in 1952. Through her career, she would sing for other labels like Derby, Manhattan, Ronnex, and finally Capitol in 1956 with which she released her first LP in 1957. She worked with names such as Doc Severinsen, Maynard Ferguson, George Barnes, Pete Rugolo, Artie Shaw, and Dave McKenna and continued to perform throughout New York's night club scene. After her marriage to Henri Moreault, she would relaunch her career, putting out an album a decade into the 1990's. She would pass away in 2008 at the age of 87. Now Charles Raymond Offenberg, aka Ray Charles, is one of those behind the scenes guys with a HUGE impact. Born September 13, 1918 in Chicago, was already singing on the radio at age 13 thanks to a contest, and at just 16, had his own 15 minute radio show. His focus was mainly on singing and choral studies and therefore knew notables like Norman Luboff, Lyn Murray and Ray Bloch, the latter two which he sang for. By 1944, he was doing 10 shows a week and with the growing popularity took the stage name of Ray Charles years before the notable R&B singer of the same name would come along in the early 1950s. In 1947, he became the conductor for the Broadway hit "Finian's Rainbow", conducting the original cast recording for records. He would become associated with Perry Como the following year through his vocal group the Satisfiers. Prior to it's relocation to California, and after its return to New York, Charles sang, arranged and conducted for the Your Hit Parade program for a total of seven years, including when it made its big move to television. Charles and his Ray Charles Singers, a group, credited with the birth of "easy listening", would follow Perry Como to CBS and became a staple on his show for the next 35 years. With his multiple groups of singers, all going by the same moniker, Charles was able to score a few hits as well as a Grammy nom in 1960. Charles even created a small group of singers to send on the road with Perry Como since they had become such an integral part of his act. In the late 60's, Charles would relocate to Hollywood and began writing and arranging for TV work with the likes of Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews, Gene Kelly, and even the other Ray Charles. He became the musical guru to Sha Na Na for three seasons. He and Julia Rinker would sing the theme song for the long running sitcom Three's Company. Charles would eventually wind up in London writing material for The Muppet Show alongside Carol Burnett and Brooke Shields, and even sharing an office with Jim Henson himself who Charles greatly respected. He would go on to become the musical consultant for the Kennedy Center Honors in 1982 which he held until 2014. For his 90th birthday, he gave a small concert at the LA Jazz Bakery where he and singer Lynn Roberts sang their way through songs of World War II. Charles would pass away in 2015 at 96. I also encourage everyone reading this to go read the unabridged versions on sites like "From The Vaults" to really understand Charles' full contribution to music over the near century of his life.