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TOP 1200 CHOICE TRACKS

#326 SHAKE YOUR TAILFEATHER Ray Charles & The Blues Brothers
The cult classic 'The Blues Brothers' is a 1980 timeless movie starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues. Its soundtrack is a time capsule of R&B giants, including James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, various members of Booker T & The MGs and Ray Charles. The latter's contribution is 1 of the film's highlights, as an impromptu celebration erupts outside Ray's Music Exchange. 
"Shake Your Tailfeather" is made a credible key scene thanks to Charles' performance. It is better known by the title "Shake A Tailfeather". The song's origins date back to 1963 when the original version was recorded by The Five Du-Tones. The song had been written by Andre Williams, Otis Hayes and Verlie Rice. James and Bobby Purify scored a bigger hit with their tamer remake of the song 4 years later.
The Blues Brothers' version was produced by Bob Tischler and features Belushi and Aykroyd on vocals behind Charles. This cover features the legendary musician name-checking various dance moves, including the Mashed Potato, the Twist, the Watusi, the Bird, The Boogaloo, the Monkey and the Fly. 
Charles, born in 1930, remains 1 of the key figures in popular music, highly influential in the creation of the soul genre. Glaucoma caused his blindness at the age of 6, he adapted the call and response of the church into secular R&B and crafted landmark recordings that included "What'd I Say", "Hit the Road Jack", "Georgia on my Mind" and "I Got A Woman". In 2004, he died of liver disease, just months before the release of the film 'Ray' which earned Jamie Foxx a Best Actor Oscar in the title role. 
The Blues Brothers began as part of the long-running US institution "Saturday Night Live". The 2 characters were created by Belushi and Aykroyd. After the film's release in 1980, the former died of an accidental drug overdose. A sequel to the film hit cinemas in 1998 with Aykroyd alongside John's brother Jim Belushi. 

This is a list made up of the songs I enjoy the most, ranked in order of preference: the higher we go, the more I cherish them. Some were released as singles, others as album tracks. Some are obscure; others were worldwide hits or have universal appeal. They aren't always the most famous or popular, but simply a personal choice. I have excluded songs from the last few years in order to get a better idea of a song's lasting impression. I hope you find some new tracks to love, or re-discover some past favourites.
2 new songs are added each day (every 12 hours)  with a mid-week bonus every Wednesday.