Eddie Shaw, Original Engineer for Ray Charles Session Circa 1951

“Eddie Shaw, he worked for me. He was the original engineer on the Ray Charles session with me. He was like my right hand man at the time. He worked in my little warehouse on Flagler street. He engineered. He helped with my distribution business.

Back not too long ago, I was having trouble with the Ray Charles Estate, and they wanted to try to get all the masters he was on yknow. So they approached me and they said that Ray Charles owned those masters. I had cut four sides with him back in circa 1950 or 51 for my Rockin’ Records label when he was just another singer nobody knew about.

I says, “Ya kiddin’? We own those masters.”

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Screenshot from the U.S. District Court – Southern District of Florida (flsd) electronic records website

We went to court and we were awarded the judgement. We won the case. We own the masters. We have it on our website. That’s when we re-found Ed Shaw cause he was in the sessions. He was living up in Ocala someplace. We never got together except by phone and computer, but he was a really nice guy.

He was still recording. He did that record with the Indians from Ocala. We had it on our website. He worked in the flea market up there, and had like a little radio show. I remember he was all excited about CD Baby. Eddie Shaw, man, all these names coming up like. Damn. So many memories.”

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