Henry Stone Music’s Ray Charles Recordings (Miami Herald 2005)

“COCONUT GROVE Music company wins Ray Charles’ recordings. A Coconut Grove music company won ownership of four 1951 master recordings by Ray Charles after a default judgment against the late singer’s company because representatives failed to respond to the civil lawsuit. Henry Stone Music claimed Ray Charles recorded the songs “Walkin’ & Talkin’,” “I’m Wonderin’ and Wonderin’,” “I Found My Baby There,” and “Why Did You Go?” at Henry Stone’s Miami studio in 1951 when he was young and poor. Stone said he paid Charles for the recordings, but never signed a contract with him. “In those years we didn’t draw up contracts,” Stone said Monday. “Ray Charles at that time was just a very good singer. I released the record and it did fairly well.” Ray Charles Enterprises said they didn’t attend the hearing because they dispute the fact the Stone is the owner of the recordings, “We have had no written assurance that we would consider acceptable to show any contracts, to show any legal ownership,” said Jerry Digney, spokesman for Ray Charles Enterprises. According to the lawsuit, the records were released in 1951  or 52 on Stone’s Rockin Record label and were rereleased in 2004, just after the movie Ray came out. ”

TUESDAY , APRIL 5. 2005 I 102ND YEAR , NO. 203 I ©2005 THE MIAMI HERALD