64 years ago today, Ray Charles got his third #1 record when I Can’t Stop Loving You topped the charts.
The song itself not originally released as a single. The story of how it came to be released is an interesting one. Songfacts.com tells the story:
Charles was known as a gospel and R&B singer, but he defied convention and decided to record an album of country and western songs. His producer, Sid Feller, put together tapes containing about 150 classic country songs so Charles could choose which ones to record. Included on the tapes was “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” which Charles remembered from when he would listen to The Grand Ole Opry.
The resulting album, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, was wildly successful, selling about 700,000 copies the first month it was released. For Ray Charles, country and R&B were a natural fit. “You take country music, you take black music, it’s exactly the same thing,” he said.
At first, this was not released as a single, but many DJs played it from the album and it started getting popular. A white singer named Tab Hunter heard Charles’ version and recorded his own, which was rushed out as a single. This infuriated Charles, so ABC Records quickly edited down the 4-minute album version and released it as a single with lots of publicity, including a full page ad in Billboard magazine. Charles’ version became a huge hit and went to #1 on the US Pop, R&B and Easy Listening charts.
The song would go on to win the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording in 1963.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 