Ray Page #4

Of the river

Where we'll meet

to part no more

I pray

I pray

Be free from now on

Pray to you, Lord

Where our true ones

have gone

Gone before

Gone before

We will stand on the banks

of the river

Where we'll meet

to part no more

Ray, come on, let me put this

salve on I got from Dr. McLeod.

No, I don't like it.

It stings.

Boy, get up here.

I paid a whole dollar for it.

It better work.

Now hold up your head,

like the doctor says.

This is gonna

make you feel better.

Ray, come on in

for dinner.

And stop rubbin' those eyes.

Ray, I won't beat around

the bush with you.

You're goin' blind.

The doctor's sayin' there's nothing they

can do, so we got to do it ourselves.

Yes, ma'am, I know, but...

Stop it.

Stop it right now.

We ain't got no time

for no tears.

Ain't nobody gonna

have no pity on you

just 'cause

you're goin' blind.

Now wipe them eyes.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, I'll show you

how to do something once.

I'll help you

if you mess up twice.

But the third time,

you're on your own,

'cause that's the way

it is in the world.

All right,

now get up.

Remember, you goin' blind,

but you ain't stupid.

Remember how many stairs

there were?

Four.

Good. You're gonna have to

learn how to use your memory.

Now turn around.

I want you

to hold out your hands,

and use them as your eyes,

and find the door.

Good.

That's real good, baby.

Hi.

Baby,

let me hold your hand

Till I make you understand

Oh, baby

Let me hold your hand

I really true believe

This fool makes one record, and

you'd think he's the star of the band.

Well, he's got somethin',

ain't he?

His wax won't

even hit the charts.

You're still the man.

I want you to know

I'm in love

She wasn't that fine.

There's somethin'

wrong with you.

No, man, she's fine. She's

fine. You leave her alone.

Look at Ray.

You see that?

He feels her wrist

'cause he figures

that's the way to tell

if she's good-looking or not.

You know I had my eye on you

all night long.

Oh, he right this time.

See what a little fame does

to Null and Void?

Anybody see that fine-looking

gal in the yellow dress?

You hear this man?

You snooze, you lose.

We gonna dock your pay, man.

That's $2 off of your busride.

Baby,

I want you by my side

I do

I want you to know

Our love

we will never hide

Oh, no, no, no

All right, who's next?

It's a shame, Jimmy.

You're just gonna

piss this right up your arm.

You don't tell me

what to do with my money.

All right, come on. Step up.

The $1 sensation.

You wanna keep counting?

What's the matter with you,

boy?

$50 ain't good enough for you?

That ain't $50. Keep counting.

I guess you want charity, since

that record of yours ain't selling.

Get him off my back!

Break it up!

What the hell's

going on in here?

The blind sensation don't like

the money I'm trying to pay him!

He's cheating me! I quit!

Oh, you lying son of a b*tch!

Don't be fighting nobody

that can see!

Listen, I ain't runnnin' around

lookin' for singles for this chump!

There's $50 here, Ray.

You see that, fool?

Shut up, Wilbur! Ray, from now

on, I'll handle your pay myself.

I'm tired of this!

I'll tell Jack to

find you somebody else!

You sure?

It's cold out there.

Don't worry about me,

I can take care of myself.

Ray!

Damn it, Wilbur!

Let him go!

What we gonna do now?

"After the death of Moses, the

Lord spake unto Joshua saying:

"'Moses my servant is dead.

"'Now therefore arise.

Go over to Jordan.

"'Be not afraid,

For the Lord thy God

is with thee."'

Mr. Charles.

Who is it?

Mr. Charles,

my name is Ahmet Ertegun.

May I have

a moment of your time?

What do you want, man?

I'm at church.

I'm sorry.

I'll come back later.

You're here now.

What do you want?

My company, Atlantic Records,

has acquired

your contract

from Swing Time.

I'd like

to discuss your future.

Hold on. Don't jive me now.

I ain't for sale.

May I sit down?

You see, Mr. Charles,

Jack Lauderdale

has found himself,

shall we say,

a little overextended,

and has had to

unload some of his talent.

When your name

came up, I jumped at

the chance to work with you.

I'm a big fan.

What if I want to go

to another company?

There's a guy out there right

now that is willing to pay me

seven cents a record.

Can you do that?

Man, I could promise you

15 cents a record,

but you won't get it any

more than he'll pay you seven.

What I will do is promise

you five cents a record

and pay you five cents

a record.

If you think pennies,

Mr. Charles, you get pennies.

You think dollars,

you get dollars.

I like how you put

things together, man.

Ahem, you know what?

Omelet,

you're all right with me.

Ahmet.

Ahmet.

What kind of name is that?

I'm Turkish.

Well, you know what?

I guess Jack Lauderdale's

bad luck is my good fortune.

I knew that Atlantic Records

was bigger than Swing Time.

You guys do good music.

I dig Atlantic.

You could have fooled me.

Well, you know, I gotta

keep my eye on you city boys.

Down home,

we call it "country dumb."

Hey, man, it ain't Turkish.

Went to see my sweetheart

Last night around

about ten

She said, move, sweet papa

Squeeze me

every now and then

What do you think?

Man, nobody wants

another Nat King Cole.

'Cause she sleep that way

The midnight hour

Has found me lonely

So unhappy

As I can be

Ahmet, it's just

like Charles Brown.

Okay, I'll talk to him.

All right, fellas, that's

a cut. That's a cut, fellas.

Fellas!

Band can take five.

He just don't get it.

You either sound original,

or you got nothin'.

Ahmet,

what'd you think of that?

Ray, I want to tell you something,

and I don't want you to take it wrong.

Then give it to me right.

I signed you because I sensed

something special in you

not because you sound like

Nat Cole or Charles Brown.

I thought you like what I do.

We... we love the timbre

of your voice,

we like your virtuosity,

your energy...

But not my music.

Come on, man,

I didn't say that.

Ahmet, this is what I do, man.

I gotta make a living.

This is what the people want.

I don't know no other way.

We got to help you find one.

Look, let's try a little

change of pace, okay?

You're familiar

with stride piano?

You kidding me, man? The man who I

learned the piano from is a stride player.

Okay, I got a song.

It's called The Mess Around.

The Mess Around.

Cute title. Who wrote it?

I did.

Ah, you wrote it.

Yeah.

Well, sing it to me, man.

Sing it?

Yeah.

It ain't like

I can read the lyrics.

Okay.

Well, it's the key of G.

Okay. Key of G.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Yeah, but it's a kind of

Pete Johnson thing.

Pete Johnson.

Yeah, yeah, that's it.

You like that?

Here we go. Two, three, four.

You can talk

about the pit barbecue

The band was jumpin',

the people, too

They're doin'

the mess around

They're doin'

the mess around

They're doin'

the mess around

Everybody doin'

the mess around

All right, that's good.

Let me take it from here.

Now this band's gonna

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