Ray Charles also celebrated his birthday in September; The Genius Of Soul would have been 75 this year. To observe the occasion, Rhino offers a pair of releases as bookends to the late music legend’s career. In the beginning were the Atlantic years -- when the then-unknown singer stepped out of the shadow of such influences as Nat King Cole to forge a dynamic blend of gospel, R&B, jazz, and pop that was uniquely his own. Now you can hear Ray’s work from that era in its entirety on Pure Genius—The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959).

Through seven CDs and a DVD, this compelling 164-track collection traces Charles’ growth into a chart-topping icon. Alongside such classics as “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” “I’ve Got A Woman,” “Drown In My Own Tears,” and “What’d I Say Parts I & II,” the set includes almost an hour of never-before-released music, dialog, and improvisations. The DVD features a previously unseen performance of Charles at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 2, 1960, along with remembrances from Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. The Complete Atlantic Recordings is beautifully packaged in a ’50s-style record player case with an 80-page linen-bound book featuring notes by David Ritz (whom Ray chose to cowrite his 1978 autobiography).

One of Ray Charles’ final requests before his passing in 2004 was that the songs he recorded in 1998 for an album of superstar duets be completed and released. On Genius & Friends, Brother Ray and his partners are in stellar form as they trade lines on 14 memorable songs. Produced by Phil Ramone (who helmed Charles’ multi-platinum Grammy-winner Genius Loves Company), these beautifully crafted masters have been completed by acclaimed vocalists spanning three generations. Among the greats harmonizing with Ray are Mary J. Blige, Chris Isaak, Leela James, Alicia Keys, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Idina Menzel, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Laura Pausini, Diana Ross, Angie Stone, and Ruben Studdard.

As last year’s hit movie Ray made clear, the Ray Charles story is nothing less than the story of American popular music itself. You can see the opening and closing chapters of that story at http://www.rhino.com/artists/raycharles/