Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder?

[MichaelSherry59]

I didn't know where to post this question because Stevie Wonder is from Motown and since this site has a Motown section but Ray Charles isn't so I was lost on where to post this question. If please forgive if I made a mistake by lol. Anyways, Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles?

In terms of:

Bigger impact

Better discography

Vocals

Musicianship

Live performances

[Motown Eddie]

I'm going with Ray Charles on this one since he was one of the Founding Fathers of Soul Music in the '50s.

[RanRan79]

Comparing these two is unfair. Two very different artists, although in my opinion, most artists can't be compared to one another anyway, which is the point...art. As a huge fan of both, I'll take a stab at it for conversation's sake.

Bigger impact- Equally as impactful. Ray inspired a generation, and so did Stevie.

Better discography- Equally as good. Both were artists who enjoyed innovating and taking chances with their catalog.

Vocals- I definitely don't compare voices, in terms of one being better than another. How would one quantify that?

Musicianship- Both were multi instrumentally talented, geniuses at more than one instrument.

Live performances- I'll give the edge to Ray here. Stevie's shows can sometimes be very synth heavy and the hits don't always have the same feel for my tastes, where Ray usually stayed pretty true to the soulful spirit of whatever he was singing.

[JM27]

Stevie. He's one of a handful of songwriters who truly has his own take on harmonic language - I'd go as far to say that he's the greatest singular songwriter ever.

[PeaceNHarmony]

It's an interesting concept and difficult to decide. As of this minute if forced I'd have to vote for Ray Charles, even though between the two I prefer Stevie Wonder. I will reserve my right to change my mind after I've thought a bit more. Both are incredible musicians and a great addition to musical development and culture, for sure.

[lockhartgary]

Forgive me for going off topic but I read something rather interesting a couple of weeks ago. "Living for the City" won back-to-back Grammy awards in 1974 and 1975. Stevie won in 1974 and Ray won in 1975.

[MichaelSherry59]

Forgive me for going off topic but I read something rather interesting a couple of weeks ago. "Living for the City" won back-to-back Grammy awards in 1974 and 1975. Stevie won in 1974 and Ray won in 1975.


Damn, I didn't know Ray won a Grammy in 75. Years after his prime and he was still doing pretty well.

[lockhartgary]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ23cVHNQGs

[reese]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W130l1uoTY0

[lockhartgary]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W130l1uoTY0
This is FABULOUS!! Thanks for posting!

[motony]

Ray Charles was a big influence on Stevie. Stevie even had an LP "Tribute to Uncle Ray".