Ray Charles

The song “What’d I Say” was improvised one evening late in 1958
when Charles, his orchestra, and backup singers had played their
entire set list at a show and still had time left; the response from
many audiences was so enthusiastic that Charles announced to
his producer that he was going to record it.

For the rest of his career, Charles closed every concert with the
song. It was added to the National Recording Registry in 2002
and ranked at number 10 in Rolling Stone ‘​s "The 500 Greatest
Songs of All Time".

"Penny Lane" by the Beatles, was written primarily by Paul McCartney. It
was credited to Lennon–McCartney.

Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, "Penny Lane" was released 
as one side of a double A-sided single, along with "Strawberry Fields
Forever".

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Penny Lane" at No. 456 on its list of the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The single, originally titled “The Thing”, reached number one on the
Billboard rhythm and blues chart, staying at the top for six of 19 weeks,
while peaking at number six on the pop chart. It received the Cash Box
Triple Crown Award in 1956. it is #56 on Rolling Stone‘s list of The 500
Greatest Songs of All Time.

Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman)
turned 82 December 5.

"Paul" was the song’s writer, Ray Hildebrand, a student at Texas‘ Howard
Payne University, a Baptist institution in the city of Brownwood. "Paula"
was Jill Jackson, the niece of the owner of the boarding house where
Ray lived. The song was originally titled "Paul and Paula", taking
inspiration from the Annette Funicello hit "Tall Paul".

A Grammy Award (originally Gramophone Award), or Grammy,
is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and 
Sciences (NARAS) to recognize outstanding achievement in the 
music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features
performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of
those awards that have a more popular interest. The first
Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, and
honored the musical accomplishments by performers
for the year 1958.   

Frank Sinatra (above) won his first Grammy not for singing, but
rather as art director for his Only the Lonely album that won Best
Album Cover (below).