"Mess Around" was Ray Charles' first studio hit with Atlantic Records and a few more the following year. In 1954, Ray Charles wrote his own composition named, "I Got a Woman" which brought him to the national stage and became Charles' first number one R&B hit. The composition included a blend of gospel, jazz and blues that would prove to be pivotal in the development and progress of rock n' roll and soul music. Up to 1958, Charles' continued to work on this style of music with records like, "This Little Girl of Mine", "Drown In My Own Tears", "Lonely Avenue" and "A Fool For You".
During the late 50's Ray Charles reached the pinnacle of his success with Atlantic Records with the release of "What'd I Say", an intricate song that combined jazz, gospel, and Latin music. Despite its controversial and sexually suggestive lyrics, the song made the crossover top ten song charts, the first for Charles. Within the next few years, Charles would come out with three more albums: The Genius After Hours, The Genius Sings the Blues, and The Genius of Ray Charles. After seeing his newfound popularity, Charles refused to renegotiate a contract with Atlantic Records and chose to sign with ABC-Paramount Records in 1959. After the signing with ABC-Paramount Records, Charles received very beneficial and lucrative bonuses that he did not experience with Atlantic Records. ABC-Paramount offered Charles $50,000 annually, higher royalties and a much more liberal contract compared to other artists during that time. However, this moment marked the point where Charles essentially gave up on writing and composing his own original material and instead became and interpreter for the music he played. His first big hit single was with the song "Georgia On My Mind" produced by Sid Feller and composed by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael in 1960.
