The Ray Charles Orchestra - Booty Butt (1971)

What?! Ray + Booty = funky. This groovin' track hit #31 on the Billboard pop charts. For a little more info on the flavor of this cut, I'm gonna let DJ Prestige over at Flea Market Funk do the honors:

Recorded in 1971, with an orchestra (Charles was definitely comfortable with or without one), it's kind of out of character for him, but of course he pulls it off well. By this time he was gone from Atlantic and had moved to ABC for the money one can only surmise. His output of records was considerably different from when he and Ahmet were churning out R&B and Soul hit after hit at Atlantic. He had gone down the pop road and well, "Booty Butt" seems a bit out of the ordinary. Whatever his motivation, I'm glad he decided to put it out. It slow cooks with the piano maestro going back and forth with a funk guitar riff until it boils out some saxaphone. Throw in his trademark hollering blues style, lots of "Booty Booty" calling, spot on percussion, and Ray Charles has what we call here at Flea Market Funk: funk for days.

- Flea Market Funk, 2007

Booty Butt first charted on Cash Box's Top 100 Singles charts on March 20, 1971, reaching #86 with a bullet.

It would peak at #24 nine weeks later on May 22, 1971.

- Dyn-O-Mite

Stevie Wonder - We Can Work It Out (1971)

Stevie funks up the Beatles - what's not to like? From his 1970 album Signed, Sealed, and Delivered, this was released as a single in 1971, and eventually hit #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Stevie was nominated for his second Grammy in 1972 thanks to this song, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

We Can Work It Out first charted on Cash Box's Top 100 Singles charts on March 13, 1971, reaching #64 with a bullet. It would peak at #9 eight weeks later on May 8, 1971.

- Dyn-O-Mite